From Reaction to Resilience: A New Vision for Corporate Ethics & Compliance | School of Law

Thursday, January 29th, 2026
4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Add to Calendar: Add to Calendar: 2026-01-29 16:30:00 2026-01-29 17:30:00 From Reaction to Resilience: A New Vision for Corporate Ethics & Compliance Event Description This lecture explores how organizations can build ethics and compliance programs that genuinely prevent misconduct rather than simply respond to regulatory pressure. Drawing on the historical evolution of modern compliance, the talk traces how enforcement activity, statutory mandates, and negotiated corporate settlements have shaped today’s compliance landscape. Yet, as the book argues, enforcement-driven models are no longer sufficient. Instead, large and complex organizations must adopt firm-driven, ethics-centered compliance programs that proactively address risk, empower middle management, strengthen internal culture, and support human flourishing across communities. Grounded in behavioral ethics, governance theory, and real-world case studies, the lecture outlines a practical framework for designing compliance programs capable of meeting tomorrow’s challenges. Speaker biography Veronica Root Martinez is a nationally recognized expert in professional and organizational ethics, with a particular focus on corporate misconduct, compliance, and the use of monitors. At Duke University, she holds the Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Distinguished Professorship of Law and a courtesy appointment in the Fuqua School of Business, where she teaches courses on compliance, business law, and ethics. Her scholarship has been published in leading journals, including the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review, and her forthcoming book, Building an Effective Ethics and Compliance Program, reflects her expertise in fostering ethical organizational cultures. In addition to her academic work, Martinez serves on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, is a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Law Institute. She previously completed a four-year term on FINRA’s National Adjudicatory Council and currently serves on the board of the Durham Center for Senior Life, where she chairs the Governance Committee. Download the reading materials. CWRU School of Law Moot Courtroom School of Law School of Law America/New_York public

Event Description

This lecture explores how organizations can build ethics and compliance programs that genuinely prevent misconduct rather than simply respond to regulatory pressure. Drawing on the historical evolution of modern compliance, the talk traces how enforcement activity, statutory mandates, and negotiated corporate settlements have shaped today’s compliance landscape. Yet, as the book argues, enforcement-driven models are no longer sufficient. Instead, large and complex organizations must adopt firm-driven, ethics-centered compliance programs that proactively address risk, empower middle management, strengthen internal culture, and support human flourishing across communities. Grounded in behavioral ethics, governance theory, and real-world case studies, the lecture outlines a practical framework for designing compliance programs capable of meeting tomorrow’s challenges.

Speaker biography

Veronica Root Martinez is a nationally recognized expert in professional and organizational ethics, with a particular focus on corporate misconduct, compliance, and the use of monitors. At Duke University, she holds the Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Distinguished Professorship of Law and a courtesy appointment in the Fuqua School of Business, where she teaches courses on compliance, business law, and ethics. Her scholarship has been published in leading journals, including the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review, and her forthcoming book, Building an Effective Ethics and Compliance Program, reflects her expertise in fostering ethical organizational cultures. In addition to her academic work, Martinez serves on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, is a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute, a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the American Law Institute. She previously completed a four-year term on FINRA’s National Adjudicatory Council and currently serves on the board of the Durham Center for Senior Life, where she chairs the Governance Committee.

Download the reading materials.

Event Location

CWRU School of Law Moot Courtroom

Veronica Root Martinez, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett Distinguished Professor of Law, Duke Law