01.17.2017

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Press Releases

Authors To Speak on January 24 at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law – Event Co-Hosted by Northwestern and University of Chicago Law Schools and the American Bar Association

CHICAGO, Ill. (January 17, 2017) - Each year, more than 20 million children around the world fall victim to commercial sexual and labor exploitation. This growing epidemic of child exploitation demands a coordinated response.

To help the global business community, lawyers, compliance professionals, policy experts, government officials and advocacy/consumer groups recognize and assist in ending child exploitation in the global supply chain and elsewhere, “Child Exploitation and Trafficking: Examining Global Enforcement and Supply Chain Challenges and U.S. Responses” brings fresh, practical thinking to this oft-misunderstood area of the law. “Child Exploitation and Trafficking” provides an updated, comprehensive, practical introduction to the history and present-day reality of child exploitation. It also traces the interconnected web of domestic and transnational federal laws and law enforcement efforts launched in response to this insidious contagion.

The updated and expanded Second Edition, which Judge Richard Posner in the Foreword calls a “milestone on the road to improved policy in this difficult and important area” and the Chicago Sun-Times characterizes as a “one-stop resource on the subject,” highlights the latest developments in this area of constantly-evolving concern. The book also contains new chapters examining areas such as the recent proliferation of U.S. and international supply-chain-compliance-focused anti-trafficking laws and related enforcement efforts aimed squarely at the global business community.

Co-author the Honorable Virginia Kendall is a judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge Kendall travels extensively around the world to teach judges and lawyers about crimes against women and children. She is an adjunct professor of law at University of Chicago Law School, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and Loyola University School of Law. Prior to being elevated to the bench by President Bush in 2006, Judge Kendall served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago. While at the United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago, she served as Deputy Chief in the Criminal Division, Child Exploitation Coordinator, and Coordinator of Project Safe Neighborhoods. Judge Kendall helped to create and then served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee which reviewed all child exploitation cases that impacted multiple jurisdictions.

Co-Author T. Markus Funk, a partner with Perkins Coie LLP, is the founding Chair of the firm’s Supply Chain Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility Practice (the first such dedicated practice among the Am Law 100 law firms), which just celebrated its fifth anniversary. Markus handles significant white collar cases and internal investigations in the U.S. and around the globe, and also provides compliance counseling involving, among other things, allegations of trafficked, child, and other forms of forced labor in global corporate supply chains. Prior to joining Perkins Coie, Markus served as a federal prosecutor in Chicago for more than ten years and spent two years in post-conflict Kosovo with the United States Department of State, where he earned some of the government’s highest awards.

On Tuesday, January 24, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, in partnership with the University of Chicago Law School and the American Bar Association, is hosting a book launch at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law school in downtown Chicago. “Child Exploitation and Trafficking” authors Virginia Kendall and Markus Funk will lead a 60-minute discussion about the book, with a specific focus on the new laws and regulations related to human trafficking and supply chain compliance. Thomas J. Miles, University of Chicago Law School Dean, will provide opening remarks. Please click here for more information on how to register to attend.

“Child Exploitation and Trafficking: Examining Global Enforcement and Supply Chain Challenges and U.S. Responses,” published by Rowman & Littlefield, has been cited in numerous court rulings and academic and popular publications since the first edition appeared in 2011, and the Green Bag Journal in 2012 named the book a “2012 Honoree for Exemplary Writing.” Please click here for details on how to order the book through Rowman & Littlefield.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high-value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.

Media Inquiries: Please email Justin Cole, Head of Media Relations.