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Recap: Lecture by Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, Southern District of New York

March 05, 2014

Bharara dedicated much of his address talking about his experience prosecuting businesses engaged in illegal activities.
Bharara dedicated much of his address talking about his experience prosecuting businesses engaged in illegal activities.
On March 4, Penn Law and Wharton co-hosted Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to present a guest lecture in Huntsman Hall to students, faculty, and the Penn community.

By Jillian Gutstein C’16

On March 4, Penn Law and Wharton co-hosted Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to present a guest lecture in Huntsman Hall to students, faculty, and the Penn community. The lecture, followed by a Q&A session with audience members, emphasized the importance of business ethics, and following the law. Bharara recalled how he first became interested in his field during his sophomore year of college, in which he “realized the importance of integrity of financial markets on black Monday.”

Bharara dedicated much of his address talking about his experience prosecuting businesses engaged in illegal activities. He emphasized the importance of corporate culture, and hiring good employees. “If people who saw something [illegal] decided to stand up and report it earlier, a lot of people could be spared a lot of pain, and a lot of people would have a lot more money in their pockets or the bank,” said Bharara. He also observed that corporate culture is set at the top, and that integrity is the most important characteristic of a leader.

Prior to his public lecture, Bharara participated in two roundtable discussions with Law students and with Wharton students.