NUVEEN TAX-ADVANTAGED TOTAL RETURN STRATEGY FUND

                               _____ Common Shares
                                ($.01 par value)

                             UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
                             ----------------------

                                                              New York, New York
                                                                 January__, 2004

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Nuveen Investments, LLC
As Representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013

Ladies and Gentlemen:

          The undersigned, Nuveen Tax-Advantaged Total Return Strategy Fund, a
Massachusetts business trust (the "Fund"), Nuveen Institutional Advisory Corp.,
a Delaware corporation (the "Investment Adviser"), NWQ Investment Management
Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("NWQ") and Symphony Asset
Management, LLC, a California limited liability company ("Symphony" and,
together with NWQ, the "Subadvisers" and the Subadvisers, together with the
Investment Adviser, each an "Adviser" and collectively the "Advisers"), address
you as underwriters and as the representatives (the "Representatives") of each
of the several underwriters named on Schedule I hereto (herein collectively
called "Underwriters"). The Fund proposes to sell to the Underwriters
_____________ shares (the "Firm Securities") of its common shares of beneficial
interest , par value $.01 per share (the "Common Shares"). The Fund also
proposes to sell to the Underwriters, upon the terms and conditions set forth
herein, up to an additional _____________ Common Shares (the "Option
Securities") to cover over-allotments. The Firm Securities and the Option
Securities are hereinafter collectively referred to as the "Securities." Unless
otherwise stated, the term "you" as used herein means Citigroup Global Markets
Inc. individually on its own behalf and on behalf of the other Representatives.
Certain terms used herein are defined in Section 18 hereof.

          The Fund and the Advisers wish to confirm as follows their agreements
with you and the other several Underwriters on whose behalf you are acting in
connection with the several purchases of the Securities by the Underwriters.

          The Fund has entered into an Investment Management Agreement with the
Investment Adviser dated as of November 20, 2003, a Custodian Agreement with
State Street Bank and Trust Company dated as of August 19, 2002, effective as of
_____________, 2004



                                                                               2

and a Shareholder Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with State Street Bank
and Trust Company dated as of October 7, 2002, effective as of _____________,
2004, and such agreements are herein referred to as the "Management Agreement,"
the "Custodian Agreement" and the "Transfer Agency Agreement," respectively. The
Investment Adviser has entered into an investment sub-advisory agreement with
NWQ dated as of _____________, _____________ and an investment sub-advisory
agreement with Symphony dated as of _____________ and such agreements are herein
referred to as the "NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement" and the "Symphony Sub-Advisory
Agreement", respectively. Collectively, (i) the Management Agreement, the
Custodian Agreement and the Transfer Agency Agreement are herein referred to as
the "Fund Agreements" and (ii) the NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement and Symphony
Sub-Advisory Agreement, are herein referred to as the "Sub-Advisory Agreements".
In addition, the Fund has adopted a dividend reinvestment plan (the "Dividend
Reinvestment Plan") pursuant to which holders of Common Shares shall have their
dividends automatically reinvested in additional Common Shares of the Fund
unless they elect to receive such dividends in cash.

          1.   Representations and Warranties of the Fund and the Advisers. The
Fund, the Investment Adviser, NWQ and Symphony, jointly and severally, represent
and warrant to, and agree with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this
Section 1.

          (a)  The Fund has prepared and filed with the Commission a
     registration statement (file numbers 333-110818 and 811-21471) on Form N-2,
     including a related preliminary prospectus (including the statement of
     additional information incorporated by reference therein), for registration
     under the Act and the 1940 Act of the offering and sale of the Securities.
     The Fund may have filed one or more amendments thereto, including a related
     preliminary prospectus (including the statement of additional information
     incorporated by reference therein), each of which has previously been
     furnished to you. The Fund will next file with the Commission one of the
     following: either (1) prior to the Effective Date of such registration
     statement, a further amendment to such registration statement (including
     the form of final prospectus (including the statement of additional
     information incorporated by reference therein)) or (2) after the Effective
     Date of such registration statement, a final prospectus (including the
     statement of additional information incorporated by reference therein) in
     accordance with Rules 430A and 497. In the case of clause (2), the Fund has
     included in such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Date,
     all information (other than Rule 430A Information) required by the Act and
     the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations to be included in such
     registration statement and the Prospectus. As filed, such amendment and
     form of final prospectus (including the statement of additional information
     incorporated by reference therein) (in the case of clause (1) above), or
     such final prospectus (including the statement of additional information
     incorporated by reference therein) (in the case of clause (2) above), shall
     contain all Rule 430A Information, together with all other such required
     information, and, except to the extent the Representatives shall agree in
     writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form
     furnished to you prior to the Execution Time or, to the extent not
     completed at the Execution Time, shall contain only such specific
     additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the
     latest Preliminary Prospectus) as the Fund has advised you, prior to the
     Execution Time, will be included or made therein.



                                                                               3

          (b)  Each Preliminary Prospectus included as part of the registration
     statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment or supplement
     thereto, complied when so filed in all material respects with the
     provisions of the Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations.

          (c)  The Registration Statement, in the form in which it became or
     becomes effective and also in such form as it may be when any
     post-effective amendment thereto shall become effective and the Prospectus
     and any amendment or supplement thereto when filed with the Commission
     under Rule 497 of the Act Rules and Regulations and the 1940 Act
     Notification when originally filed with the Commission and any amendment or
     supplement thereto when filed with the Commission complied or will comply
     in all material respects with the provisions of the Act, the 1940 Act and
     the Rules and Regulations and did not or will not at any such times contain
     an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
     required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
     (in the case of a prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which
     they were made) not misleading; except that this representation and
     warranty does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration
     Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) made
     in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any
     Underwriter furnished to the Fund in writing by or on behalf of any
     Underwriter through you expressly for use therein.

          (d)  All the outstanding Common Shares of the Fund have been duly
     authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and, except as described in
     the Registration Statement, nonassessable and are free of any preemptive or
     similar rights; the Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued
     and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in accordance
     with the terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid and, except as
     described in the Registration Statement, nonassessable and free of any
     preemptive or similar rights and the capital stock of the Fund conforms to
     the description thereof in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
     (and any amendment or supplement to either of them).

          (e)  The Fund has been duly formed and is validly existing in good
     standing as a business trust under the laws of The Commonwealth of
     Massachusetts, with full power and authority to own, lease and operate its
     properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration
     Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement to either of
     them) and is duly registered and qualified to conduct business and is in
     good standing in each jurisdiction or place where the nature of its
     properties or the conduct of its business requires such registration or
     qualification, except where the failure so to register or to qualify does
     not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other),
     business, properties, net assets or results of operations of the Fund. The
     Fund has no subsidiaries.

          (f)  There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the
     knowledge of the Fund, threatened, against the Fund or to which the Fund or
     any of its properties is subject, whether or not arising from transactions
     in the ordinary course of business, that (i) are required to be described
     in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or
     supplement to either of them) but are not described as



                                                                               4

     required by the Act, the 1940 Act or the Rules and Regulations, (ii) are
     not described in the Prospectus and could reasonably be expected to have a
     material adverse effect on the performance of this Agreement or the
     consummation of any of the transactions contemplated hereby or (iii) are
     not described in the Prospectus and could reasonably be expected to have a
     material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise),
     prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Fund.

          (g)  There are no agreements, contracts, indentures, leases or other
     instruments that are required to be described in the Registration Statement
     or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to either of them) or to
     be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement that are not described
     or filed as required by the Act, the 1940 Act or the Rules and Regulations.

          (h)  The Fund is not in violation of its Declaration of Trust or
     By-Laws or in material violation of any material law, ordinance,
     administrative or governmental rule or regulation applicable to the Fund,
     including, without limitation, the applicable provisions of the
     Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in
     connection therewith, or of any material decree of the Commission, the
     NASD, any state securities commission, any national securities exchange,
     any arbitrator, any court or any other governmental, regulatory,
     self-regulatory or administrative agency or any official having
     jurisdiction over the Fund or in breach or default in any material respect
     in the performance of any obligation, agreement or condition contained in
     any material bond, debenture, note or any other evidence of indebtedness or
     in any agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to which the Fund is
     a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound.

          (i)  Neither the issuance and sale of the Securities, the execution,
     delivery or performance of this Agreement nor any of the Fund Agreements by
     the Fund, nor the consummation by the Fund of the transactions contemplated
     hereby or thereby (i) requires any consent, approval, authorization or
     other order of or registration or filing which has not yet been obtained or
     made with the Commission, the NASD, any national securities exchange, any
     arbitrator, any court or any other governmental, regulatory,
     self-regulatory or administrative agency or any official (except compliance
     with the securities or Blue Sky laws of various jurisdictions which have
     been or will be effected in accordance with this Agreement and except for
     compliance with the filing requirements of the NASD Division of Corporate
     Finance) or conflicts or will conflict with or constitutes or will
     constitute a breach of the Declaration of Trust or By-Laws of the Fund or
     (ii) conflicts or will conflict with or constitutes or will constitute a
     breach of or a default under, any material agreement, indenture, lease or
     other instrument to which the Fund is a party or by which it or any of its
     properties may be bound or materially violates or will materially violate
     any material statute, law, regulation or filing or judgment, injunction,
     order or decree applicable to the Fund or any of its properties or will
     result in the creation or imposition of any material lien, charge or
     encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Fund pursuant to the terms
     of any agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it may be
     bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Fund is subject.



                                                                               5

          (j)  Since the date as of which information is given in the
     Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement
     to either of them), except as otherwise stated therein, (i) there has been
     no material adverse change in the condition (financial or other), business,
     properties, net assets or results of operations of the Fund or business
     prospects (other than as a result of a change in the financial markets
     generally) of the Fund, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of
     business, (ii) there have been no transactions entered into by the Fund
     which are material to the Fund other than those in the ordinary course of
     its business as described in the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement thereto) and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of
     any kind declared, paid or made by the Fund on any class of its common
     stock.

          (k)  The accountants, Ernst & Young LLP, who have audited or shall
     audit at or prior to the Closing Date the Statement of Assets and
     Liabilities and the related Statement of Operations both included in the
     Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement
     to either of them), are an independent public accounting firm as required
     by the Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations.

          (l)  The financial statements, together with related schedules and
     notes, included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement to either of them) present fairly the financial
     position of the Fund on the basis stated in the Registration Statement and
     the Prospectus at the respective dates or for the respective periods to
     which they apply; such statements and related schedules and notes have been
     prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles
     consistently applied throughout the periods involved except as disclosed
     therein; and the other financial and statistical information and data
     included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment
     or supplement thereto) are accurately derived from such financial
     statements and the books and records of the Fund.

