Events
How to Protect Your Interests and Avoid Pitfalls in Congressional Investigations
When:
Friday, February 20, 20097:30 am – 1:30 pm EST
Where:
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
www.itcdc.com
Now, with Democrats expanding their majorities in the House and Senate, there is no doubt that Congress is poised to pursue an aggressive oversight agenda in 2009 and beyond on financial institution conduct, the use of taxpayer funds under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, executive compensation, health care costs, government contracts and other areas. While few are prepared to respond to a congressional inquiry—which has no standard form and no uniform process—the consequences of such an investigation for a business or corporation can be far-reaching.
On February 20, 2009, McDermott brings together a unique combination of professionals who have extensive experience with congressional investigations, including the former Chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, industry leaders who have responded to investigations, and highly experienced McDermott lawyers who have successfully represented clients before Congress.
For those unable to attend in person, the conference will be available as a webcast.
Co-Hosts:
Bobby Burchfield, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – Bobby represents numerous members of the House and Senate in litigation, ethics and campaign issues. He has been involved as counsel in major congressional and executive branch investigations, some of which have had parallel civil and criminal proceedings. At McDermott, Bobby is Co-Head of the Washington, D.C., office, Head of Complex Litigation and a member of the Executive Committee. In 1992, he served as General Counsel for President George H.W. Bush’s re-election campaign, and recently served, by appointment of President George W. Bush, on the Antitrust Modernization Commission.
Steve Ryan, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – Steve served as General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and has broad experience in addressing the combined legal, political and press related challenges stemming from congressional oversight and investigation. For almost a decade, Steve co-taught “Legislative Investigations” as an Adjunct Professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center with Professor Sam Dash, and he routinely and successfully represents high-profile business clients before Congress, including recent matters related to Hewlett Packard Corporation and Erik Prince, CEO of Blackwater.
Presenters:
Congressman Tom Davis, Director, Deloitte Federal Government Services – Tom is a recently retired seven-term Congressman from Virginia who served as the Chairman of the Committee on Government Reform. This committee is the chief investigative and oversight committee of the House. Tom is widely respected by members on both sides of the aisle for his political acumen and know-how.
Eugene Goldman, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – Eugene represents U.S. and international clients before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in financial fraud, false disclosure, insider trading, broker-dealer and other securities enforcement proceedings. Eugene previously served as Senior Counsel in the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, D.C. He directed prosecutions in a wide variety of areas, including insider trading, undisclosed self-dealing, the sale of unregistered securities, undisclosed underwriters compensation and questionable foreign payments. At the invitation of Chairman Christopher Dodd, Eugene testified before the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Securities regarding enforcement and litigation issues. Eugene served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley Sporkin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Mary Kennard, Chief Legal Counsel, American University – Mary is a member of American University’s President's Cabinet and has more than 20 years experience in college and university legal affairs. She recently represented the university in a congressional investigation.
Abbe Lowell, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – Abbe brings unique insight from his experience serving as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives twice, most recently from 1998 to 1999, when he was Chief Minority Counsel during impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton. Earlier, he served as Special Counsel to the House Ethics Committee during an inquiry of a Member of Congress. He has successfully defended clients in a wide variety of both civil and criminal matters.
Jeffrey Sandman, CEO of Hyde Park Communications – Jeff, a former litigator with over 25 years of communications experience, founded and has grown Hyde Park into a leading independent agency representing Fortune 500 companies, trade associations and private firms primarily in the pharmaceutical, health care and financial industries. He has significant experience counseling clients on litigation, investigations and crisis communications, positioning programs, government relations and regulatory affairs.
Paul Thompson, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – As a former counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, Paul has represented clients before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He has helped clients defend themselves during congressional inquiries, respond to subpoena requests from Congress, and prepare for and testify at congressional hearings.
Michael Waxman, Vice President, Hyde Park Communications – Michael manages public affairs, issue management and other communications programs for a broad range of clients. He joined Hyde Park after founding Waxman Consulting, a Los Angeles-based public affairs firm. He has also served as an elected member of the Los Angeles Community College Board of Trustees, which manages the largest community college district in the nation, consisting of nine colleges and more than 180,000 students.
Bill Weld, Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP – Bill’s experience serving as the Governor of Massachusetts, a staff member in both the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, a federal prosecutor, the Assistant U.S. Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts has given him a broad range of skills allowing him to effectively counsel clients regarding investigations and compliance.
Topics:
- Congressional Investigations and the Business Community in 2009: A New Era of Congressional Investigations Puts Business in the Crosshairs
- How to Avoid and Respond to Congressional Investigations
- The Pitfalls of Parallel Legal Proceedings (Simultaneous SEC, CFTC, FERC, Criminal or Civil Investigations, and Civil Litigation)
- The View from the Corporation: Lessons Learned from Clients Who Have Survived and Prospered
- Many Advisers, One Voice: Coordinating Legal, Political and Public Relations Strategy
CLE has been applied for in Virginia and New York and certificates of attendance will be available for other states.
This McDermott Will & Emery event is designed for the educational benefit of a company president, CEO, general counsel or other executive with an interest in congressional issues. Please be advised McDermott has the right to restrict attendance and may limit participation in this event.
For more information, please contact Stuart Davis at +1 202 756 8324 or sdavis@mwe.com.
