On Oct. 20, the Center for Business Law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and the Ohio Division of Securities co-hosted the Ohio Securities Conference in Columbus, Ohio. This year’s event was the 50th anniversary of the annual conference, which has become one of the premier securities regulation conferences in the United States. The conference features leading securities industry regulators, commentators and other professionals discussing cutting-edge securities regulation issues.
This year’s conference began with a public conversation between Ohio Securities Commissioner Andrea Seidt and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester M. Peirce regarding a variety of issues relating to securities markets in the United States. Peirce is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and Yale Law School. Among other public and private positions, Peirce previously conducted research on the regulation of financial markets at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and she was a senior counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
The conference also featured panels and speakers on cryptocurrencies, private placements, elder financial exploitation, Regulation Best Interest and new securities products. It included updates from the Ohio Division of Securities on licensing, registration and enforcement in the state. In addition, the event featured a former regulators roundtable, which explored how securities law has evolved through the years.
Director of the Compliance, Risk Management and Financial Integrity Institute and Professor Eric Chaffee of the School of Law moderated the panel on Regulation Best Interest, and he has also assisted in planning the event for the past decade. He said, “It is an honor to be involved with this event. Ohio has outstanding securities regulators, and I value every interaction that I have with them.” He continued, “By becoming a co-host of this event, Case Western Reserve University School of Law through its Center for Business Law has reinforced its deep commitment to be a leader in the study of business law. I look forward to being a part of what the future holds in regard to this event.”
The Center for Business Law is an effort at the School of Law to prepare future leaders to understand business issues facing business entities, engage in research on the role and impact of government in the regulation of business, and to foster public debate regarding the role of government in the regulation of businesses. Juliet P. Kostritsky currently serves as Director of the Center, and Chaffee serves as the Associate Director.