          (m)  The Fund, subject to the Registration Statement having been
     declared effective and the filing of the Prospectus under Rule 497 under
     the Act Rules and Regulations, has taken all required action under the Act,
     the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations to make the public offering and
     consummate the sale of the Securities as contemplated by this Agreement.

          (n)  The execution and delivery of, and the performance by the Fund of
     its obligations under, this Agreement and the Fund Agreements have been
     duly and validly authorized by the Fund and this Agreement and the Fund
     Agreements have been duly executed and delivered by the Fund and constitute
     the valid and legally binding agreements of the Fund, enforceable against
     the Fund in accordance with their terms, except as rights to indemnity and
     contribution hereunder may be limited by federal or state securities laws
     and subject to the qualification that the enforceability of the Fund's
     obligations hereunder and thereunder may be limited by bankruptcy,
     insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or
     affecting creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles.

          (o)  Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement to either of them), subsequent
     to the respective dates as of



                                                                               6

     which such information is given in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement to either of them), the Fund
     has not incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is
     material to the Fund and there has not been any change in the capital stock
     or material increase in the short-term debt or long-term debt of the Fund.

          (p)  The Fund has not distributed and, prior to the later to occur of
     (i) the Closing Date and (ii) completion of the distribution of the
     Securities, will not distribute to the public in either printed or
     electronic form any offering material in connection with the offering and
     sale of the Securities other than the Registration Statement, the
     Preliminary Prospectuses included in each of Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1
     to the Registration Statement and Pre-Effective Amendment No. __ to the
     Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the advertisements/sales
     literature filed by Nuveen Investments, LLC with the NASD on December 12,
     2003 and _____________.

          (q)  The Fund has such licenses, permits, and authorizations of
     governmental or regulatory authorities ("permits") as are necessary to own
     its property and to conduct its business in the manner described in the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto); the Fund has
     fulfilled and performed all its material obligations with respect to such
     permits and no event has occurred which allows or, after notice or lapse of
     time, would allow, revocation or termination thereof or results in any
     other material impairment of the rights of the Fund under any such permit,
     subject in each case to such qualification as may be set forth in the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto); and, except as
     described in the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), none
     of such permits contains any restriction that is materially burdensome to
     the Fund.

          (r)  The Fund maintains and will maintain a system of internal
     accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i)
     transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or
     specific authorization and with the investment policies and restrictions of
     the Fund and the applicable requirements of the 1940 Act, the 1940 Act
     Rules and Regulations and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended
     (the "Code"); (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
     preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
     accounting principles, to calculate net asset value, to maintain
     accountability for assets and to maintain material compliance with the
     books and records requirements under the 1940 Act and the 1940 Act Rules
     and Regulations; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance
     with management's general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded
     account for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals
     and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

          (s)  The conduct by the Fund of its business (as described in the
     Prospectus) does not require it to be the owner, possessor or licensee of
     any patents, patent licenses, trademarks, service marks or trade names
     which it does not own, possess or license.

          (t)  Except as stated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus (and any
     amendment or supplement thereto), the Fund has not taken and will not take,
     directly or



                                                                               7

     indirectly, any action designed to or which should reasonably be expected
     to cause or result in or which will constitute stabilization or
     manipulation of the price of the Common Shares in violation of federal
     securities laws and the Fund is not aware of any such action taken or to be
     taken by any affiliates of the Fund.

          (u)  The Fund is duly registered under the 1940 Act as a closed-end,
     diversified management investment company and the 1940 Act Notification has
     been duly filed with the Commission and, at the time of filing thereof and
     at the time of filing any amendment or supplement thereto, conformed in all
     material respects with all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the
     1940 Act Rules and Regulations. The Fund has not received any notice from
     the Commission pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1940 Act with respect to the
     1940 Act Notification or the Registration Statement (or any amendment or
     supplement to either of them).

          (v)  All advertising, sales literature or other promotional material
     (including "prospectus wrappers" and "broker kits"), whether in printed or
     electronic form, authorized in writing by or prepared by the Fund or the
     Advisers for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities
     (collectively, "sales material") complied and comply in all material
     respects with the applicable requirements of the Act, the Act Rules and
     Regulations and the rules and interpretations of the NASD and if required
     to be filed with the NASD under the NASD's conduct rules were so filed. No
     sales material contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact
     or omitted or omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein
     or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances
     under which they were made, not misleading.

          (w)  This Agreement and each of the Fund Agreements complies in all
     material respects with all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the 1940
     Act Rules and Regulations, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended
     (the "Advisers Act"), and the rules and regulations adopted by the
     Commission under the Advisers Act (the "Advisers Act Rules and
     Regulations").

          (x)  No holder of any security of the Fund has any right to require
     registration of Common Shares or any other security of the Fund because of
     the filing of the registration statement or consummation of the
     transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

          (y)  The Securities have been duly approved for listing upon notice of
     issuance on the New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") and the Fund's
     registration statement on Form 8-A, under the Exchange Act, has become
     effective.

          (z)  The Fund intends to direct the investment of the proceeds of the
     offering of the Securities in such a manner as to comply with the
     requirements of Subchapter M of the Code.

          (aa) The Fund's directors and officers errors and omissions insurance
     policy and its fidelity bond required by Rule 17g-1 of the 1940 Act Rules
     and Regulations are in full force and effect; the Fund is in compliance
     with the terms of such policy and fidelity



                                                                               8

     bond in all material respects; and there are no claims by the Fund under
     any such policy or fidelity bond as to which any insurance company is
     denying liability or defending under a reservation of rights clause; the
     Fund has not been refused any insurance coverage sought or applied for; and
     the Fund has no reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its
     existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain
     similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its
     business at a cost that would not have a material adverse effect on the
     condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or
     properties of the Fund, whether or not arising from transactions in the
     ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the
     Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto)

          (bb) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, no options, warrants or
     other rights to purchase, agreements or other obligations to issue, or
     rights to convert any obligations into or exchange any securities for,
     shares of capital stock of or ownership interests in the Fund are
     outstanding.

          (cc) Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, no trustee of the Fund is
     an "interested person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund or an
     "affiliated person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of any Underwriter listed
     in Schedule I hereto.

          (dd) Neither the rules of the New York Stock Exchange nor the laws of
     the Commonwealth of Massachusetts require that the Common Shares be
     represented by certificates.

          2.   Representations and Warranties of the Advisers. Each of the
Investment Adviser, NWQ, and Symphony, severally as to itself only and not
jointly or as to any other party, represents and warrants to each Underwriter as
follows:

          (a)  Such Adviser is a corporation, limited liability company or
     limited liability partnership duly organized and validly existing in good
     standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation,
     with full corporate, company or partnership power and authority to own,
     lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described
     in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement to either of them) and is duly registered and qualified to
     conduct business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction or place
     where the nature of its properties or conduct of its business requires such
     registration or qualification, except where the failure so to register or
     to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the condition
     (financial or other), business, properties, net assets or results of
     operations of such Adviser.

          (b)  Such Adviser is duly registered as an investment adviser under
     the Advisers Act and is not prohibited by the Advisers Act, the 1940 Act,
     the Advisers Act Rules and Regulations or the 1940 Act Rules and
     Regulations from acting under the Fund Agreements to which it is a party
     for the Fund or the Sub-Advisory Agreements to which it is a party as
     contemplated by the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement thereto).



                                                                               9

          (c)  Such Adviser has full power and authority to enter into this
     Agreement, the Fund Agreements to which it is a party and the Sub-Advisory
     Agreements to which it is a party, the execution and delivery of, and the
     performance by such Adviser of its obligations under, this Agreement, the
     Fund Agreements to which it is a party and the Sub-Advisory Agreements to
     which it is a party have been duly and validly authorized by such Adviser;
     and this Agreement, the Fund Agreements to which it is a party and the
     Sub-Advisory Agreements to which it is a party have been duly executed and
     delivered by such Adviser and constitute the valid and legally binding
     agreements of such Adviser, enforceable against such Adviser in accordance
     with their terms, except as rights to indemnity and contribution hereunder
     may be limited by federal or state securities laws and subject to the
     qualification that the enforceability of such Adviser's obligations
     hereunder and thereunder may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
     reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting
     creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles.

          (d)  Such Adviser has the financial resources available to it
     necessary for the performance of its services and obligations as
     contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement thereto) and under this Agreement and the Fund
     Agreements to which it is a party and the Sub-Advisory Agreements to which
     it is a party.

          (e)  Such Adviser is not in violation of its certificate or articles
     of incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited liability
     company agreement, limited liability partnership agreement or other
     organizational documents or in violation of the applicable provisions of
     the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in
     connection therewith to which it is subject, in default under any material
     agreement, indenture or instrument or in breach or violation of any
     judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental or
     self-regulatory agency or body except where such violation or breach would
     not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or other),
     business, prospects, properties, net assets or results of operations of the
     such Adviser or on the ability of the such Adviser to perform its
     obligations under this Agreement, the Management Agreement to which it is a
     party or the Sub-Advisory Agreements to which it is a party.

          (f)  The description of such Adviser and its business, and the
     statements attributable to such Adviser, in the Registration Statement and
     the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), in each case
     insofar as such information is set forth in the Registration Statement or
     the Prospectus) complied and comply in all material respects with the
     provisions of the Act, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, the Rules and
     Regulations and the Advisers Act Rules and Regulations and did not and will
     not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
     material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
     statements therein (in the case of a prospectus, in light of the
     circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.

          (g)  There are no legal or governmental proceedings pending or, to the
     knowledge of such Adviser, threatened against such Adviser or to which any
     of its properties is subject, that are required to be described in the
     Registration Statement or the



                                                                              10

     Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to either of them) but are not
     described as required or that reasonably should be expected to result in
     any material adverse change in the condition (financial or other),
     business, properties, net assets or results of operations of such Adviser
     or that reasonably should have a material adverse effect on the ability of
     such Adviser to fulfill its obligations hereunder or under the Fund
     Agreements to which it is a party or under the Sub-Advisory Agreements to
     which it is a party.

          (h)  Since the date as of which information is given in the
     Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement
     to either of them), except as otherwise stated therein, (i) there has been
     no material adverse change in the condition (financial or other), business,
     properties, net assets or results of operations or business prospects of
     such Adviser, whether or not arising from the ordinary course of business
     and (ii) there have been no transactions entered into by such Adviser which
     are material to such Adviser other than those in the ordinary course of its
     business as described in the Prospectus.

