NEW YORK, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Morrison & Foerster LLP announced Eddy Wymeersch, until recently the Chairman of the Committee of European Securities Regulators, as this year's recipient of the annual Regulatory Innovation Award.  Morrison & Foerster established this award in 2008 through the Burton Foundation to honor an academic or non-elected public official whose innovative ideas have made a significant contribution to the discourse on regulatory reform in the arena of corporate governance, securities, capital markets or financial institutions.  Wymeersch was selected by an independent panel of academics, practitioners and financial journalists.

Mr. Wymeersch is well known for his successful efforts toward the establishment of the first pan-European regulatory authority (ESMA).  He has been an articulate and unrelenting advocate of greater international cooperation to deal with the challenges created by the financial crisis, including the creation of the Financial Stability Board by the G20.  He has also served as Chairman of the Banking Finance and Insurance Commission, which is Belgium's integrated financial regulator, and is currently Chairman of the Public Interest Oversight Board, which is in charge of overseeing the auditing standards boards.  He has served as an adviser to the Belgian government, the European Commission, the World Bank and the IFC, as a member of corporate boards and as a professor.  Mr. Wymeersch will be honored at a gala on June 13 in Washington, D.C., featuring an address from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Keith C. Wetmore, Chair of the firm, said, "Eddy Wymeersch is a wonderful choice for this award.  He has helped Europe coordinate its regulatory efforts in response to the financial crisis and has long been at the forefront of the worldwide dialogue regarding approaches to address the regulatory challenges created by a more connected global marketplace.  The regulatory innovations championed by Eddy fit perfectly with what we at Morrison & Foerster aim to offer our clients every day."

To learn more about the selection committee, click here.

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About the Burton Foundation

The Burton Foundation is a volunteer, not-for-profit, academic organization concentrating on legal writing. With tax-exempt status as a 501 (c) (3) corporation, it offers full tax deductibility for contributors.  Lean more at http://www.burtonawards.com.

SOURCE Morrison & Foerster LLP