Drinker Biddle Partner to Chair Mutual Fund Regulation and Compliance Forum

(April 26, 2004) Michael P. Malloy, a partner of Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and head of its Investment Management Group, will serve as chair for Institutional Investor’s Mutual Fund Regulation & Compliance forum. This one-day conference offers mutual fund companies, board directors, attorneys, registered investment advisors and broker/dealers insights on how to respond to the largest regulatory crackdown in this 7 trillion dollar industry. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 5, 2004, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The program includes keynote presentations from John Bogle, Founder of The Vanguard Group, and Beth Golden, Deputy Attorney General from Eliot Spitzer’s office. The speaking faculty includes Stephen Cutler, Director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, Barry Goldsmith, Executive Vice President of Enforcement for the National Association of Securities Dealers, John Rea, Chief Economist for the Investment Company Institute, as well as other industry and policy leaders. The forum will be addressing timely topics such as late trading, market timing and fair valuation, fund fees, board director issues, soft dollar practices and more.

Mr. Malloy counsels a wide range of national and multinational financial institutions.  He has significant experience in investment company matters, corporate law, securities law, and day-to-day business matters of corporations, partnerships and business trusts.  Mr. Malloy has organized, counseled and reorganized both open and closed-end investment companies.  He frequently advises boards of directors and other parties on fund governance, fiduciary duties and best practices.  Mr. Malloy works closely with regulators on a broad range of issues and products.  He is a frequent speaker at securities law conferences and has authored many articles on investment management industry topics.

Established in 1849, Drinker Biddle’s more than 470 lawyers serve clients throughout the United States and abroad.  Drinker Biddle’s Investment Management Group, one of the premier practices in the country, counsels a broad range of national and multi-national financial institutions, individuals and traditional and alternative investment funds.  The firm provides comprehensive advice and services to the financial industry and has consistently been ranked as one of the top mutual fund practices in the country by The American Lawyer.