          (i)  Such Adviser has such licenses, permits and authorizations of
     governmental or regulatory authorities ("permits") as are necessary to own
     its property and to conduct its business in the manner described in the
     Prospectus; such Adviser has fulfilled and performed all its material
     obligations with respect to such permits and no event has occurred which
     allows, or after notice or lapse of time would allow, revocation or
     termination thereof or results in any other material impairment of the
     rights of such Adviser under any such permit.

          (j)  This Agreement, the Fund Agreements to which such Adviser is a
     party and the Sub-Advisory Agreements to which it is a party comply in all
     material respects with all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act, the 1940
     Act Rules and Regulations, the Advisers Act and the Advisers Act Rules and
     Regulations.

          (k)  Neither the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement
     or the Fund Agreements by such Adviser which is a party thereto or the
     Sub-Advisory Agreements by such Adviser which is a party thereto, nor the
     consummation by such Adviser of the transactions contemplated hereby or
     thereby (A) requires any consent, approval, authorization or other order of
     or registration or filing with the Commission, the NASD, any state
     securities commission, any national securities exchange, any arbitrator,
     any court or any other governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or
     administrative agency or any official (except compliance with the
     securities or Blue Sky laws of various jurisdictions which have been or
     will be effected in accordance with this Agreement and except for
     compliance with the filing requirements of the NASD Division of Corporate
     Finance) or conflicts or will conflict with or constitutes or will
     constitute a breach of or a default under, the certificate or articles of
     incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited liability company
     agreement, limited liability partnership agreement or other organizational
     documents of such Adviser or (B) conflicts or will conflict with or
     constitutes or will constitute a breach of or a default under, any material
     agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to which such Adviser is a
     party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound or materially
     violates or will materially violate any material statute, law, regulation
     or filing or judgment, injunction, order or



                                                                              11

     decree applicable to such Adviser or any of its properties or will result
     in the creation or imposition of any material lien, charge or encumbrance
     upon any property or assets of such Adviser pursuant to the terms of any
     agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it may be bound
     or to which any of the property or assets of such Adviser is subject.

          (l)  Except as stated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus (and in
     any amendment or supplement thereto), such Adviser has not taken and nor
     will it take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or which
     should reasonably be expected to cause or result in or which will
     constitute, stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Common Shares
     in violation of federal securities laws and such Adviser is not aware of
     any such action taken or to be taken by any affiliates of such Adviser.

          (m)  In the event that the Fund or such Adviser makes available any
     promotional materials intended for use only by qualified broker-dealers and
     registered representatives thereof by means of an Internet web site or
     similar electronic means, in each case under its control or at its
     direction, such Adviser will install and maintain pre-qualification and
     password-protection or similar procedures which are reasonably designed to
     effectively prohibit access to such promotional materials by persons other
     than qualified broker-dealers and registered representatives thereof.

          3.   Purchase and Sale. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions and in
reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Fund
agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and
not jointly, to purchase from the Fund, at a purchase price of $19.10 per share,
the amount of the Firm Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter's name in
Schedule I hereto (or such number of Firm Securities increased as set forth in
Section 10 hereof).

          (b)  Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the
representations and warranties herein set forth, the Fund hereby grants an
option to the several Underwriters to purchase, severally and not jointly, up to
________ Option Securities at the same purchase price per share as the
Underwriters shall pay for the Firm Securities. Said option may be exercised
only to cover over-allotments in the sale of the Firm Securities by the
Underwriters. Said option may be exercised in whole or in part at any time and
from time to time prior to 9:00 P.M., New York City time on or before the 45th
day after the date of the Prospectus (or if such 45/th/ day shall be a Saturday
or a Sunday or a holiday, on the next business day thereafter when the NYSE is
open for trading) upon written or telegraphic notice by the Representatives to
the Fund setting forth the number of shares of the Option Securities as to which
the several Underwriters are exercising the option and the settlement date. The
number of Option Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the
same percentage of the total number of shares of the Option Securities to be
purchased by the several Underwriters as such Underwriter is purchasing of the
Firm Securities, subject to such adjustments as you in your absolute discretion
shall make to eliminate any fractional shares.

          4.   Delivery and Payment. (a) Delivery of and payment for the Firm
Securities shall be made at the office of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388
Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013 or through the facilities of the
Depository Trust Company or



                                                                              12

another mutually agreeable facility, at 9:00 A.M., New York City time, on
January __, 2004 (the "Closing Date"). The place of closing for the Firm
Securities and the Closing Date may be varied by agreement between you and the
Fund.

          (b)  Delivery of and payment for the Option Securities (if the option
provided for in Section 3(b) hereof shall have been exercised) shall be made at
the aforementioned office of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., or through the
facilities of the Depository Trust Company or another mutually agreeable
facility, at such time on such date (an "Option Closing Date"), which may not be
the same as the Closing Date, but shall in no event be earlier than the Closing
Date nor earlier than two nor later than three business days after the giving of
the notice hereinafter referred to, as shall be specified in a written notice
from you on behalf of the Underwriters to the Fund of the Underwriters'
determination to purchase a number, specified in said notice, of Option
Securities. The place of closing for any Option Securities and the Option
Closing Date for such Option Securities may be varied by agreement between you
and the Fund.

          (c)  The Firm Securities and any Option Securities shall be registered
in such names and in such denominations as you shall request prior to 1:00 P.M.,
New York City time, (i) in respect of the Firm Securities, on the second
business day preceding the Closing Date and (ii) in respect of Option
Securities, on the day of the giving of the written notice in respect of such
Option Securities. The Firm Securities and any Option Securities to be purchased
hereunder shall be delivered to you on the Closing Date or the Option Closing
Date, as the case may be, through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company
or another mutually agreeable facility, against payment of the purchase price
therefor in immediately available funds to the order of the Fund.

          5.   Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several
Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public upon the
terms set forth in the Prospectus.

          6.   Agreements of the Fund and Certain Advisers. The Fund, the
Investment Adviser, NWQ and Symphony, jointly and severally, agree with the
several Underwriters as follows:

          (a)  If, at the time this Agreement is executed and delivered, it is
     necessary for the Registration Statement or a post-effective amendment
     thereto to be declared effective under the Act before the offering of the
     Firm Securities may commence, the Fund will use its reasonable best efforts
     to cause the Registration Statement or such post-effective amendment to
     become effective under the Act as soon as possible. If the Registration
     Statement has become effective and the Prospectus contained therein omits
     certain information at the time of effectiveness pursuant to Rule 430A of
     the Act Rules and Regulations, the Fund will file a Prospectus including
     such information pursuant to Rule 497(h) of the Act Rules and Regulations,
     as promptly as practicable, but no later than the second business day
     following the earlier of the date of the determination of the offering
     price of the Securities or the date the Prospectus is first used after the
     effective date of the Registration Statement. If the Registration Statement
     has become effective and the Prospectus contained therein does not so omit
     such information, the Fund will file a Prospectus pursuant to Rule 497(c)
     or (j) of the Act Rules and Regulations as promptly as practicable, but no
     later than the fifth business day following the date of the later of the



                                                                              13

     effective date of the Registration Statement or the commencement of the
     public offering of the Securities after the effective date of the
     Registration Statement. The Fund will advise you promptly and, if requested
     by you, will confirm such advice in writing (i) when the Registration
     Statement or such post-effective amendment has become effective or (ii)
     when the Prospectus has been timely filed pursuant to Rule 497(c) or Rule
     497(h) of the Act Rules and Regulations or the certification permitted
     pursuant to Rule 497(j) of the Act Rules and Regulations has been timely
     filed, whichever is applicable.

          (b)  The Fund will advise you promptly and, if requested by you, will
     confirm such advice in writing: (i) of any request made by the Commission
     for amendment of or a supplement to the Registration Statement, any
     Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement to
     any of the foregoing) or for additional information, (ii) of the issuance
     by the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
     (the "NASD"), any state securities commission, any national securities
     exchange, any arbitrator, any court or any other governmental, regulatory,
     self-regulatory or administrative agency or any official of any order
     suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, prohibiting or
     suspending the use of the Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any
     sales material (as hereinafter defined), of any notice pursuant to Section
     8(e) of the 1940 Act, of the suspension of qualification of the Securities
     for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or contemplated
     initiation of any proceeding for any such purposes, (iii) of receipt by the
     Fund, the Advisers, any affiliate of the Fund or the Advisers or any
     representative or attorney of the Fund or the Advisers of any other
     material communication from the Commission, the NASD, any state securities
     commission, any national securities exchange, any arbitrator, any court or
     any other governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative
     agency or any official relating to the Fund (if such communication relating
     to the Fund is received by such person within three years after the date of
     this Agreement), the Registration Statement, the 1940 Act Notification, the
     Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any sales material (as hereinafter
     defined) (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), this
     Agreement or any of the Fund Agreements and (iv) within the period of time
     referred to in paragraph (f) below, of any material adverse change in the
     condition (financial or other), business, prospects, properties, net assets
     or results of operations of the Fund or the Advisers or of the happening of
     any event which makes any statement of a material fact made in the
     Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any
     sales material (as hereinafter defined) (or any amendment or supplement to
     any of the foregoing) untrue or which requires the making of any additions
     to or changes in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any
     Preliminary Prospectus or any sales materials (as hereinafter defined) (or
     any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing) in order to state a
     material fact required by the Act, the 1940 Act or the Rules and
     Regulations to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the
     statements therein (in the case of a prospectus, in light of the
     circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or of the
     necessity to amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the
     Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any sales material (as
     hereinafter defined) (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
     foregoing) to comply with the Act, the 1940 Act, the Rules and Regulations
     or any other law or order of any court or regulatory body. If at any time
     the Commission, the NASD, any state securities commission, any national
     securities exchange, any arbitrator, any



                                                                              14

     court or any other governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or
     administrative agency or any official shall issue any order suspending the
     effectiveness of the Registration Statement, prohibiting or suspending the
     use of the Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any sales material (as
     hereinafter defined) (or any amendment or supplement to any of the
     foregoing) or suspending the qualification of the Securities for offering
     or sale in any jurisdiction, the Fund will use its reasonable best efforts
     to obtain the withdrawal of such order at the earliest possible time.

