10th Annual Conference

CLOSING KEYNOTE SPEAKER:

STAR JONES

LAWYER * TELEVISION PERSONALITY * AUTHOR

Star Jones, lawyer and former prosecutor, is currently a co-host of the hit ABC-TV daytime program "The View," along with Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar, Debbie Matenopoulos and Barbara Walters. Ms. Jones is known to millions of viewers for her candor, confidence and uncanny ability to clarify muddy legal and social issues. She has also served as a senior correspondent and chief legal analyst for "Inside Edition," and legal correspondent for NBC News, covering the Mike Tyson rape case and the Rodney King police brutality trial for "Today" and "Nightly News." Her knowledge of the law and ease in front of the camera have won her critical acclaim as a news and legal correspondent.

September, 1998 marked the publication of Jones' first book, You Have to Stand for Something, or You'll Fall for Anything (Bantam) which has received widespread critical acclaim. In this collection of autobiographical essays, Jones writes of her strong family upbringing, her near death experience, her faith in God, her work in the courtroom and her own self image.

Jones had just moved to Los Angeles in May, 1994, to begin pre-production work on"Jones & Jury" when, on June 12, 1994, American viewers became captivated by the double-murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Jones' subsequent analysis of the O.J. Simpson trial, and her exclusive interviews with Simpson and other principals in the case, won her a loyal following among audiences, talk show producers, and the legal community.

With the September, 1997 launch of "The View" Star Jones has emerged as one of the true stars of daytime television; building on the platform of her multigenerational, informational entertainment program to carve a compelling place alongside celebrities and newsmakers as a voice of reason and resourcefulness in today's uncertain world.