THE DEAL'S M&A OUTLOOK 2009 CONFERENCE BRINGS TOGETHER LEADING ACQUIRERS TO DEBATE THE FUTURE OF THE MARKET

H. Rodgin Cohen, chairman of Sullivan Cromwell LLP; Professor Sydney Finkelstein of Tuck School at Dartmouth College; Phillip Goldstein, principal of Bulldog Investors; Former Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick of Wilmer Hale; John D. Howard, CEO of Irving Place Capital; Paul G. Parker, managing director, chairman and head of global M&A at Barclays Capital; and Gary Parr, deputy chairman of Lazard, present their views on forthcoming issues and challenges

November 11, 2008--NEW YORK, N.Y.--The Deal LLC, (www.TheDeal.com), the authoritative voice for news, analysis and information on the global deal economy, today presents its fourth annual M&A Outlook 2009 Conference, a forum forecasting next year's mergers and acquisitions environment. More than 200 transaction-focused Wall Street advisors, corporate dealmakers and institutional investors are attending this two-day conference at the Grand Hyatt New York.

In the first keynote interview of the day, John D. Howard, CEO of Irving Place Capital, discusses the future of private equity in the middle market with John Morris, assistant managing editor at The Deal. Paul G. Parker, managing director, chairman and head of global M&A at Barclays Capital then shares his perspectives on M&A's boom to bust cycle.

In the afternoon, Sydney Finkelstein, professor of management at Tuck School, Dartmouth College disseminates points from his book "Why Smart Executives Fail," following former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick of Wilmer Hale, on the future regulatory landscape. Rounding out the day, Phillip Goldstein of Bulldog Investors will share his take on activist investing trends and the role of board directors, in another keynote interview with The Deal's John Morris.

In the conference's final keynote, Robert Teitelman, The Deal's editor in chief, leads a conversation on what Wall Street will look like in 2009 and beyond with legendary dealmakers H. Rodgin Cohen, chairman of Sullivan Cromwell LLP and Lazard's deputy chairman Gary Parr.

Also taking place on the second day, Kenneth Klee, editor of The Deal's Corporate Dealmaker, and Brian Sullivan, an anchor for Fox Business Network, will announce winners of The Deal's Corporate Dealmakers Awards. Awards will recognize companies that have done the best work in strategic M&A in three sectors: healthcare, industrials and information technology (see related release).

Recognized industry figures from leading investment banks, private equity firms, law firms, hedge funds and advisory firms will participate in panel discussions that focus on critical M&A issues, challenges and opportunities. Panels will address cross-border investments and the shifts in emerging markets, the evolution of the activist investor, opportunities in distressed situations, regulatory concerns, the middle market and the role of private equity in the banking industry.

A list of respected corporate sponsors include: Grant Thornton, as a platinum sponsor; Foley & Lardner LLP, Linklaters, Pepper Hamilton LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Capital IQ, as gold sponsors; Merrill Datasite, as a reception silver sponsor; Bowne, as a breakfast silver sponsor; and The Bank of New York Mellon and Deal Interactive, as exhibitors.

M&A Outlook 2009 (www.maoutlook2009.com) is one of the many events offered by The Deal LLC. Just some of The Deal's upcoming conferences include: The Distressed Debt Investing Conference on January 21-23 in Las Vegas, The Deal's Healthcare Dealmaking Symposium on March 10-11 in New York, and The Deal's Private Capital Symposium in April, also taking place in New York. For more information on these or any other events, please contact Allan Cunningham, vice president of marketing, at 212-313-9162 or acunningham@thedeal.com.

About The Deal LLC
The Deal LLC, (www.thedeal.com), is a diversified media company that is the authoritative voice of the deal economy. We serve the global deal community-corporate and financial dealmakers, advisers and institutional investors-by providing business and financial news and information that offers fresh insights on the deal economy, a set of interrelated activities, focused on dealmaking of all kinds, whose purpose is to generate corporate growth in a continually changing global market. We offer a comprehensive line of print and electronic products - The Deal, The Daily Deal and TheDeal.com - and live annual events including Private Capital Symposium, Distressed Investing Forum, Corporate Dealmaker Forum and M&A Outlook. The Deal LLC, a privately held company, is owned by private investment funds, including U.S. Equity Partners LP, sponsored by Wasserstein & Co. LP.