          (c)  The Fund will furnish to you, without charge, three signed copies
     of the registration statement and the 1940 Act Notification as originally
     filed with the Commission and of each amendment thereto, including
     financial statements and all exhibits thereto (except any post-effective
     amendment required by Rule 8b-16 of the 1940 Act Rules and Regulations
     which is filed with the Commission after the later of (x) one year from the
     date of this Agreement and (y) the date on which the distribution of the
     Securities is completed) and will also furnish to you, without charge, such
     number of conformed copies of the registration statement as originally
     filed and of each amendment thereto (except any post-effective amendment
     required by Rule 8b-16 of the 1940 Act Rules and Regulations which is filed
     with the Commission after the later of (x) one year from the date of this
     Agreement and (y) the date on which the distribution of the Securities is
     completed), with or without exhibits, as you may reasonably request.

          (d)  The Fund will not (i) file any amendment to the Registration
     Statement or make any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, any
     Preliminary Prospectus or any sales material (as hereinafter defined) (or
     any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing) of which you shall not
     previously have been advised or to which you shall reasonably object within
     a reasonable time after being so advised or (ii) so long as, in the opinion
     of counsel for the Underwriters, a Prospectus is required to be delivered
     in connection with sales by any Underwriter or dealer, file any
     information, documents or reports pursuant to the Exchange Act, without
     delivering a copy of such information, documents or reports to you, as
     Representatives of the Underwriters, prior to or concurrently with such
     filing.

          (e)  Prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Fund
     has delivered to you, without charge, in such quantities as you have
     reasonably requested, copies of each form of any Preliminary Prospectus.
     The Fund consents to the use, in accordance with the provisions of the Act
     and with the securities or Blue Sky laws of the jurisdictions in which the
     Securities are offered by the several Underwriters and by dealers, prior to
     the date of the Prospectus, of each Preliminary Prospectus so furnished by
     the Fund.

          (f)  As soon after the execution and delivery of this Agreement as
     possible and thereafter from time to time, for such period as in the
     opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus is required by the Act
     to be delivered in connection with sales of Securities by any Underwriter
     or dealer, the Fund will expeditiously deliver to each Underwriter and each
     dealer, without charge, as many copies of the Prospectus (and of any
     amendment or supplement thereto) as you may reasonably request. The Fund
     consents to the use of the Prospectus (and of any amendments or supplements
     thereto) in



                                                                              15

     accordance with the provisions of the Act and with the securities or Blue
     Sky laws of the jurisdictions in which the Securities are offered by the
     several Underwriters and by all dealers to whom Securities may be sold,
     both in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities and for such
     period of time thereafter as the Prospectus is required by law to be
     delivered in connection with sales of Securities by any Underwriter or
     dealer. If during such period of time any event shall occur that in the
     judgment of the Fund or in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters is
     required to be set forth in the Prospectus (as then amended or
     supplemented) or should be set forth therein in order to make the
     statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
     made, not misleading or if it is necessary to supplement or amend the
     Prospectus to comply with the Act, the 1940 Act, the Rules and Regulations
     or any other law, rule or regulation, the Fund will forthwith prepare and,
     subject to the provisions of paragraph (d) above, file with the Commission
     an appropriate amendment or supplement thereto and will expeditiously
     furnish to the Underwriters and dealers, without charge, such number of
     copies thereof as they shall reasonably request. In the event that the
     Prospectus is to be amended or supplemented, the Fund, if requested by you,
     will promptly issue a press release announcing or disclosing the matters to
     be covered by the proposed amendment or supplement.

          (g)  The Fund will cooperate with you and with counsel for the
     Underwriters in connection with the registration or qualification of the
     Securities for offering and sale by the several Underwriters and by dealers
     under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as you may
     designate and will file such consents to service of process or other
     documents necessary or appropriate in order to effect such registration or
     qualification; provided that in no event shall the Fund be obligated to
     qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified
     or to take any action which would subject it to service of process in
     suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the
     Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.

          (h)  The Fund will make generally available to its security holders an
     earnings statement, which need not be audited, covering a twelve-month
     period commencing after the effective date of the Registration Statement
     and ending not later than 15 months thereafter, as soon as practicable
     after the end of such period, which earnings statement shall satisfy the
     provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158 of the Act Rules and
     Regulations.

          (i)  The Fund will comply with the undertaking set forth in paragraph
     6 of Item 33 of Part C of the Registration Statement.

          (j)  During the period of five years hereafter, the Fund will furnish
     to you (i) as soon as available, a copy of each report of the Fund mailed
     to shareholders or filed with the Commission and (ii) from time to time
     such other information concerning the Fund as you may reasonably request.

          (k)  The Fund agrees to pay the following costs and expenses and all
     other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Fund of its
     obligations hereunder: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction,
     filing (including, without limitation, the



                                                                              16

     filing fees prescribed by the Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules and
     Regulations) and distribution of the Registration Statement (including
     exhibits thereto), the Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus and the 1940
     Act Notification and all amendments or supplements to any of them, (ii)
     printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight
     charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the
     Registration Statement, the Prospectus, each Preliminary Prospectus, any
     sales material and all amendments or supplements to any of them as may be
     reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of
     the Securities, (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance
     and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp taxes
     and transfer agent and registrar fees payable in connection with the
     original issuance and sale of such Securities, (iv) the registrations or
     qualifications of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or
     Blue Sky laws of the several states as provided in Section 6(g) hereof
     (including the reasonable fees, expenses and disbursements of counsel for
     the Underwriters relating to the preparation, printing or reproduction and
     delivery of the preliminary and supplemental Blue Sky Memoranda and such
     registration and qualification), (v) the transportation and other expenses
     incurred by or on behalf of Fund representatives in connection with
     presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities, (vi) the fees
     and expenses of the Fund's independent accountants, counsel for the Fund
     and of the transfer agent, (vii) the expenses of delivery to the
     Underwriters and dealers (including postage, air freight and the cost of
     counting and packaging) of copies of the Prospectus, the Preliminary
     Prospectus, any sales material and all amendments or supplements to the
     Prospectus as may be requested for use in connection with the offering and
     sale of the Securities, (viii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery
     of this Agreement, any dealer agreements, the preliminary and supplemental
     Blue Sky Memoranda and all other company-authorized agreements or other
     documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the
     offering of the Securities, (ix) the filing fees and the fees and expenses
     of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with any filings required to
     be made with the NASD and incurred with respect to the review of the
     offering of the Securities by the NASD, (x) the registration of the
     Securities under the Exchange Act and the listing of the Securities on the
     NYSE and (xi) an amount equal to (A) $20,000 plus (B) $0.0033 per Security
     for each Security in excess of 2,000,000 sold pursuant to this Agreement,
     payable no later than 45 days from the date of this Agreement to the
     Underwriters in partial reimbursement of their expenses (but not including
     reimbursement for the cost of one tombstone advertisement in a newspaper
     that is one quarter of a newspaper page or less in size) in connection with
     the offering. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the sale of
     the Firm Securities is not consummated pursuant to Section 3 hereof, the
     Advisers will pay the costs and expenses of the Fund set forth above in
     clauses (i) through (x) of this Section 6(k), and reimbursements of
     Underwriter expenses in connection with the offering shall be made in
     accordance with Section 8 hereof.

          (l)  The Fund will direct the investment of the net proceeds of the
     offering of the Securities in such a manner as to comply with the
     investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Fund as described
     in the Prospectus.

          (m)  The Fund will file the requisite copies of the Prospectus with
     the Commission in a timely fashion pursuant to Rule 497(c) or Rule 497(h)
     of the Act Rules



                                                                              17

     and Regulations, whichever is applicable or, if applicable, will file in a
     timely fashion the certification permitted by Rule 497(j) of the Act Rules
     and Regulations and will advise you of the time and manner of such filing.

          (n)  Except as provided in this Agreement or pursuant to any dividend
     reinvestment plan of the Fund in effect on the date hereof, neither the
     Fund nor the Advisers will sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of
     or hedge, any Common Shares or any securities convertible into or
     exercisable or exchangeable for Common Shares or grant any options or
     warrants to purchase Common Shares, for a period of 180 days after the date
     of the Prospectus, without the prior written consent of Citigroup Global
     Markets Inc.

          (o)  Except as stated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus, neither
     the Fund nor the Advisers have taken, nor will any of them take, directly
     or indirectly, any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected
     to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of the
     Common Shares.

          (p)  The Fund will use its reasonable best efforts to have the Common
     Shares listed, subject to notice of issuance, on the NYSE concurrently with
     the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and to comply with the
     rules and regulations of such exchange.

          7.   Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The several
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase any Securities hereunder are subject
to the accuracy of and compliance with the representations, warranties and
agreements of and by the Fund and the Advisers contained herein on and as of the
date hereof, the date on which the Registration Statement becomes or became
effective, the date of the Prospectus (and of any amendment or supplement
thereto), the Closing Date and, with respect to any Option Securities, any
Option Closing Date; to the accuracy and completeness of all statements made by
the Fund, the Advisers or any of their officers in any certificate delivered to
the Representatives or their counsel pursuant to this Agreement and to the
following conditions:

          (a)  If, at the time this Agreement is executed and delivered, it is
     necessary for the Registration Statement or a post-effective amendment
     thereto to be declared effective before the offering of the Securities may
     commence, the Registration Statement or such post-effective amendment shall
     have become effective not later than 5:30 p.m., New York City time, on the
     date hereof or at such later date and time as shall be consented to in
     writing by you and all filings, if any, required by Rules 497 and 430A
     under the Act Rules and Regulations shall have been timely made; no order
     suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been
     issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to
     the knowledge of the Fund, the Advisers or any Underwriter, threatened by
     the Commission and any request of the Commission for additional information
     (to be included in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or
     otherwise) shall have been complied with to your satisfaction.

