Focus on Credit Crisis and Pressing Law, Regulatory Developments

CHICAGO --- The credit crisis and how the fallout is affecting transactional attorneys and their practices will be a key focus of the 28th Annual Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute, to be held Thursday and Friday, May 1 and 2, at Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Ave.

Led by Chicago's leading corporate law practitioners, this year's institute includes perspectives from the banking community, private equity, in-house attorneys and regulators about the ever-changing developments in the current legal and regulatory environment.

Leo E. Strine, Jr., who, as vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery, routinely weighs in on important corporate legal developments, will participate in a chat and Q&A at the institute. He will offer a perspective from the Delaware courts Thursday, May 1 from 1 to 2 p.m.

In addition, two high-profile lawyers, Merri Jo Gillette, regional director of the Chicago regional office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Mary Jo White, of Debevoise & Plimpton, will give their takes, from both sides of the bar, on white-collar crime developments and sub-prime debt investigations and litigation. The panel discussion will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Friday, May 2.

The institute will open at 9 a.m. Thursday, May 1, with a talk by Avy H. Stein, Willis Stein & Partners, titled "Understanding the Credit Crisis and its Fallout -- An Orientation."

John W. White, director of the division of corporation finance at the SEC, will give an update at 8:30 a.m. Friday, May 2, on current activities within the division, including financial reporting, international rulemaking and proxy matters.

Other issues that will be addressed at the Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute include the dynamic between strategic and private equity bidders; developments in enforcement and class action litigation; counseling the board on shareholder activism; issues from the 2008 proxy season; modern investor relations; disclosure rules on executive compensation practices; doing deals in emerging markets; developments in accounting, capital raising and disclosure; and case studies addressing ethics and malpractice in corporate transactions.

For more information, including a complete schedule, registration instructions and continuing legal education (CLE) information, visit <http://www.law.northwestern.edu/garrett/>.