Sam Rubenfeld’s extraordinary service to the compliance community

Sam RubenfeldLate last month, reporter and editor Sam Rubenfeld announced via Twitter that after ten years, he was leaving the Wall Street Journal.

He joined the Journal fresh out of college and quickly found his way to the Corruption Currents blog, while also editing and writing for the Dow Jones Newsletters and Newswires.

I was a big fan of Sam’s long before we met in person. That finally happened in New York City at the FCPA Blog event in October 2016. After our meeting, I was an even bigger fan. He was warm and friendly, humble, and a total FCPA nerd.

My admiration for Sam was sealed when he did something I still find extaordinary. He filed a story from the event itself, using his laptop while sitting in the audience, and capturing in nearly real time the headline of the event (Lanny Breuer’s brainy and detailed critique of the DOJ’s Pilot Program). It was an amazing display of Sam’s abundant artistry and skill, and his intricate knowledge of the FCPA and how it’s supposed to work.

As far as I know, Sam hasn’t said where he’ll be going next. Nothing would surprise me. But I hope we’ll all continue to enjoy his journalism and that his topic, at least now and then, will be the FCPA.

Thank you, Sam. And good luck.

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Richard L. Cassin is editor at large of the FCPA Blog.