For Immediate Release                                                  For More Information
                                                                                     Christina Llames (804) 783-7518

LeClairRyan Attorneys to Present at National Society of Compliance Professionals’ National Meeting

--Sessions take on heightened significance amid financial sector’s crisis

PHILADELPHIA (9/19/08)--The recent collapse of powerful financial institutions and concurrent calls for heightened focus on regulatory compliance, cast a special importance on sessions on Compliance Risk Assessments that will be held during the National Society of Compliance Professionals’ (NSCP) annual meeting that will be held in Philadelphia on October 20-22, 2008.

Three attorneys in LeClairRyan’s Financial Services Group will serve as panelists and facilitators on programs covering risk assessment, compliance overview, and internal compliance examinations to be held during the three-day meeting.

William E. Donnelly, who is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, will moderate a session on “Compliance Risk Assessments.”  The program will discuss methods for conducting a risk assessment; lessons learned from prior deficiency letters and customer complaints; and the evaluation of adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls.  Also on the panel are Deborah A. Lamb of McKinley Capital Management Inc. and James F. McGuire of LPL Financial Institution Services/UVEST.

Thomas J. McGonigle, who is also based in the Washington office, will present a large firm compliance overview. The session will cover topics such as clarifying roles; policies and procedures; books and records; what is required on a set schedule; and how to survive in an environment of “rulemaking by enforcement.”  Presenting with McGonigle will be Henry Sanchez, Jr. of LPL Financial Corporation.

Paul A. Merolla, who leads the firm’s New York office, will conduct a workshop on internal compliance examinations for large firms. The program will discuss requirements for internal inspections; OSJs, branches and other offices; reporting on and tracking corrective action plans; how to conduct in-house compliance reviews and risk assessments; and designing review procedures.  Christopher J. Kopka of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Tracy Peebles of Washington Mutual round out the panel of presenters for this workshop.

NSCP is a nonprofit, membership organization dedicated to serving and supporting compliance officials in the securities industry.  The organization offers its members practical and interpretive guidance on compliance-related matters and provides professional analyses and counsel in regard to securities laws and regulations authorized by the states, federal agencies and the SROs.  For more information regarding NSCP and the national meeting, visit www.nscp.org.

About LeClair Ryan

A uniquely-structured, business-minded law firm, LeClairRyan specializes in developing legal solutions to its clients' business challenges.  Founded in 1988, LeClairRyan provides business counsel and client representation in corporate law and high-stakes litigation to a wide variety of clients.  With offices in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and throughout the nation with more than 280 attorneys, LeClairRyan is ranked among the National Law Journal’s Top 200 law firms.  For more information about LeClairRyan, visit www.leclairryan.com.

###