          (b)  You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Bell,
     Boyd & Lloyd LLC, special counsel for the Fund and the Investment Adviser,
     dated the Closing



                                                                              18

     Date and addressed to you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters,
     to the effect that:

               (i)     The Fund is a business trust duly established, validly
          existing and in good standing under the laws of The Commonwealth of
          Massachusetts with full power and authority to own, lease and operate
          its properties and to conduct its business as described in the
          Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or
          supplement thereto through the date of the opinion) and is duly
          registered and qualified to conduct its business and is in good
          standing in each jurisdiction where the nature of its properties or
          the conduct of its business requires such registration or
          qualification, except where the failure so to register or to qualify
          does not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or
          other), business, properties, net assets or results of operations of
          the Fund;

               (ii)    The authorized and outstanding capital stock of the Fund
          is as set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus (or any
          amendment or supplement thereto through the date of the opinion); and
          the description of the authorized capital stock of the Fund contained
          in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto through the
          date of the opinion) under the caption "Description of Shares"
          conforms in all material respects as to legal matters to the terms
          thereof contained in the Fund's Declaration of Trust;

               (iii)   All of the shares of capital stock of the Fund
          outstanding prior to the issuance of the Securities have been duly
          authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and nonassessable,
          except that, as described in the Prospectus under the heading,
          "Certain Provisions in the Declaration of Trust," shareholders of the
          Fund may under certain circumstances be held personally liable for its
          obligations;

               (iv)    The Securities have been duly authorized and, when issued
          and delivered to the Underwriters against payment therefor in
          accordance with the terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid
          and nonassessable and not subject to any preemptive rights that
          entitle or will entitle any person to acquire any Securities upon the
          issuance thereof by the Fund, except that, as described in the
          Prospectus under the heading, "Certain Provisions in the Declaration
          of Trust," shareholders of the Fund may under certain circumstances be
          held personally liable for its obligations;

               (v)     The Fund has the power and authority to enter into this
          Agreement and the Fund Agreements and to issue, sell and deliver the
          Securities to the Underwriters as provided herein and this Agreement
          and each of the Fund Agreements have been duly authorized, executed
          and delivered by the Fund;

               (vi)    Assuming due authorization, execution and delivery by the
          other parties thereto and that the performance of the Fund Agreements
          by such other parties will not violate law, agreements to which such
          other parties or their properties are subject or orders applicable to
          such other parties, the Fund



                                                                              19

          Agreements constitute the valid, legal and binding agreements of the
          Fund, enforceable against the Fund in accordance with their terms,
          subject to the qualification that the enforceability of the Fund's
          obligations thereunder may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
          reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting
          creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles,
          whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law;

               (vii)   The Fund Agreements comply in all material respects with
          all applicable provisions of the Act, the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act,
          the Rules and Regulations and the Advisers Act Rules and Regulations;

               (viii)  The Fund is not in violation of its Declaration of Trust
          or By-Laws or, to the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, is not in material default in the performance of any material
          obligation, agreement or condition contained in any bond, debenture,
          note or other evidence of indebtedness, except as may be disclosed in
          the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto);

               (ix)    No consent, approval, authorization or order of or
          registration or filing with the Commission, the NASD, any state
          securities commission, any national securities exchange, any
          arbitrator, any court or any other governmental body, agency or
          regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative agency or any official
          is required on the part of the Fund (except as have been obtained
          under the Act and the Exchange Act or such as may be required under
          state securities or Blue Sky laws governing the purchase and
          distribution of the Securities) for the valid issuance and sale of the
          Securities to the Underwriters as contemplated by this Agreement,
          performance of the Fund Agreements or this Agreement by the Fund, the
          consummation by the Fund of the transactions contemplated thereby or
          hereby or the adoption of the Fund's Dividend Reinvestment Plan;

               (x)     Neither the offer, sale or delivery of the Securities,
          the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement or the Fund
          Agreements, compliance by the Fund with the provisions hereof or
          thereof, consummation by the Fund of the transactions contemplated
          hereby or thereby nor the adoption of the Fund's Dividend Reinvestment
          Plan violates the Declaration of Trust or By-Laws of the Fund or any
          material agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to which the
          Fund is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound that
          is an exhibit to the Registration Statement or that is known to such
          counsel after reasonable inquiry or, to the best of such counsel's
          knowledge after reasonable inquiry, will result in the creation or
          imposition of any material lien, charge or encumbrance upon any
          property or assets of the Fund, nor, to the best of such counsel's
          knowledge after reasonable inquiry, will any such action result in any
          violation of any existing material law, regulation, ruling (assuming
          compliance with all applicable state securities and Blue Sky laws),
          judgment, injunction, order or decree known to such counsel after
          reasonable inquiry, applicable to the Fund or any of its properties,
          except that, in the published opinion of the Commission, the
          indemnification provisions in this Agreement and the Fund Agreements,
          insofar



                                                                              20

          as they relate to indemnification for liabilities arising under the
          Act, are against public policy as expressed in the Act and therefore
          unenforceable;

               (xi)    The Registration Statement and all post-effective
          amendments, if any, have become effective under the Act and, to the
          best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable inquiry, no order
          suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been
          issued and no proceedings for that purpose are pending before or
          contemplated by the Commission; and any filing of the Prospectus and
          any amendments or supplements thereto required pursuant to Rule 497 of
          the Act Rules and Regulations prior to the date of such opinion has
          been made in accordance with Rule 497;

               (xii)   The Fund is duly registered with the Commission under the
          1940 Act as a closed-end, diversified management investment company
          and all action has been taken by the Fund as required by the Act and
          the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations in connection with the
          issuance and sale of the Securities to make the public offering and
          consummate the sale of the Securities as contemplated by this
          Agreement;

               (xiii)  The statements made in the Registration Statement and the
          Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto through the date
          of the opinion) under the caption "Tax Matters" and "Certain
          Provisions in the Declaration of Trust" have been reviewed by such
          counsel and to the extent they describe or summarize tax laws,
          doctrines or practices of the United States, legal matters,
          agreements, documents or proceedings discussed therein present a fair
          and accurate description or summary thereof as of the date of the
          opinion;

               (xiv)   The statements in the Registration Statement and
          Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto through the date
          of the opinion), insofar as they are descriptions of contracts,
          agreements or other legal documents or refer to statements of law or
          legal conclusions, are accurate and present fairly the information
          required to be shown;

               (xv)    The Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any
          amendment or supplement thereto through the date of the opinion)
          comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of
          the Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules and Regulations (except that no
          opinion need be expressed as to the financial statements and the notes
          thereto and the schedules and other financial and statistical data
          included therein);

               (xvi)   To the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, (A) other than as described or contemplated in the Prospectus
          (or any amendment or supplement thereto through the date of the
          opinion), there are no actions, suits or other legal or governmental
          proceedings pending or expressly threatened against the Fund (through
          the date of the opinion) and (B) there are no material agreements,
          contracts, indentures, leases or other instruments that are required
          to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or
          any amendment



                                                                              21

          or supplement thereto through the date of the opinion) or to be filed
          as an exhibit to the Registration Statement that are not described or
          filed as required, as the case may be;

               (xvii)  To the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, the Fund is not in violation of any law, ordinance,
          administrative or governmental rule or regulation applicable to the
          Fund or of any decree of the Commission, the NASD, any state
          securities commission, any national securities exchange, any
          arbitrator, any court or any other governmental, regulatory,
          self-regulatory or administrative agency or any official having
          jurisdiction over the Fund; and

               (xviii) The Securities are duly authorized for listing, subject
          to official notice of issuance, on the NYSE and the Fund's
          registration statement on Form 8-A under the Exchange Act is
          effective.

          Such counsel shall also state that although counsel has not
     undertaken, except as otherwise indicated in their opinion, to determine
     independently and does not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy or
     completeness of the statements in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), such counsel has
     participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus, including review and discussion of the contents thereof, and
     nothing has come to the attention of such counsel that has caused it to
     believe that the Registration Statement, at the time the Registration
     Statement became effective or the Prospectus, as of its date and as of the
     Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
     to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
     the statements therein (in the case of a prospectus, in light of the
     circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or that any
     amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, as of the Closing Date,
     contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
     material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light
     of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (it being
     understood that such counsel need express no view with respect to the
     financial statements and the notes thereto and the schedules and other
     financial and statistical data included in, or omitted from, the
     Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
     thereto)).

          In rendering such opinion, such counsel may limit such opinion to
     matters involving the application of the laws of The Commonwealth of
     Massachusetts and the United States. To the extent they deem proper and to
     the extent specified in such opinion, such counsel may rely, as to matters
     involving the application of laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
     upon the opinion of Bingham McCutchen LLP or other counsel of good standing
     whom they believe to be reliable and who are satisfactory to the
     Representatives; provided that (X) such reliance is expressly authorized by
     the opinion so relied upon and a copy of each such opinion is delivered to
     the Representatives and is, in form and substance, satisfactory to them and
     their counsel and (Y) Bell, Boyd & Lloyd LLC states in their opinion that
     they believe that they and the Underwriters are justified in relying
     thereon. References to the Prospectus in this paragraph (b) shall also
     include any supplements thereto at the Closing Date.



                                                                              22

          (c)  You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Gifford
     R. Zimmerman, Managing Director, Assistant Secretary and General Counsel
     for the Investment Adviser, dated the Closing Date and addressed to you, as
     Representatives of the several Underwriters, to the effect that:

               (i)    The Investment Adviser is a corporation duly incorporated
          and validly existing in good standing under the laws of the State of
          Delaware with full corporate power and authority to own, lease and
          operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the
          Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or
          supplement thereto) and is duly registered and qualified to conduct
          its business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction or place
          where the nature of its properties or the conduct of its business
          requires such registration or qualification, except where the failure
          so to register or to qualify does not have a material adverse effect
          on the condition (financial or other), business, properties, net
          assets or results of operations of the Investment Adviser;

               (ii)   The Investment Adviser is duly registered with the
          Commission under the Advisers Act as an investment adviser and is not
          prohibited by the Advisers Act, the 1940 Act or the Rules and
          Regulations under such acts from acting for the Fund under the
          Management Agreement as contemplated by the Prospectus (and any
          amendment or supplement thereto);

               (iii)  The Investment Adviser has corporate power and authority
          to enter into this Agreement, the Management Agreement and each of the
          Sub-Advisory Agreements and this Agreement, the Management Agreement
          and each of the Sub-Advisory Agreements have been duly authorized,
          executed and delivered by the Investment Adviser and each of the
          Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreements is a valid, legal
          and binding agreement of the Investment Adviser, enforceable against
          the Investment Adviser in accordance with its terms, subject to the
          qualification that the enforceability of the Investment Adviser's
          obligations thereunder may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
          reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting
          creditors' rights generally and by general equitable principles;

               (iv)   Each of the Management Agreement and the Sub-Advisory
          Agreements complies in all material respects with all applicable
          provisions of the Advisers Act, the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act
          Rules and Regulations and the 1940 Act Rules and Regulations;

               (v)    Neither the execution and delivery by the Investment
          Adviser of this Agreement, the Management Agreement or any of the
          Sub-Advisory Agreements nor the consummation by the Investment Adviser
          of the transactions contemplated hereunder or thereunder constitutes
          or will constitute a breach of or a default under the Certificate of
          Incorporation or By-Laws of the Investment Adviser or any material
          agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to which the
          Investment Adviser is a party or by which it or any of its properties
          is bound that is known to such counsel after reasonable inquiry, or
          will result in the



