PHA’s Battles to Give Keynote at Symposium on Terrorism, Crime and Business

Congressman Michael McCaul to give closing keynote address

Wade M. Battles, PHA acting executive director, will give the keynote address at a first-of-its-kind symposium in Houston, Texas, hosted by the Center for Terrorism Law at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. The symposium aims to alert American businesses to their susceptibility to civil liability lawsuits from victims of criminal or terrorist acts.

The symposium, to be held at the Federal Reserve Bank in Houston (1801 Allen Parkway) on Thursday and Friday, April 30–May 1, 2009, will cover current terrorist and criminal threats to American businesses, and detail the varied legal issues associated with terrorism and criminal negligence claims against businesses that have suffered a terror attack or serious criminal act in cyberspace or the physical world.

“The dangers of terrorism, cyber attacks, and criminal activity have very real legal repercussions for American businesses that can be as damaging, or more damaging, than those initial attacks,” said Distinguished Professor of Law, Jeffrey Addicott, director of the Center for Terrorism Law. “The symposium is designed to make companies aware of how to physically and legally safeguard themselves from liability.”

PHA’s Battles will deliver the lunch keynote address, focusing on security issues at U.S. seaports. Other confirmed speakers are top counter-terrorism and risk mitigation experts from the fields of international intelligence, law-enforcement, and legal. In addition to Battles, they include:

• Congressman Michael McCaul (10th Congressional District of Texas)
• Alan Cohn, deputy assistant secretary for policy, Department of Homeland Security
• Jeffrey Addicott, director, Center for Terrorism Law
• Offer Baruch, vice president of operations for International Shield, Inc.; James G. Conway, Jr., president and managing director of Global Intel Strategies, Inc.
• Charles K. Stack, Jr., president, XIT Networks
• Jody Westby, chief executive officer of Global Cyber Risk, Inc.
• Peter T. Conner, principal of The Spectrum Group
• Fern O’Brian, senior partner, Arnold & Porter
• Martin D. Beirne, managing partner, Beirne, Maynard and Parsons, L.L.P.

Dean Charles Cantú of St. Mary’s University School of Law will present the welcome address.

The symposium’s program of panel and discussion topics will include:

• Understanding the Conceptual Foundations of Terrorism
• Militant Islam: Aims, Objectives, and Future Trends
• Terrorism and Crime in the Homeland: Critical Infrastructure
• Security Standards – Government and Industry Driven
• Mitigating Legal Liability for Terrorism and Crime
• Legal and Security Benefits of the SAFETY Act
• Cyber Threats and Security Standards
• DHS and Security Standards
• Civil Liability and Cyber Security
• How to Develop Appropriate Security Methods to Mitigate Business Legal Liability

The symposium is specifically designed for business leaders, corporate security managers, insurance company executives, and attorneys from across the United States. Registration fee for the conference, which includes a hosted lunch and extensive printed materials, is $300.

Symposium sponsors include XIT Networks, Arnold & Porter LLP, Wolters Kluwer Law and Business, Aspen Publishers, and the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS) at UTSA.

Additional sponsorship opportunities for the symposium, which include the opportunity to host an exhibit booth at the symposium, are also available, ranging from $2,000–$10,000. St. Mary’s University School of Law, Center for Terrorism Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit [Section 501 (c) (3)] academic institution which operates on private donations and grants.

For more information on the symposium, or to register online, visit the Center for Terrorism Law Web site at www.stmarytx.edu/ctl. Inquiries about the seminar may be directed to Faithe Campbell at fcampbell@stmarytx.edu or (210) 431-2219.