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Two of the country's most influential leaders on corporate governance, Jay W. Lorsch, Louis Kirstein Professor of Human Relations at Harvard Business School, and Martin Lipton of New York firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, will give their insights at the 43rd Annual Corporate Counsel Institute in Chicago, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2004.

Lorsch and Lipton have collaborated on several publications, including a 1992 Business Lawyer article titled "A Modest Proposal for Improved Corporate Governance," in which they argued that boards were too big, too close to management, and insufficiently prepared to make critical decisions.

"Directors may eventually act," they wrote, "but their actions are often late, after the shareholders have lost value; employees, jobs; and the corporation, its competitive market position."

Their ideas sparked debate and criticism at the time of publication, yet eventually became a model for the corporate governance policies now adopted by many major corporations.

In 2002, Lorsch and Lipton paired again to write an article for Corporate Governance Advisor, "A Modest Proposal for Dealing with the Enron Crisis." They continued to argue that the problem of corporate governance will not be resolved with new laws and regulation but with greater compliance with the guidelines and principles they identify as leadership, independence, information and expertise.

They will deliver their updated reflections on today's corporate governance on Oct. 1 at the institute, taking place in Thorne Auditorium at Northwestern University School of Law, 375 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, Ill.

Additional featured topics will include practical applications of corporate governance reform and the new shareholder relations environment, the role of the General Counsel's office in effective corporate communications, and current developments and updates in intellectual property law, employment law, Homeland security, and outsourcing.

The institute is presented by the Corporate Counsel Center of Northwestern University School of Law. The Corporate Counsel Institute is recognized for mandatory continuing legal education credit in most states. Click here for a complete program agenda and registration information. For more information, visit Continuing Executive Education or call (312) 503-8932.

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