                                                                              23

          creation or imposition of any material lien, charge or encumbrance
          upon any property or assets of the Investment Adviser, nor will any
          such action result in any violation of any existing material law,
          regulation, ruling (assuming compliance with all applicable state
          securities and Blue Sky laws), judgment, injunction, order or decree
          known to such counsel after reasonable inquiry, applicable to the Fund
          or any of its properties;

               (vi)   The description of the Investment Adviser and its business
          in the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) complies
          in all material respects with all requirements of the Act, the 1940
          Act and the Rules and Regulations;

               (vii)  To the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, other than as described or contemplated in the Prospectus
          (and any amendment or supplement thereto), there are no actions, suits
          or other legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened
          against the Investment Adviser or to which the Investment Adviser or
          any of its property is subject which are required to be described in
          the Registration Statement or Prospectus (or any amendment or
          supplement thereto);

               (viii) The Investment Adviser owns, possesses or has obtained and
          currently maintains all governmental licenses, permits, consents,
          orders, approvals and other authorizations as are necessary for the
          Investment Adviser to carry on its business as contemplated in the
          Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto); and

               (ix)   No material consent, approval, authorization or order of
          or registration or filing with any court, regulatory body,
          administrative or other governmental body, agency or official is
          required on the part of the Investment Adviser for the performance of
          this Agreement, the Management Agreement or the Sub-Advisory
          Agreements by the Investment Adviser or for the consummation by the
          Investment Adviser of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

          Such counsel shall also state that although counsel has not
     undertaken, except as otherwise indicated in its opinion, to determine
     independently and does not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy or
     completeness of the statements in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), such counsel has
     participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus, including review and discussion of the contents thereof and
     nothing has come to its attention that has caused it to believe that the
     Registration Statement at the time it became effective or the Prospectus,
     as of its date and as of the Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of
     a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
     therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of a
     prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not
     misleading or that any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, as of the
     Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
     to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements



                                                                              24

     therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
     misleading (it being understood that such counsel need express no opinion
     with respect to the financial statements and the notes thereto and the
     schedules and other financial and statistical data included in, or omitted
     from, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or
     supplement thereto)).

          In rendering such opinion, counsel may limit such opinion to matters
     involving the application of the laws of the State of Illinois, the
     Delaware General Corporation Law statute and the laws of the United States
     and may rely upon an opinion or opinions, each dated the Closing Date, of
     other counsel retained by the Investment Adviser as to laws of any
     jurisdiction other than the United States, the State of Illinois and the
     Delaware General Corporation Law statute, provided that (X) each such local
     counsel is acceptable to the Representatives, (Y) such reliance is
     expressly authorized by each opinion so relied upon and a copy of each such
     opinion is delivered to the Representatives and is, in form and substance,
     satisfactory to them and their counsel and (Z) counsel shall state in his
     view that he believes that he and the Underwriters are justified in relying
     thereon.

          (d)  You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Alan G.
     Berkshire, special counsel for NWQ, dated the Closing Date and addressed to
     you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, to the effect that:

               (i)    NWQ is a limited liability company duly formed and validly
          existing in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware with
          full company power and authority to own, lease and operate its
          properties and to conduct its business as described in the
          Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or
          supplement thereto) and is duly registered and qualified to conduct
          its business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction or place
          where the nature of its properties or the conduct of its business
          requires such registration or qualification, except where the failure
          so to register or to qualify does not have a material adverse effect
          on the condition (financial or other), business, properties, net
          assets or results of operations of NWQ;

               (ii)   NWQ is duly registered with the Commission under the
          Advisers Act as an investment adviser and is not prohibited by the
          Advisers Act, the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by
          the Commission under such acts from acting for the Fund under the NWQ
          Sub-Advisory Agreement as contemplated by the Prospectus (and any
          amendment or supplement thereto);

               (iii)  NWQ has limited liability company power and authority to
          enter into this Agreement and the NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement and this
          Agreement and the NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement have been duly
          authorized, executed and delivered by NWQ and the NWQ Sub-Advisory
          Agreement is a valid, legal and binding agreement of NWQ, enforceable
          against NWQ in accordance with its terms, subject to the qualification
          that the enforceability of NWQ's obligations thereunder may be limited
          by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws
          relating to or affecting creditors' rights generally and by general
          equitable principles;



                                                                              25

               (iv)   The NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement complies in all material
          respects with all applicable provisions of the Advisers Act, the 1940
          Act and the Advisers Act Rules and Regulations and the 1940 Act Rules
          and Regulations;

               (v)    Neither the execution and delivery by NWQ of this
          Agreement or the NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement nor the consummation by
          NWQ of the transactions contemplated hereunder or thereunder
          constitutes or will constitute a breach of or a default under the
          Certificate of Formation or limited liability company agreement of NWQ
          or any material agreement, indenture, lease or other instrument to
          which NWQ is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound
          that is known to such counsel after reasonable inquiry, or will result
          in the creation or imposition of any material lien, charge or
          encumbrance upon any property or assets of NWQ, nor will any such
          action result in any violation of any existing material law,
          regulation, ruling (assuming compliance with all applicable state
          securities and Blue Sky laws), judgment, injunction, order or decree
          known to such counsel after reasonable inquiry, applicable to NWQ or
          any of its properties;

               (vi)   The description of NWQ and its business in the Prospectus
          (and any amendment or supplement thereto) complies in all material
          respects with all requirements of the Act, the 1940 Act and the Rules
          and Regulations;

               (vii)  To the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, other than as described or contemplated in the Prospectus
          (and any amendment or supplement thereto), there are no actions, suits
          or other legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened
          against NWQ or to which NWQ or any of its property is subject that are
          required to be described in the Registration Statement or Prospectus
          (or any amendment or supplement thereto);

               (viii) NWQ owns, possesses or has obtained and currently
          maintains all governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders,
          approvals and other authorizations as are necessary for NWQ to carry
          on its business as contemplated in the Prospectus (and any amendment
          or supplement thereto); and

               (ix)   No material consent, approval, authorization or order of
          or registration or filing with any court, regulatory body,
          administrative or other governmental body, agency or official is
          required on the part of NWQ for the performance of this Agreement or
          the NWQ Sub-Advisory Agreement by NWQ or for the consummation by NWQ
          of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.

          Such counsel shall also state that although counsel has not
     undertaken, except as otherwise indicated in her opinion, to determine
     independently and does not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy or
     completeness of the statements in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), such counsel has
     participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus, including review and discussion of the contents thereof and
     nothing has come to her



                                                                              26

     attention that has caused her to believe that the Registration Statement at
     the time it became effective or the Prospectus, as of its date and as of
     the Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or
     omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
     to make the statements therein (in the case of a prospectus, in light of
     the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading or that any
     amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, as of the Closing Date,
     contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
     material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light
     of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (it being
     understood that such counsel need express no opinion with respect to (a)
     the financial statements and the notes thereto and the schedules and other
     financial and statistical data included in, or omitted from, the
     Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
     thereto).

          In rendering such opinion, counsel may limit such opinion to matters
     involving the application of the Delaware General Corporation Law Statute
     and the laws of the United States and may rely upon an opinion or opinions,
     each dated the Closing Date, of other counsel retained by NWQ as to laws of
     any jurisdiction other than the United States and the Delaware General
     Corporation Law Statute, provided that (X) each such local counsel is
     acceptable to the Representatives, (Y) such reliance is expressly
     authorized by each opinion so relied upon and a copy of each such opinion
     is delivered to the Representatives and is, in form and substance,
     satisfactory to them and their counsel and (Z) counsel shall state in their
     view that they believe that they and the Underwriters are justified in
     relying thereon.

          (e)  You shall have received on the Closing Date an opinion of Alan G.
     Berkshire, special counsel for Symphony, dated the Closing Date and
     addressed to you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, to the
     effect that:

               (i)    Symphony is a limited liability company duly formed and
          validly existing in good standing under the laws of the State of
          California with full company power and authority to own, lease and
          operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the
          Registration Statement and the Prospectus (and any amendment or
          supplement thereto) and is duly registered and qualified to conduct
          its business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction or place
          where the nature of its properties or the conduct of its business
          requires such registration or qualification, except where the failure
          so to register or to qualify does not have a material adverse effect
          on the condition (financial or other), business, properties, net
          assets or results of operations of Symphony;

               (ii)   Symphony is duly registered with the Commission under the
          Advisers Act as an investment adviser and is not prohibited by the
          Advisers Act, the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by
          the Commission under such acts from acting for the Fund under the
          Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement as contemplated by the Prospectus (and
          any amendment or supplement thereto);

               (iii)  Symphony has company power and authority to enter into
          this Agreement and the Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement and this
          Agreement and



                                                                              27

          the Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement have been duly authorized,
          executed and delivered by Symphony and the Symphony Sub-Advisory
          Agreement is a valid, legal and binding agreement of Symphony,
          enforceable against Symphony in accordance with its terms, subject to
          the qualification that the enforceability of Symphony's obligations
          thereunder may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization,
          moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors' rights
          generally and by general equitable principles;

               (iv)   The Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement complies in all
          material respects with all applicable provisions of the Advisers Act,
          the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act Rules and Regulations and the 1940
          Act Rules and Regulations;

               (v)    Neither the execution and delivery by Symphony of this
          Agreement or the Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement nor the consummation
          by Symphony of the transactions contemplated hereunder or thereunder
          constitutes or will constitute a breach of or a default under the
          Certificate of Formation or limited liability company agreement of
          Symphony or any material agreement, indenture, lease or other
          instrument to which Symphony is a party or by which it or any of its
          properties is bound that is known to such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, or will result in the creation or imposition of any material
          lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of Symphony,
          nor will any such action result in any violation of any existing
          material law, regulation, ruling (assuming compliance with all
          applicable state securities and Blue Sky laws), judgment, injunction,
          order or decree known to such counsel after reasonable inquiry,
          applicable to Symphony or any of its properties;

               (vi)   The description of Symphony and its business in the
          Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) complies in all
          material respects with all requirements of the Act, the 1940 Act and
          the Rules and Regulations;

               (vii)  To the best knowledge of such counsel after reasonable
          inquiry, other than as described or contemplated in the Prospectus
          (and any amendment or supplement thereto), there are no actions, suits
          or other legal or governmental proceedings pending or threatened
          against Symphony or to which Symphony or any of its property is
          subject that are required to be described in the Registration
          Statement or Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto);

               (viii) Symphony owns, possesses or has obtained and currently
          maintains all governmental licenses, permits, consents, orders,
          approvals and other authorizations as are necessary for Symphony to
          carry on its business as contemplated in the Prospectus (and any
          amendment or supplement thereto); and

               (ix)   No material consent, approval, authorization or order of
          or registration or filing with any court, regulatory body,
          administrative or other governmental body, agency or official is
          required on the part of Symphony for the performance of this Agreement
          or the Symphony Sub-Advisory Agreement by



                                                                              28

          Symphony or for the consummation by Symphony of the transactions
          contemplated hereby or thereby.

