MEDIA CONTACT: Pat Vaughan Tremmel at (847) 491-4892 or at p-tremmel@northwestern.edu

November 5, 2001

Pitt to Speak at Conference Supported by Northwestern

CHICAGO --- The Securities and Exchange Historical Society -- with support of Northwestern University School of Law and in cooperation with the Securities and Exchange Commission -- will hold a Major Issues Conference on Securities Regulation in the Global Internet Economy, and SEC Chairman Harvey Pitt will deliver the keynote address.

The conference will be held November 14 and 15 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, 1000 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

"In the field of securities law today, there is no more important priority for securities regulators than to address the role of securities regulation in the global marketplace," said Chairman Pitt. "This conference will play an important role in helping us set our regulatory agenda. We look forward to participating in the proceedings and discussing the important issues and challenges confronting today’s capital markets."

It is the first SEC-supported conference since 1984 that is devoted to examining broad policy issues in securities regulation. The speakers will represent a broad spectrum of U.S. and foreign securities regulators, stock market officials, accountants and lawyers.

The luncheon speakers will be Sen. Paul Sarbanes, chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Michel Prada, chairman of the French Commission des Operations de Bourse.

More than 43 speakers in five panel discussions will address the rapid development of a global marketplace and reexamine the fundamental principles of securities regulation in the Internet economy.

"We are extremely fortunate to have assembled such an outstanding group of both theorists and practitioners of securities regulation," said David Ruder, former SEC chairman and William W. Gurley Memorial Professor of Law at Northwestern University School of Law. "The conference will offer much that will be worthwhile and thought provoking for attendees from the securities bar, accounting profession and securities industry."

Ruder serves as the Historical Society chairman, and worked with Pitt and conference chair Richard M. Philips of the Washington, D.C. firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart to organize the two-day-conference.

The range of Commission responsibilities in the global Internet economy will be covered.

Panelists will include Edmund Jenkins of the Financial Accounting Standards Board; Richard Ketchum of the National Association of Securities Dealers; and senior officials of foreign regulatory agencies in Europe, Asia and South America. A complete list of the speakers is attached. The entire agenda and registration form are available on the Commission's Web site at http://www.sec.gov.

Founded in 1999, The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society works to preserve the history of the SEC, to sponsor research and educational programs regarding the SEC and to enhance understanding of United States and world capital markets.

As a program sponsored by the Northwestern University School of Law, the Major Issues Conference is recognized for mandatory continuing legal education credit in California, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Registration fee is $350 each for one to three registrants from the same firm or corporation and $300 each for four or more registrants from the same firm or corporation.

For additional information, please contact R. A. Pete Wentz, associate dean of rxecutive and professional education and communication, Northwestern University School of Law at (312) 503-1828 or go to www.law.northwestern.edu/contexec.