PROFESSOR SARAH WILLIAMS INVITES SHELL OIL SECURITIES COUNSEL JOSEPH BABITS FOR A VIRTUAL VISIT TO DICKINSON LAW
October 2021 — Prof. Sarah Williams recently invited U.S. Securities Counsel for Royal Dutch Shell, plc Joseph Babits as a guest lecturer in Dickinson Law’s Federal Securities Regulation class. Mr. Babits discussed his journey from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to one of the largest gas companies in the world. He shared his experiences defending Shell in U.S. government investigations, and the company’s efforts to address climate change.
Mr. Babits and Prof. Williams were co-counsels to SEC Commissioner Isaac C. Hunt Jr.; he also served as Special Counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance. Mr. Babits spoke passionately about the importance of accounting to business lawyers, describing financial statements as a company’s “report card.” He discussed differences between U.S. and U.K. disclosure systems, and spoke about the impact of climate change on the practice of securities law. Mr. Babits also explained the vital importance of diversity to a multinational company with over 80,000 employees around the world.
Professor Sarah Williams currently serves as an Assistant Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law, where her research focuses on the intersection of federal securities regulation and accounting. She also serves as an attorney/client arbitrator for the D.C. Bar. Prior to joining Dickinson Law, Professor Williams practiced law as a securities regulator. She was Deputy Director at the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board& and Associate General Counsel at NASD (now FINRA). She spent several years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, serving as staff attorney and branch chief in its Division of Enforcement, then as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Isaac C. Hunt, Jr. Professor Williams began her legal career as an associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C.