          Such counsel shall also state that although counsel has not
     undertaken, except as otherwise indicated in its opinion, to determine
     independently and does not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy or
     completeness of the statements in the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto), such counsel has
     participated in the preparation of the Registration Statement and the
     Prospectus, including review and discussion of the contents thereof and
     nothing has come to its attention that has caused it to believe that the
     Registration Statement at the time it became effective or the Prospectus,
     as of its date and as of the Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of
     a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
     therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of a
     prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made) not
     misleading or that any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus, as of the
     Closing Date, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted
     to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein,
     in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading
     (it being understood that such counsel need express no opinion with respect
     to the financial statements and the notes thereto and the schedules and
     other financial and statistical data included in, or omitted from, the
     Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement
     thereto)).

          In rendering such opinion, counsel may limit such opinion to matters
     involving the application of the laws of the United States and may rely
     upon an opinion or opinions, each dated the Closing Date, of other counsel
     retained by Symphony as to laws of any jurisdiction other than the United
     States, provided that (X) each such local counsel is acceptable to the
     Representatives, (Y) such reliance is expressly authorized by each opinion
     so relied upon and a copy of each such opinion is delivered to the
     Representatives and is, in form and substance, satisfactory to them and
     their counsel and (Z) counsel shall state in their view that they believe
     that they and the Underwriters are justified in relying thereon.

          (f)  That you shall have received on the Closing Date, an opinion,
     dated the Closing Date, of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel for the
     Underwriters, dated the Closing Date and addressed to you, as
     Representatives of the several Underwriters, with respect to the issuance
     and sale of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus
     (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the
     Underwriters may require and the Fund, the Advisers and their respective
     counsels shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they may
     request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.

          (g)  That you shall have received letters addressed to you, as
     Representatives of the several Underwriters, and dated the date hereof and
     the Closing Date from Ernst & Young LLP, independent certified public
     accountants, substantially in the forms heretofore approved by you.



                                                                              29

          (h)  (i) No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
     Statement or prohibiting or suspending the use of the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement thereto) or any Preliminary Prospectus or any sales
     material shall have been issued and no proceedings for such purpose or for
     the purpose of commencing an enforcement action against the Fund, the
     Advisers or, with respect to the transactions contemplated by the
     Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) and this Agreement, any
     Underwriter, may be pending before or, to the knowledge of the Fund, the
     Advisers or any Underwriter or in the reasonable view of counsel to the
     Underwriters, shall be threatened or contemplated by the Commission at or
     prior to the Closing Date and that any request for additional information
     on the part of the Commission (to be included in the Registration
     Statement, the Prospectus or otherwise) be complied with to the
     satisfaction of the Representatives, (ii) there shall not have been any
     change in the capital stock of the Fund nor any material increase in debt
     of the Fund from that set forth in the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement thereto) and the Fund shall not have sustained any material
     liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent, other than those
     reflected in the Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto);
     (iii) since the date of the Prospectus there shall not have been any
     material adverse change in the condition (financial or other), business,
     prospects, properties, net assets or results of operations of the Fund or
     the Advisers; (iv) the Fund and the Advisers must not have sustained any
     material loss or interference with its business from any court or from
     legislative or other governmental action, order or decree or from any other
     occurrence not described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
     (and any amendment or supplement thereto); and (v) all of the
     representations and warranties of the Fund and the Advisers contained in
     this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the date hereof and
     as of the Closing Date as if made on and as of the Closing Date.

          (i)  Subsequent to the effective date of this Agreement, there shall
     not have occurred (i) any change or any development involving a prospective
     change in or affecting the condition (financial or other), business,
     prospects, properties, net assets or results of operations of the Fund or
     the Advisers not contemplated by the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement thereto), which in your opinion, as Representatives of the
     several Underwriters, would materially, adversely affect the market for the
     Securities or (ii) any event or development relating to or involving the
     Fund, the Advisers or any officer or trustee or director of the Fund or the
     Advisers which makes any statement of a material fact made in the
     Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) untrue or which, in the
     opinion of the Fund and its counsel or the Underwriters and their counsel,
     requires the making of any addition to or change in the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement thereto) in order to state a material fact required
     by the Act, the 1940 Act, the Rules and Regulations or any other law to be
     stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein (in the
     case of a prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were
     made) not misleading, if amending or supplementing the Prospectus (or any
     amendment or supplement thereto) to reflect such event or development
     would, in your opinion, as Representatives of the several Underwriters,
     materially, adversely affect the market for the Securities.



                                                                              30

          (j)  That neither the Fund nor the Advisers shall have failed at or
     prior to the Closing Date to have performed or complied with any of the
     agreements herein contained and required to be performed or complied with
     by them at or prior to the Closing Date.

          (k)  That you shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate,
     dated such date, of the president, any managing director or any vice
     president and of the controller, treasurer or assistant treasurer of each
     of the Fund, the Investment Adviser and each of the Subadvisers certifying
     that (i) the signers have carefully examined the Registration Statement,
     the Prospectus (and any amendments or supplements thereto) and this
     Agreement (with respect to the certificates of such officers of the Fund,
     the Investment Adviser, NWQ and Symphony), (ii) the representations and
     warranties of the Fund (with respect to the certificates from such Fund
     officers) and the representations of the Advisers (with respect to the
     certificates from such officers of the Advisers) in this Agreement are true
     and correct on and as of the date of the certificate as if made on such
     date, (iii) since the date of the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement thereto) there has not been any material adverse change in the
     condition (financial or other), business, prospects (other than as a result
     of a change in the financial markets generally), properties, net assets or
     results of operations of the Fund (with respect to the certificates from
     such Fund officers) or the Advisers (with respect to the certificates from
     such officers of the Advisers), (iv) with respect to the certificates from
     such Fund officers and the certificates from such officers of the
     Investment Adviser, NWQ and Symphony, to the knowledge of such officers
     after reasonable investigation, no order suspending the effectiveness of
     the Registration Statement or prohibiting the sale of any of the Securities
     or having a material adverse effect on the Fund has been issued and no
     proceedings for any such purpose are pending before or threatened by the
     Commission or any court or other regulatory body, the NASD, any state
     securities commission, any national securities exchange, any arbitrator or
     any other governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative
     agency or any official, (v) each of the Fund (with respect to certificates
     from such Fund officers) and the Advisers (with respect to certificates
     from such officers of the Advisers) has performed and complied with all
     agreements that this Agreement requires it to perform by such Closing Date,
     (vi) neither the Fund (with respect to the certificate from such officers
     of the Fund) nor the Advisers (with respect to the certificate from such
     officers of the Advisers) has sustained any material loss or interference
     with its business from any court or from legislative or other governmental
     action, order or decree or from any other occurrence not described in the
     Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement
     thereto and (vii) with respect to the certificate from such officers of the
     Fund, there has not been any change in the capital stock of the Fund nor
     any material increase in the debt of the Fund from that set forth in the
     Prospectus (and any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Fund has not
     sustained any material liabilities or obligations, direct or contingent,
     other than those reflected in the Prospectus (and any amendment or
     supplement thereto).

          (l)  The Securities shall have been listed and admitted and authorized
     for trading on the NYSE, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall
     have been provided to the Representatives.



                                                                              31

          (m)  That the Fund and the Advisers shall have furnished to you such
     further certificates, documents and opinions of counsel as you shall
     reasonably request (including certificates of officers of the Fund and the
     Advisers).

          All such opinions, certificates, letters and other documents will be
     in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are satisfactory in
     form and substance to you and your counsel acting in good faith.

          Any certificate or document signed by any officer of the Fund or the
     Advisers and delivered to you, as Representatives of the Underwriters or to
     Underwriters' counsel, shall be deemed a representation and warranty by
     such party to each Underwriter as to the statements made therein.

          The several obligations of the Underwriters to purchase any Option
     Securities hereunder are subject to (i) the accuracy of and compliance with
     the representations, warranties and agreements of and by the Fund and the
     Advisers contained herein on and as of the Option Closing Date, as though
     made on any Option Closing Date, the date on which the Registration
     Statement becomes or became effective and the date of the Prospectus (and
     any amendment or supplement thereto) (ii) satisfaction on and as of any
     Option Closing Date of the conditions set forth in this Section 7 except
     that, if any Option Closing Date is other than the Closing Date, the
     certificates, opinions and letters referred to in paragraphs (b), (c), (d),
     (e), (f), (g), (k), (l) and this paragraph shall be dated the Option
     Closing Date in question and the opinions and letters called for by
     paragraphs (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g) and this paragraph shall be revised
     to reflect the sale of Option Securities, (iii) the accuracy and
     completeness of all statements made by the Fund, the Advisers or any of
     their officers in any certificate delivered to the Representatives or their
     counsel pursuant to this Agreement and (iv) the absence of circumstances on
     or prior to the Option Closing Date which would permit termination of this
     Agreement pursuant to Section 11 hereof if they existed on or prior to the
     Closing Date.

          8.   Reimbursement of Underwriters' Expenses. If the sale of the
Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the
obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 7 hereof is not satisfied
or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Fund or the
Advisers to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof
other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Fund will
reimburse the Underwriters severally through Citigroup Global Markets Inc. on
demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and
disbursements of counsel) that shall have been incurred by them in connection
with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.

