April 10, 2019
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PROTECTING SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS
BLB&G held its Forum for Institutional Investors: Protecting Shareholder Rights in New Orleans, LA on April 10-13, 2019.
The Forum was designed to help fiduciaries enhance their knowledge of the US securities markets and deepen their understanding of fiduciary responsibilities. It also explored important issues of shareholder rights, corporate governance, and securities litigation that affect pension funds today.
One of the premier educational conferences in the field, the Forum brought together representatives of public pension systems, Taft-Hartley funds, and other institutional investors from around the globe with experts from corporate America, finance, the law, academia, and the media in a relaxed, collegial setting. The educational sessions provided a valuable learning experience, while the evening events at various New Orleans’ landmarks served as the backdrop for excellent opportunities to interact with colleagues and friends.
Our Keynote Speakers included:
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Adm. Mike Mullen
United States Navy (Ret.) Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
![/images/news-images/farrow_ronan-LR_sm.png](/images/news-images/farrow_ronan-LR_sm.png)
Ronan Farrow
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, lawyer and government advisor
![/images/news-images/Bharara-_Preet_Headshot_sm.png](/images/news-images/Bharara-_Preet_Headshot_sm.png)
Preet Bharara
Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Click here for full list of speakers.
About the Program
Our conference featured notable keynote speakers, as well as analysis and panel discussions from a broad array of industry officials and experts — including executive directors, business managers, trustees and fund counsel — on a variety of topics relevant to fiduciaries:
- The critical role the institutional investor community and shareholder litigation have played, and should play, in preserving the integrity and transparency of our capital markets since the passage of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act;
- An overview of the changing regulatory, legislative and market landscape, and the challenges they present to investor rights;
- The importance of portfolio monitoring in protecting institutional assets;
- The key factors involved in determining when, and when not, to get involved in a securities litigation;
- Best practices for executives and counsel of pension funds and other institutional investors;
- The pros and cons of active and index investing for institutional portfolios;
- Developments “since Morrison” — a comprehensive look at the landscape of shareholder litigation outside the US;
- The evolution of institutional investor activism and the impacts it has had on the C-suite and reforming corporate governance over the last two decades;
- Roundtable discussions featuring pension fund executives and outside counsel sharing their experiences and challenges managing retirement savings in today’s landscape;
- How the US markets, securities laws and class action system are viewed by the international financial community; and
- Current litigation trends, the nature of the corporate misconduct driving them, and discussion of the state of the US securities market.
*******
CLE accreditation of this program is available.
There is no fee associated with seeking CLE credit for this event.
For more information, please contact Amanda Rekemeier, Director of Client Relations,
at amanda@blbglaw.com or at (212) 554-1451 with any questions.
About our Keynote Speakers
Adm. Mike Mullen
United States Navy (Ret.),Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Considered one ofthe most influential chairmen in history ,Admiral Mike Mullen served under Presidents Bush and Obama. Since retiring from the Navy, Mullen has joined the boards of General Motors,Sprint and the Bloomberg Family Foundation and teaches at the Woodrow Wilson School of International and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He looks at how today’s geopolitical issues and economic trends directly impact America’s national security.
Ronan Farrow
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, lawyer and government advisor
Ronan Farrow is an influential voice in government and media, helping traditional institutions address the frustrations — and tap the promise — of a new generation. Twice named one of the“30 Under 30” most influential people in law and policy by Forbes Magazine, he was the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for Journalism in 2018. Farrow is a Yale Law School educated attorney and a member of the New York Bar, and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
Preet Bharara
Former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Preet Bharara served as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 2009 to 2017, where he earned a reputation as one of “the nation’s most aggressive and outspoken prosecutors” (The New York Times). As US Attorney, Bharara supervised an office of more than 200 Assistant US Attorneys, who handled cases involving terrorism, financial and health care fraud, cyber crime, public corruption, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations.
