Crowell & Moring Attorneys to Speak at 49th Rocky Mt. Mineral Law Institute

Washington, D.C. – June 4, 2003: Theodore “Ted” Sonde, a senior counsel with Crowell & Moring’s Securities Regulation & Enforcement practice, will be the opening speaker at the 49th Rocky Mt. Mineral Law Institute, which will be held July 24-25, 2003 in San Diego at the Grand Hyatt. A major conference of the oil, gas and minerals bar with over 700 attendees annually, Sonde will address: "The Changing Ethical and Practical Environment Mandated By Sarbanes Oxley on Natural Resource Companies and Their Counsel." In addition, Richard Schwartz, a partner in the firm’s Natural Resources & Environment practice, will address Clean Water Act developments affecting the mineral industries in a presentation entitled "Bridge Over Muddy Waters...."

Other speakers on the program include James Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality on the subject of "A More Effective and Timely National Environmental Policy Act Process," and representatives of major international petroleum and mining companies.

Organized in 1955 as a non-profit Colorado corporation, the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation is an educational institution dedicated to the study of the legal system and issues affecting mineral and water resources. The goals of the Foundation are to foster and encourage a scholarly and yet practical study of the law relating to oil and gas, mining, water, public land management, land use, conservation, environmental protection, and other related areas. Coinciding with the foundation’s goals, this year’s three-day conference will begin with a General Session and follow with individual tracks geared toward Transactions and Water, Oil & Gas, Mining/International, Oil & Gas/International and Public Land/International.

Mr. Sonde specializes in SEC enforcement matters as well as complex litigation of various sorts. Mr. Sonde has acted as counsel for broker dealers, investment advisors and other corporate entities as well as individuals involved in government investigations and related litigation. Prior to going into private practice, Mr. Sonde served in various senior capacities on the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, ultimately as Associate Director of the Division of Enforcement. After the SEC and before going into private practice, Mr. Sonde served as Director of Enforcement for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Mr. Sonde has also represented corporations and audit committees in internal investigations.

Mr. Schwartz has specialized in environmental law since 1973, primarily working with the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and the Superfund Act. In 1974, Richard represented the steel industry in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) first toxic pollutant hearings under the Clean Water Act. From 1974 to 1984, he argued industry’s position on numerous occasions during the many stages of the ensuing litigation over the “Flannery toxic pollutant consent decree.”