Washington, DC, April 4, 2016 -- Miller & Chevalier Chartered is pleased to announce that Litigation Member Lamia R. Matta is a recipient of The Burton Awards 2016 Distinguished Legal Writing Award for her article titled "From Souks to Boardrooms: Strategies for Meeting the FCPA Challenges of Doing Business in the Middle East." The award recognizes the finest law firm writers of 2016. Thirty-five winners were chosen from nominations submitted by the nation's top 1,000 law firms.

The Burton Awards program, which is run in association with the Library of Congress and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association, is "dedicated to rewarding great achievements in law, with a special emphasis on writing," according to the organization. The Legal Writing Award winners were selected by law school professors and judges, including professors from Harvard Law School, Stanford Law School and UC Berkeley School of Law. The honorary and distinguished Board of Directors of the Burton Awards program includes: Judge Richard Posner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit; Judge Alex Kozinski, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit; Justice Carol A. Corrigan, California Supreme Court; John Cornyn, United States Senator; Robert P. Casey Jr., United States Senator; Mike Crapo, United States Senator; and Michael Bennett, United States Senator.

Matta's article was originally published in the BNA Corporate Law & Accountability Report. In the article, Matta identifies some of the more common risk areas that have ensnared companies into trouble in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and she discusses strategies for addressing those challenges. "Companies," Matta explains, "face compliance challenges everywhere they go, and the Middle East is no exception." In particular, she notes, companies should be careful with third-party consultants and business partners, contracts for large-scale, government-led infrastructure and development projects, and gifts, travel and entertainment budgets.

Matta and the 34 other Burton Awards winners will be honored at a reception and gala on May 23, 2016, at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. United States Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg will speak during the event. 

About The Burton Awards

The Burton Awards, established in 1999, is funded by the Burton Foundation, a non-profit, academic effort devoted to recognizing and rewarding excellence in the legal profession. The Burton Awards honors the finest accomplishments in law, including writing, reform, public service and interest, regulatory innovation and lifetime achievements in the profession.

About William C. Burton, Esq., Founder and Chair

The Founder and Chair of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement is William C. Burton, Esq., a partner at the law firm of Sagat|Burton LLP. He is a former New York State Assistant Attorney General, a former New York State Assistant Special Prosecutor, and is the author of the first legal thesaurus ever written for the legal profession, entitled BURTON'S LEGAL THESAURUS. The book is now in its 5th edition and quickly approaching its 35th anniversary. When the book was released, the Association of American Publishers recognized it as "one of the Most Innovative and Creative Projects of the year." In 2011, Mr. Burton was presented the highest honor given by the second largest association of law professors in America, The Legal Writing Institute, for "significantly advancing the cause of legal writing in the profession of law." More recently, he was awarded the "Blackstone Award" by the Friends of the Law Library of Congress, for "embodying and promoting the best ideals of the institution."

About Miller & Chevalier

Founded in 1920, Miller & Chevalier is a Washington, DC law firm with a global perspective and leading practices in Tax, Employee Benefits (including ERISA), International Law and Business, White Collar and Internal Investigations, Complex Litigation and Government Affairs. In an era of big law, Miller & Chevalier is a top-ranked firm sharply focused on targeted areas that interact with the federal government. Over the past three years, the firm's lawyers have represented more than 40 percent of the Fortune 100, one-quarter of the Fortune 500 and approximately 30 percent of the Global 100. Based in Washington, DC, a significant number of firm lawyers have held senior positions in the U.S. government and have written many of the regulations they currently help clients navigate. For more information on the firm, visit www.millerchevalier.com.

CONTACT:

Laura Miller, Media Relations, Greentarget, 312.252.4104