• From the Section Cochairs
• Upcoming Events
• Recap of Recent Section Event
• Standing Committee Reports
• Volunteer and Outreach Opportunities
• Letters to the Editor
• Steering Committee
• Newsletter Editors

The coming year promises to be productive and rewarding. We held a very successful and fun speed mentoring event in July. Our next event is an open steering committee meeting and reception on September 10, 2009; we encourage everyone to join us. Several other events are in the planning stages, including the annual Bernstein antitrust lecture with the Department of Justice and more opportunities for mentoring and networking. Please feel free to contact any steering committee member with suggestions for programs and activities. We welcome your participation and look forward to seeing and hearing from you!

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An open reception will follow. Officers will discuss the activities of the section and encourage everyone to join our work. Simple snacks and beverages will be provided. We’re hoping the weather will permit us to use the outdoor deck at our host firm’s location.

Presenters will include Ronald Isaac and Karin Moore, section cochairs; Don Resnikoff and Grace Kwon, antitrust committee chair and vice chair; Sondra Mills and Lee Peeler, consumer law committee chair and vice chair; Christine Naglieri and Leonor Velazquez, outreach coordinators.

The event is free, but registration is required. Register Now!

5:00–8:00 PM
Finkelstein Thompson LLP, 1050 30th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007, known as the Duvall Foundry Building. (Foggy Bottom Metro; the Circulator Bus to Georgetown comes very close: Exit the bus at 30th Street and head down 30th Street; the Foundry building faces the C&O Canal.)

September 17, 2009—Antitrust Committee Meeting
The Section’s antitrust committee will host a brown bag lunch meeting on September 17. Please join in and contribute to the committee’s work. All those interested in antitrust, including novice attorneys, are invited. The committee provides excellent networking opportunities for new attorneys, as well as the opportunity to do significant public service work. Chair and Vice Chair Don Resnikoff and Grace Kwon will welcome new participants and discuss the work of the committee. Don and Grace will review previously planned projects and programs, and consider new proposals for projects and programs. Please feel free to contact Don or Grace before the meeting if you have ideas or questions you’d like to discuss with them.

12:15–2:00 PM
Mayer Brown LLP, 1999 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006

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The event was a great success, well received by participants. It provided young attorneys and law students interested in antitrust and consumer protection the opportunity to interact with more experienced attorneys in the field. The event resembled “speed dating.” In ten minute rounds, experienced attorneys were paired with a lawyer or law student for one-on-one introductions and conversation.

The mentoring session was followed by a wine and cheese reception during which everyone had the opportunity to network and socialize informally.

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The coming year will be an exciting one for consumer protection, as legislatures and policy–makers work to repair the systemic flaws that contributed to the recent economic crisis. The section is currently planning speaker programs and other activities in consumer law and is looking for volunteers to join the consumer law committee. Please contact Committee Chair Sondra Mills or Vice Chair Lee Peeler if you would like more information or are interested in becoming involved in any of the committee’s activities.

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Letters to the Editor

Editor’s note: We appreciate Benny Kass’s letter, published below, which responds to an invitation in our April newsletter. We invite further letters on the topic of mortgage foreclosure procedures, including letters that express views contrary to those of Mr. Kass.

D.C. Mortgage Foreclosure Procedures – Is Reform Needed?
In response to your recent request for comment on D.C. mortgage foreclosure procedures, I would like your Section (if not the entire D.C. Bar) to push the City Council to enact some legislation regulating foreclosures. As I point out in my article which was published in The Washington Post (and you have my permission to reprint), the laws in the District are woefully inadequate. At the very least, the District should try to mirror the new legislation that was enacted in Maryland. Some relief is needed on our very antiquated laws. Other than case law, for example, there is no statutory guidance on how often a lender must advertise before they can foreclose.
Benny L. Kass

Editor's note: See Mr. Kass’s The Washington Post article, "Laws That Fail to Protect Homeowners Add to Foreclosure Crisis."

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