Ellisa Opstbaum Habbart of The Delaware Counsel Group LLC co-chaired and moderated a panel at the International Bar Association’s third annual conference on corporate governance on November 4, 2016 in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida in which Delaware Supreme Court Justice Randy Holland, along with the General Counsel of Playa Hotels & Resorts and the former General Counsel of LaFarge participated in the panel titled “Corporate Governance Issues for Foreign Subsidiaries”. Ruud Smits of NautaDutilh, a Dutch firm, and Vanessa Blackmore of Sullivan & Cromwell, London, rounded out the panel. Justice Holland educated attendees on the principals of Delaware corporate governance and answered questions relating to issues such as the interplay between Brazilian and Delaware law issues. The rest of the panel addressed a topic that is often ignored: the steps necessary to insure that a subsidiary does not expose a family of companies to liability.

The conference examined prevailing corporate governance and regulatory issues in key jurisdictions around the world. Programs highlighted best practices and strategies for public and private companies as well as topics ranging from risk management to the challenges faced by multi-national companies due to conflicting laws. The conference was co-presented by the IBA Capital Markets Forum and the IBA Corporate and M&A Law Committee, of which Ms. Habbart is an officer.