From the Dodd-Frank Act and Beyond: Navigating the Changes and Minimizing the Risks of U.S. Banking Reform

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 19, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Perhaps not in the history of the U.S. banking system has there been such an all-encompassing overhaul of the laws, rules and penalties that defined the very nature of the industry as the regulatory changes that reverberated as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.

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From the Dodd-Frank Act through today's maze of regulatory changes, U.S. banking laws have been highly in flux and difficult to follow. In this fast-changing landscape, practitioners responsible for a wide range of banking issues from basic operations to payment and compensation structures find it an ever-increasing challenge to keep up with the implications of the fallout for their work and their clients.

BNA's latest webinar in the Litigation Risk Management Series:  U.S. Banking Laws in Transition -- From Identifying Material Changes to Avoiding Material Risks will focus on the greatest risks and best precautionary measures for practitioners in this tenuous environment. In just 90-minutes, four topic experts from Paul Hastings LLP, will review the biggest risks and identify cautionary measures to help clients avoid common pitfalls and costly fines.

"Now more than ever, legal professionals need a keen understanding of the fast-changing banking and financial industry reforms and what they mean for their clients and their daily work," said Kevin Petrasic, Partner in Paul Hastings LLP, Global Banking practice. "Given the significant reforms of the last few years, the norms of yesterday will no longer be sufficient to stave off the significant penalties and fees threatening clients tomorrow. Further, the Federal Reserve's recent Horizontal Review of Incentive Compensation describes 'rapidly evolving' changes that all banks need to appreciate."

During this information-packed session you'll:

• Get expert updates on the critical 2011 developments relating to the Dodd-Frank Act
• Gain insights into operational, structural, and transactional risks arising under changed banking laws and heightened regulation
• Learn the latest procedures for Living Wills -- domestic and international challenges; scope and coverage; protecting sensitive information; gauging counter-party risks and impact
• Understand the impact of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on litigation risk
• Monitor the changes in Incentive Compensation – dissecting the Federal Reserve's horizontal review for insights ranging from heightened safety and soundness standards, to critical design improvements, to protecting directors from new personal liability risks

Webinar attendees are also eligible for CLE credit.

About the Speakers:
Kevin L. Petrasic
Mr. Petrasic is a Partner in Paul Hastings LLP Global Banking practice, resident in the Washington, D.C. office. He advises banks and financial services firms on a wide array of regulatory, legislative, transactional and compliance issues. His practice area includes Dodd-Frank compliance, bank/thrift and holding company regulation, credit card and consumer financial compliance laws, UDAP issues, privacy and data breach, compliance laws impacting payments systems, mergers and acquisitions and other specialized transactions, bank/thrift powers and activities, legislative matters and analysis, mortgage market regulation, and corporate governance.

Mr. Petrasic is a regular speaker at financial services industry conferences and seminars, appears on various news shows, including Bloomberg Television, Al Jazeera English Television, and The Street.com TV and is a frequent source for numerous financial publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Bloomberg News, Reuters News Service, BNA Banking Report, BNA Real Estate Report, the American Banker and various other national news and financial publications. He earned a J.D. from The Columbus School of Law and a joint Bachelors degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Delaware. He is a member of the District of Columbia, Maryland, Federal and American Bar Associations and serves on the Executive Council of the Banking Law Committee of the Federal Bar Association.

Mark Poerio
Mark Poerio is a partner in the Employment Law Department in the Washington D.C. office of Paul Hastings LLP, and is a member of the American College of Employee Benefit Counsel. For 25 years, Mr. Poerio has been in private practice with a focus on executive compensation and employee benefit matters, especially from a business, governance, tax, and securities perspective. He works regularly and globally with every Paul Hastings office, and has significant pro bono representations relating to not-for-profit governance, executive compensation, and tax matters. Mr. Poerio is also an adjunct professor with the Georgetown Law School, where he designed and teaches both "Executive Pay and Loyalty" and "The Business and Securities Aspects of Executive Compensation."

Erica Berg Brennan
Ms. Brennan is an associate in the Corporate practice group of Paul Hastings LLP, resident of the Washington, D.C. office. She focuses her practice on financial service clients, representing such clients in various corporate transactions and consulting clients with respect to corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She also has experience working with financial institutions and other companies in payment system matters involving money transmission, stored value cards and ACH transactions.

In 2010, Ms. Brennan was named a Georgia Super Lawyer, Rising Star in Atlanta Magazine. She earned a B.S., with distinction, from the University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce, in 1994 with an accounting concentration and a J.D. in 2000 from the University of Virginia School of Law, during which time she was a teaching assistant in commercial law at the McIntire School.

Helen Y. Lee
Ms. Lee is an associate in the Paul Hastings Global Banking Group, resident in the Washington, D.C., office. Her practice encompasses both securities and bank regulatory matters involving banking institutions. Her experience includes assisting both foreign and domestic banking institutions with a broad range of issues involving federal and state banking laws, as well as the federal securities laws for publicly traded U.S. holding companies of banking institutions.

Ms. Lee earned a J.D. in 2008 from The George Washington University Law School, where she was a founding member of The GW Banking Law Society and a B.A. in Politics, cum laude, from New York University in 2004.

About BNA Legal & Business Webinars
BNA's Legal & Business Webinars are designed for today's busy professionals. In just 90 minutes, you have access to in-depth coverage of an ever-changing array of current topics, including the latest trends and developments, new and revised laws and regulations, and legal principles and precedent. Get expert insights into compliance requirements, as well as authoritative and practical guidance on the issues that matter most to you and your clients.

With our webinar topics covering the broad spectrum of legal practice areas and corporate issues, from Intellectual Property to Privacy to Pensions & Benefits, you can count on BNA to bring you quality content on today's hottest topics. What's more, BNA's Legal & Business webinars are CLE/CPE eligible, making it easy to stay compliant with your continuing education needs.

About BNA
BNA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bloomberg L.P., is a leading source of legal, regulatory, and business information for professionals. Our network of more than 2,500 reporters, correspondents, and leading practitioners delivers expert analysis, news, practice tools, and guidance — the information that matters most to professionals.  BNA's authoritative coverage spans the full range of legal practice areas, including tax & accounting, labor & employment, intellectual property, banking & securities, employee benefits, health care, privacy & security, human resources, and environment, health & safety.  www.bna.com

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