Washington, D.C. 20573                                                                                                  NR 01-02

CONTACT: Bryant L. VanBrakle, Secretary at (202) 523-5725

FOR RELEASE: January 17, 2001

Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Harold J. Creel, Jr., announced today that Paul B. Lang, Esquire began service as an Administrative Law Judge at the Commission.

Judge Lang was born in Detroit, Michigan, and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and George Washington University Law School. He was a partner with the Baltimore law firm of Niles, Barton & Wilmer, representing a wide variety of clients in the maritime, manufacturing, health care and insurance industries. He has had extensive experience in administrative law including practice before the Federal Maritime Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, National Labor Relations Board, Occupational Safety and Health Commission and other agencies. Judge Lang previously was Director of Law with the Steamship Trade Association of Baltimore, representing employers in their negotiations and administration of collective bargaining agreements and performing liaison with government agencies on matters affecting the Port of Baltimore. Before coming to the Commission, Judge Lang was an administrative law judge with the Social Security Administration for over three years.

Judge Lang is a member of the Maryland Bar and is a former Proctor Member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States. He also has been a business law instructor at Essex Community College, a contributing writer on legal affairs to the Baltimore Business Journal, and a mediator for the Maryland Commission on Human Relations.

Judge Lang lives in suburban Baltimore with his wife, who is a professor at Towson University. They have two sons -- one is a television reporter and the other is completing a pediatric fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.

Chairman Creel noted that: "The Commission has had a dire need for a new judge for some time now. I am confident that the addition of Judge Lang will allow us to meet our responsibilities in a more timely manner. We welcome him to the Commission."