We’re thrilled to share the latest episode of Legal 500’s Corporate Conversation series, featuring Kariem Abdellatif, Head of Mercator by Citco.
In this episode, Kariem takes a deep dive into the intricate world of Ultimate Beneficial Ownership (UBO)—a topic that has never been more relevant. With ongoing litigation and Supreme Court petitions shaping the future of the Corporate Transparency Act in the United States, in-house legal teams face mounting challenges in compliance and reporting.

We are thrilled to release the second of this two-part Corporate Conversations series, titled Climate Change, Energy Transition, Fair Business: Challenges for Conflict Resolution, headed by esteemed counsel Roberta Downey, Head of International Construction and Partner at Vinson & Elkins, and Kai-Uwe Karl, Global Chief Litigation Counsel at GE Renewable Energy.

In part two, our speakers thoroughly examine how mediation and arbitration, as predominant alternative dispute resolutions, fall short on adjusting to the current demands of climate change and the energy transition, and how dispute resolution institutions must adapt their approach to tackling this serious challenge posed to both businesses and due process.

We are delighted to release the first of this two-part Corporate Conversations series, titled Climate change, energy transition, fair business: challenges for conflict resolution, headed by esteemed counsel Roberta Downey, Head of International Construction and Partner at Vinson & Elkins, and Kai-Uwe Karl, Global Chief Litigation Counsel at GE Renewable Energy.

The themes in part one encompass climate change, the energy transition and reform in dispute resolution, highlighting the interception between the three. Our speakers focus specifically on whether our current dispute resolution system is ready to cope with the increasing need for environmental disputes.

In episode 9 of Corporate Conversations, The Legal 500’s head of research for the GC Powerlist, Joe Boswell, speaks with Lisa Ann Cooney, General Counsel of Philadelphia-headquartered construction company Day & Zimmermann.

With a growing increase in state, but not federal, legislative support for the use of medical and recreational marijuana, more and more U.S. employers have questions on whether they need to relax their drug-testing policies. This is even more challenging for “U.S. government contractors”, who often have clauses in their contracts with the federal government that require drug-free workplaces or drug-free employees providing contracted services.

This discussion unpacks the hot-button issue and ask whether current requirements are fit-for-purpose in a changing United States.

In episode 8 of Corporate Conversations, The Legal 500’s research editor, Allan Cohen, speaks with Natalia Lysa, General Counsel & Compliance Officer at Nestlé Ukraine & Moldova. Natalia talks about the resilience of her compatriots and colleagues, and how the Ukrainian legal industry has been operating since the Russian invasion of Ukraine was launched.

In episode 7 of Corporate Conversations, The Legal 500’s research editor, Allan Cohen, speaks with Elena Limakova, Head of Legal for Ukraine and the Eurasia sub-cluster at Sandoz.

In the context of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Elena will be sharing her first-hand experience of what it is like working in the middle of a war and discuss the impact the conflict might have on the European legal and business ecosystems, corporate relations with Russia and the future of the pharmaceutical industry in Eastern Europe.

In episode 6 of Corporate Conversations, The Legal 500's head of research for the GC Powerlist, Joe Boswell, speaks with Salomon Vaie, senior legal director at Guatemala-based agricultural and industrial conglomerate CMI.

The wide-ranging interview focuses primarily on how Vaie and his legal team manage to issue an extraordinarily successful US$700m green bond in 2021, a first for both this century-old company and the region itself. Other topics covered are how GCs like him are leading finance projects in Central America, and what some of the main lessons he has learned over the course of his career have been.

We invite you to listen to the fifth episode of Corporate Conversations, featuring Olympio Carvhalo, Partner at Castro Barros Advogados, speaking to Pilar Perez, Corporate Attorney at Lorinvest Gestão de Recursos, regarding the integration of ESG in businesses as a long-term journey.

We invite you to listen to the fourth episode featuring Roxana Ionescu, partner at Nestor Nestor Diculescu Kingston Petersen, Romania, speaking to Gabriela Popescu, Legal Director at Microsoft, Romania, regarding data privacy challenges in Romania and the essential role of GCs in digitalisation Processes.