ABA ANTITRUST FORUM TO EXAMINE BUSH LEGACY AND TRANSITION TO NEW ADMINISTRATION

Enforcement officials to discuss priorities in a global economy, trends and challenges facing the antitrust community

What will a new administration mean to the practice of antitrust law and how will it affect Congress, the agencies and the courts in coming years? What changes can be expected at the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice? How will enforcement activity in the U.S. affect the international arena? How will the current state of the economy affect competition policy going forward?

The Fall Forum of the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law will address these and other issues relating to the impact of antitrust policy and enforcement on the national and global economy. Antitrust officials and practitioners will gather at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Nov. 13-14 for sessions exploring the full spectrum of recent and expected developments in antitrust law and policy. Section Chair James A. Wilson, conference chair Lynda K. Marshall and vice-chair David A Higbee will preside over the meeting.

Highlighting the conference will be keynote addresses on Nov. 13 by FTC Chair William E. Kovacic and U.S. Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Thomas O. Barnett. Other noteworthy speakers at the annual forum include FTC Commissioner J. Thomas Rosch; Vinod Dhall, retired acting chair of the Competition Commission of India; Anant Raut, majority counsel, Committee on the Judiciary; U.S. House of Representatives; House Judiciary Committee Minority Counsel E. Stewart Jeffries; Melinda Reid Hatton, senior vice president and general counsel, American Hospital Association; Mark D. Whitener, General Electric Company; Deputy U.S. Assistant Attorneys General Deborah A. Garza and James J. O’Connell Jr.; Randolph W. Tritell, director, Office of International Affairs, FTC; and Robert L. Hubbard, director of litigation, Antitrust Bureau, New York State Attorney General.

Programs on Nov.13 include:

· Past is Prologue: Taking a Hard Look at the Last Administration’s Agenda and Accomplishments

· The Substantive Scope of Section 5 of the FTC Act: Where are the Boundaries and Where Should They Be?

· International Cooperation – Where Do We Go From Here?

· Healthcare Reform – Lessons and Guidance From the Antitrust Front

Programs on Nov. 14 include:

· Transitioning to the Next Administration – What to Expect From the Agencies, the Hill and the States

· Grading the Agencies on Merger Process Reform

· The Rise of Antitrust in the Far East – A Changing Landscape

· The Litigious FTC: FTC Litigation and Administrative Process

For more information about the fall forum visit the section’s Web site at http://www.abanet.org/antitrust.

The ABA Section of Antitrust Law, with more than 9,000 members, is the leading forum for ongoing analysis of policies and developments affecting competition and consumer protection law.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

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Editor’s Note: Reporters are invited to cover any or all program sessions for free. Course materials are available to reporters upon request. To obtain press credentials or to make arrangements for electronic coverage of any sessions, or for more information, call Deborah Weixl at 312/988-6126, or weixld@staff.abanet.org. On site registration for reporters will open at 8 a.m. on Nov. 13 at the National Press Club.

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