The Firm has a history of public service and promoting policy issues, including extensive participation on faculties, lectures and symposia addressing subjects relating to the interests of public investors; work before congressional committees and in court cases; and Mr. Eppenstein's work on the Securities Industry Conference on Arbitration (SICA).
SICA, which is comprised of investor, broker/dealer, and self-regulatory
organization representatives, created the Uniform Code of Arbitration. The
SICA Conference meets regularly to initiate or review dispute resolution
rules and policies in the interest of these constituents.
On October 25, 2007 Ted Eppenstein testified before the U.S. Congress House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law at hearings on H.R. 3010, the “Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007.” Ted’s Written Statement to Congress backing investor rights can be viewed on the Subcommittee’s Web site. A copy of Ted’s Written Statement (without exhibits) can be viewed here.
Ted Eppenstein is the first investor attorney to urge Congress to include investors in the reach of the Act, return to public investors the right to go to court if they choose, and establish a totally independent arbitration forum outside the industry for adjudication of public investors’ securities fraud, hedge fund fraud and other brokerage industry disputes. Previously, Ted was asked to testify before two congressional Subcommittees. The U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance in 1988 requested that Mr. Eppenstein present his opinion on compulsory arbitration and arbitration reform. A reproduction of Ted’s written statement to the Subcommittee can be viewed here. Ted assisted the Subcommittee in drafting remedial legislation (H.R. 4960) that would have eliminated mandatory arbitration for customer brokerage disputes. Mr. Eppenstein also testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Criminal Justice to present his views on civil RICO reform. |
