Paul Hastings Wins American Lawyer Collaboration Award for Airbus ‘Virtual Law Firm’

January 15, 2021

Washington D.C. – At the 2020 American Lawyer Industry Awards, held virtually, Paul Hastings LLP was a winner of the ‘Best Provider Collaboration’ award, for its work advising Airbus in a coordinated global resolution with French, U.K., and U.S. investigation authorities.

These awards celebrate the industry’s most impressive law firms and lawyers, both private practice and in-house, and are backed by signature national brands, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, the National Law Journal, and Legaltech News.

The citation reads: “Collaboration is the only word to describe the winning group’s massive undertaking. Airbus, Paul Hastings, Dechert, Clifford Chance, August Debouzy, Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, Forensic Risk Alliance and Hughes Hubbard & Reed created a virtual law firm that resolved a record-setting, multijurisdictional corruption case that addressed conduct in 16 different countries.”

The landmark global resolution was the first of its kind involving simultaneous resolutions among regulators in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including three deferred prosecution agreements, all without a guilty plea at any level, and closes one of the largest ever FCPA cases.

Under its general counsel, John Harrison, Airbus fashioned a ‘virtual law firm’ to achieve seamless cooperation among counsel in three different jurisdictions. The VLF met Airbus’ commitment to full simultaneous cooperation with all three authorities while confronting unique challenges involving the French Blocking Statute, data privacy and national security constraints, conflicting rules of legal privilege, and incompatible rules for assessing criminal penalties.

The Paul Hastings team that advised Airbus was led by partners Robert Luskin and Nathaniel Edmonds and included of counsel Jennifer Riddle.

At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear — to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative global law firms.