
Scheef & Stone, LLP welcomed Ashley Yablon, attorney, whistleblower, and author of Standing Up to China: How a Whistleblower Risked Everything for His Country, to the firm on September 30, 2026, for a Lunch & Learn with members of the Scheef & Stone team.
During the program, Yablon shared the story behind his memoir and discussed his experience navigating complex questions involving corporate ethics, professional responsibility, international business, and whistleblowing.
The Story Behind Standing Up to China
Published by Brown Books Publishing Group in April 2022, Standing Up to China: How a Whistleblower Risked Everything for His Country recounts Yablon’s experience while serving as general counsel for the U.S. operations of Chinese telecommunications company ZTE. The book follows his discovery of information concerning the company’s business with sanctioned countries and his subsequent decision to provide information to U.S. authorities.
Yablon has described becoming an FBI informant after learning of conduct involving the shipment and re-export of U.S.-origin technology to countries subject to U.S. sanctions. His memoir examines both the professional and personal consequences of that decision.
The underlying enforcement matter ultimately became a significant U.S. sanctions case. In 2017, ZTE pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by illegally shipping U.S.-origin items to Iran, as well as obstruction of justice and making a material false statement. The company agreed to pay approximately $892 million, with an additional $300 million penalty suspended subject to compliance with its settlement agreement.
A Conversation About Ethics and Professional Responsibility
Yablon’s presentation gave the Scheef & Stone team an opportunity to hear firsthand about the legal and ethical considerations that can arise when attorneys encounter potential misconduct within an organization.
The discussion touched on issues central to the legal profession, including corporate compliance, professional judgment, whistleblower decisions, ethical responsibility, and the challenges of advising organizations operating across international jurisdictions.
Yablon now speaks about his experience and corporate ethics in addition to his legal work. His official biography describes his work today as that of a lawyer, leader, educator, and speaker focused in part on lessons from his experience as a whistleblower.
Scheef & Stone thanks Ashley Yablon for spending time with the firm and sharing the story behind Standing Up to China with its attorneys and team members.
About the Book: Standing Up to China: How a Whistleblower Risked Everything for His Country was published April 5, 2022, by Brown Books Publishing Group.









Scheef & Stone Partner Michael Smith will moderate a fireside chat with U.S. District Judge Michael Truncale of the Sherman Divisionon Tuesday, September 29, 2026, as part of a meeting and program hosted by the Judge Paul Brown American Inn of Court.