Since 1995 the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security (LENS) has hosted an annual national security law conference in Durham, N.C. The conference promotes education and discussion of the complex and diverse issues involved in national security, such as the legal and policy implications of counterterrorism operations at home and abroad, the international law of armed conflict, the impact of security issues on international business endeavors, and the ethical issues of the practice of national security law.

Investor Bill Hwang set off a storm in the stock market in March when his firm, Archegos Capital Management, and its banks, began liquidating huge positions in blue-chip companies, according to people familiar with the transactions. The sales sent individual stocks swooning and have left at least three banks with major damage. As a family office - a firm generally created to handle the investments of a single wealthy person and a small circle around them - Archegos was essentially unregulated.

Financial services regulatory reform will continue to be active these next three plus years, with the Biden administration focused on activity at the intersection of financial regulation and social policy. However, the pace and tenor of change under the administration will be heavily influenced by the leadership of and senior personnel at the federal prudential and market regulators.

The saga of GameStop has attracted the attention of trading platforms, regulators and even the White House. Just weeks ago, major hedge funds were betting big money against the success of GameStop in the form of short sales. But that didn't stop individual investors from taking those bets. Instead, a flood of retail investors joined forces on Reddit's WallStreetBets forum to send GameStop's stock soaring. The moves by some brokers to slow down trading in these stocks raised legitimate cries of unfairness to regular investors.

An insider’s conversation with alumni serving as general counsel of major companies—Anne Fitzgerald '90, Cineplex Entertainment; Gary G. Lynch ’75, Bank of America; R. Scott Toop ’80, Wendy’s; and Michael Treisman '00, Tiger Management. Hear about their professional paths, the issues they tackle daily, and their vision for their roles going forward. Moderated by Deborah DeMott, David F. Cavers Professor of Law, and Elisabeth de Fontenay, Associate Professor of Law.

Sponsored by the Office of Alumni & Development.