Former Calif. Governor Pete Wilson of Bingham McCutchen To Testify at Katrina Recovery Hearing; U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs To Conduct Hearing on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m

Business Wire, Sept 13, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Bingham McCutchen attorney and former California Governor Pete Wilson will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs at the hearing "Recovering from Hurricane Katrina: The Next Phase" on Wednesday, at 10 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 342.

Wilson, currently with the international law firm of Bingham McCutchen and its subsidiary Bingham Consulting Group, served as governor of California from 1991 to 1999. He led the state through recovery efforts following significant natural disasters, among them the 1994 major Northridge earthquake in greater Los Angeles, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. The earthquake killed 61 people and caused more than $20 billion in damage.

"This task seems daunting standing in the ruins of New Orleans and the rest of the bulk coast," said Wilson, a former U.S. Senator and Mayor of San Diego who joined Bingham in February 2004. "But, there is action to be taken. Those who predicted ruin after base closings have been wrong. We can apply much of what we have learned from base closings to the process of rebuilding both the City and other affected areas."

Also scheduled to testify before the committee are: Patricia Owens, former mayor of Grand Forks, North Dakota; Marc Morial , president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans; and Iain Logan , operations liaison , International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

With more than 850 attorneys in 11 offices worldwide, Bingham McCutchen serves clients involved in complex financial transactions, a full range of corporate and technology matters, and high-stakes litigation. Bingham Consulting Group, a subsidiary business of the firm, helps national and global companies create and execute effective multi-state political strategies that are particularly essential in state-regulated industries, such as energy, financial services, health care, information technology and telecommunications.