Speaker Faculty
Shaamini Babu
Partner – Saltzman & Johnson, Counsel to the Pension Trust
Fund for Operating Engineers
(Alameda, CA)
Robert Beale
Chief Investment Officer – Louisiana State Employees' Retirement System
Kevin Bergenhenegouwen
Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs – PGB Pensioendiensten
(The Netherlands)
Frank Burney
Partner – Martin & Drought, P.C.
(San Antonio, TX)
Joseph Burns
Partner – Jacobs, Burns, Orlove & Hernandez
(Chicago, IL)
Mary Pat Burns
Partner – Burke
Burns & Pinelli, Ltd.
(Chicago, IL)
Commander
William Cook
Trustee – City of Miami
Police Relief and
Pension Fund
Jim Coyne
Business Manager – The Chicago Journeymen Plumbers Local Union 130 UA
Amy Crane
General Counsel –
Rhode Island Office of
the General Treasurer
Gerard Cruz
Trustee & Treasurer –
Government of Guam Retirement Fund
Jeff Dana
Solicitor – City of
Providence, RI
Derek Dobson
Chief Executive Officer and Plan Manager – The College of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan (Ontario)
Carolina de Onis
General Counsel – The
Teacher Retirement
System of Texas
Hans Ek
Deputy CEO – SEB
Investment Management AB
(Sweden)
Jesse Evans, Jr.
Director – City of New
Orleans Employees’
Retirement System
Michael Herrera
Senior Staff Counsel –
Los Angeles County
Employees Retirement
Association
Pedro Herrera
Partner – Sugarman
& Susskind, P.A.
(Coral Gables, FL)
Joseph Indelicato, Jr.
General Counsel
New York State Teachers' Retirement System
Ron King
Member – Clark Hill PLC
(Lansing, MI)
Robert Klausner
Principal – Klausner,
Kaufmann, Jensen & Levinson
(Plantation, FL)
Danial Lam
Managing Director –
Legal & Business
Development, Ontario
Municipal Employees’
Retirement System
Kevin Lindahl
General Counsel –
Fire & Police Pension
Association of Colorado
Ann Lipton
Michael Fleishman Associate Professor in Corporate Law & Entrepreneurship –
Tulane University Law School
David Lorber
Portfolio Manager –
FrontFour Captial Group, LLC
Lou Mandarini
Executive Director –
Massachusetts Laborers
Benefit Funds
James Napier
Deputy City Attorney IV
City of Los Angeles - Pensions-Retirement Division
Harmen
Nieuwenhuis
Senior Legal Counsel –
Blue Sky Group
(The Netherlands)
Tiffany R. Reeves
Shareholder – Reinhart Boerner
Van Deuren S.C.
(Madison, Wisconsin)
Cindy Rougeou
Executive Director –
Louisiana State Employees’ Retirement System
Lori Schnall
In-House Counsel –
Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association
Cathy Smith
General Counsel –
Government Employees’
Retirement System
of the Virgin Islands
Doug Snyder
Managing Director –
Starboard Value LP
(New York, NY)
Gail Stone
Former Executive Director –
Arkansas Public Employees Retirement System
Elmira K. L. Tsang
Deputy Attorney General – Counsel to Employees’ Retirement System
of the State of Hawaii
David Webber
Professor of Law –
Boston University School of Law
John Weinstein
County Treasurer
Board President – Allegheny County (PA) Employees’ Retirement System
Steven Wieting
Chief Investment Strategist
and Chief Economist
Citi Private Bank
(New York, NY)
Steve Wolosky
Partner – Olshan Frome
Wolosky LLP
(New York, NY)
Mark Zigler
Partner – Koskie Minsky LLP
(Toronto,Ontario)
*****
CLE accreditation of this program is available. There is no fee associated with seeking CLE credit for this event.
For more information, please contact Amanda Rekemeier,
Director of Client Relations, at amanda@blbglaw.com
or at (212) 554-1451 with any questions.