          9.   Indemnification and Contribution. (a) The Fund, the Investment
Adviser, NWQ and Symphony, jointly and severally, agree to indemnify and hold
harmless each of you and each other Underwriter, the directors, officers,
employees and agents of each Underwriter and each person who controls any
Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any
and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several (including
reasonable costs of investigation), to which they or any of them may become
subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law
or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims,
damages or liabilities (or actions in respect



                                                                              32

thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue
statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any sales material (or any amendment or
supplement to any of the foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the
omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the
Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any sales material (or any amendment
or supplement to any of the foregoing), in light of the circumstances under
which they were made) not misleading, and agrees to reimburse each such
indemnified party, as incurred, for any legal or other expenses reasonably
incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss,
claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Fund will not be
liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or
liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon
and in conformity with written information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf
of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion
therein; provided, further, that the foregoing indemnity with respect to the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus (or any
amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing) shall not inure to the benefit
of any Underwriter from whom the person asserting any loss, claim, damage or
liability purchased Securities, if it is shown that a copy of the Prospectus, as
then amended or supplemented, which would have cured any defect giving rise to
such loss, claim, damage or liability was not sent or delivered to such person
by or on behalf of such Underwriter, if required by law to be so delivered to,
at or prior to the confirmation of the sale of such Securities to such person
and such Prospectus, amendments and supplements have been provided by the Fund
to the Underwriters in the requisite quantity and on a timely basis to permit
proper delivery. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability
which the Fund, the Investment Adviser, NWQ or Symphony may otherwise have.

          (b)  Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify
and hold harmless the Fund and the Advisers, each of its directors, trustees,
each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who
controls the Fund or the Advisers within the meaning of the Act or the Exchange
Act, to the same extent as the indemnity from the Fund, the Investment Adviser,
NWQ and Symphony to each Underwriter as set forth in Section 9(a) hereof, but
only with respect to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished
to the Fund by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives
specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing
indemnity. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which
any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Fund and the Advisers acknowledge that
the names of the underwriters and number of Shares listed opposite such names in
the first paragraph under the caption "Underwriting" in the Prospectus, as well
as, under the same caption, the last sentence of the second paragraph, the first
sentence of the eleventh paragraph, the first sentence of the thirteenth
paragraph and the eighteenth paragraph, constitute the only information
furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion
in any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus.

          (c)  Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this
Section 9 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party
under this Section 9, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the
commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i)
will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless



                                                                              33

and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure
results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and
defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from
any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification
obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall
be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party's choice at the
indemnifying party's expense to represent the indemnified party in any action
for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall
not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel
retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below);
provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the
indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party's election to appoint
counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party
shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and
the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of
such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party
to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of
interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such
action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal
defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different
from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the
indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to
the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable
time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying
party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the
expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the
prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or
consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened
claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or
contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are
actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement,
compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified
party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.

          (d)  In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a) or (b)
of this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an
indemnified party for any reason, then the Fund, the Advisers and the
Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and
liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection
with investigating or defending same) (collectively "Losses") to which the Fund,
the Advisers and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such
proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the
Fund and the Advisers on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from
the offering of the Securities; provided, however, that in no case shall any
Underwriter (except as may be provided in any agreement among underwriters
relating to the offering of the Securities) be responsible for any amount in
excess of the underwriting discount or commission applicable to the Securities
purchased by such Underwriter hereunder. If the allocation provided by the
immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Fund, the
Advisers and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as
is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative
fault of the Fund and the Advisers on the one hand and of the Underwriters on
the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such
Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received
by the Fund and the Advisers shall be deemed to be equal to the total net
proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Fund and



                                                                              34

the Advisers, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be
equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set
forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by
reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue
statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a
material fact relates to information provided by the Fund or the Advisers on the
one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their
relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent
such untrue statement or omission. The Fund, the Advisers and the Underwriters
agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this
Section 9 were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of
allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred
to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (f), no person guilty
of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act)
shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such
fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9, each person who
controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act
and each director, officer, employee and agent of an Underwriter shall have the
same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls
the Fund or the Advisers within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange
Act, each officer of the Fund and the Advisers who shall have signed the
Registration Statement and each director of the Fund and the Advisers shall have
the same rights to contribution as the Fund and the Advisers, subject in each
case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (f). The
Underwriters' obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 9 are several
in proportion to the respective number of Firm Securities set forth opposite
their names in Schedule I (or such numbers of Firm Securities increased as set
forth in Section 10 hereof) and not joint.

          (e)  Any losses, claims, damages or liabilities for which an
indemnified party is entitled to indemnification or contribution under this
Section 9 shall be paid by the indemnifying party to the indemnified party as
such losses, claims, damages or liabilities are incurred. The indemnity and
contribution agreements contained in this Section 9 and the representations and
warranties of the Fund and the Advisers set forth in this Agreement shall remain
operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (i) any investigation made
by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any person controlling any Underwriter,
the Fund, the Advisers or their shareholders, trustees, directors, managers,
members or officers or any person controlling the Fund or the Advisers (control
to be determined within the meaning of the Act or the Exchange Act), (ii)
acceptance of any Securities and payment therefor hereunder and (iii) any
termination of this Agreement. A successor to any Underwriter or to the Fund,
the Advisers or their shareholders, trustees, directors, managers, members or
officers or any person controlling any Underwriter, the Fund or the Advisers
shall be entitled to the benefits of the indemnity, contribution and
reimbursement agreements contained in this Section 9.

          10.  Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall
fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by
such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall
constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this
Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up
and pay for (in the respective proportions which the amount of Securities set
forth opposite their names in Schedule I hereto bears to the aggregate amount of
Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters or in
such other proportion as you may specify in accordance with the Citigroup Global
Markets Inc. Master Agreement Among



                                                                              35

Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the
aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters
agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate amount of
Securities set forth in Schedule I hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have
the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase
any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase
all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any
nondefaulting Underwriter or the Fund. In the event of a default by any
Underwriter as set forth in this Section 10 which does not result in a
termination of this Agreement, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such
period, not exceeding five Business Days, as the Representatives shall determine
in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing
contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its
liability, if any, to the Fund and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages
occasioned by its default hereunder. The term "Underwriter" as used in this
Agreement includes, for all purposes of this Agreement, any party not listed in
Schedule I hereto who, with your approval and the approval of the Fund,
purchases Firm Securities which a defaulting Underwriter agreed, but failed or
refused, to purchase.

          11.  Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in
the absolute discretion of the Representatives, without liability on the part of
the Underwriters to the Fund or the Advisers, by notice given to the Fund or the
Advisers prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time
prior to such time (i) trading in the Fund's Common Shares shall have been
suspended by the Commission or the NYSE or trading in securities generally on
the NYSE shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been
established on the NYSE, (ii) a commercial banking moratorium shall have been
declared either by Federal or New York State authorities or (iii) there shall
have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the
United States of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the
effect of which on financial markets in the United States is such as to make it,
in the sole judgment of the Representatives, impractical or inadvisable to
proceed with the offering or delivery of the Securities as contemplated by the
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto). Notice of such termination may
be given to the Fund or the Advisers by telegram, facsimile or telephone and
shall be subsequently confirmed by letter.

          12.  Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The provisions of
Sections 8 and 9 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this
Agreement.

          13.  Miscellaneous. Except as otherwise provided in Sections 6, 10 and
11 hereof, notice given pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall be in
writing and shall be delivered (a) if to the Fund or the Investment Advisor, c/o
Nuveen Investments at 333 West Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Attention:
Alan G. Berkshire, (b) if to NWQ, at the offices of NWQ Investment Management
Company, LLC at 2049 Century Park East, 4/th/ Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90067,
Attention: Michael C. Mendez, (c) if to Symphony, at the offices of Symphony
Asset Management, LLC at 55 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94104,
Attention: Neil L. Rudolph or (d) if to you, as Representatives of the
Underwriters, at the office of Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 388 Greenwich
Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: Manager, Investment Banking
Division.



                                                                              36

          This Agreement has been and is made solely for the benefit of the
several Underwriters, the Fund, the Advisers, their trustees, directors and
officers and the other controlling persons referred to in Section 9 hereof and
their respective successors and assigns to the extent provided herein and no
other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this
Agreement. Neither the term "successor" or the term "successors and assigns" as
used in this Agreement shall include a purchaser from any Underwriter of any
Securities in his status as such purchaser.

          A copy of the Declaration of Trust of the Fund is on file with the
Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This Agreement has been
executed on behalf of the Fund by the vice-president of the Fund in such
capacity and not individually and the obligations of the Fund under this
Agreement are not binding upon such officer, any of the trustees or the
shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of
the Fund.

          14.  Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be
binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the
officers, trustees, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons
referred to in Section 9 hereof, and no other person will have any right or
obligation hereunder.

          15.  Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed
in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

          16.  Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which
together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

          17.  Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience
only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

          18.  Definitions. The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement,
shall have the meanings indicated.

          "1940 Act" shall mean the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

          "1940 Act Rules and Regulations" shall mean the rules and regulations
     of the Commission under the 1940 Act.

          "1940 Act Notification" shall mean a notification of registration of
     the Fund as an investment company under the 1940 Act on Form N-8A, as the
     1940 Act Notification may be amended from time to time.

          "Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules
     and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

          "Act Rules and Regulations" shall mean the rules and regulations of
     the Commission under the Act.



                                                                              37

          "Advisers Act" shall mean the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as
     amended

          "Advisers Act Rules and Regulations" shall mean the rules and
     regulations adopted by the Commission under the Advisers Act

          "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a
     legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are
     authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.

          "Commission" shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.

          "Effective Date" shall mean each date and time that the Registration
     Statement, any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto and any Rule
     462(b) Registration Statement became or become effective.

          "Exchange Act" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
     amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated
     thereunder.

          "Execution Time" shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is
     executed and delivered by the parties hereto.

          "Preliminary Prospectus" shall mean any preliminary prospectus
     (including the statement of additional information incorporated by
     reference therein) referred to in paragraph 1(a) above and any preliminary
     prospectus (including the statement of additional information incorporated
     by reference therein) included in the Registration Statement at the
     Effective Date that omits Rule 430A Information.

          "Prospectus" shall mean the prospectus (including the statement of
     additional information incorporated by reference therein) relating to the
     Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 497 after the Execution
     Time or, if no filing pursuant to Rule 497 is required, shall mean the form
     of final prospectus (including the statement of additional information
     incorporated by reference therein) relating to the Securities included in
     the Registration Statement at the Effective Date.

          "Registration Statement" shall mean the registration statement
     referred to in paragraph 1(a) above, including exhibits and financial
     statements, as amended at the Execution Time (or, if not effective at the
     Execution Time, in the form in which it shall become effective) and, in the
     event any post-effective amendment thereto or any Rule 462(b) Registration
     Statement becomes effective prior to the Closing Date, shall also mean such
     registration statement as so amended or such Rule 462(b) Registration
     Statement, as the case may be. Such term shall include any Rule 430A
     Information deemed to be included therein at the Effective Date as provided
     by Rule 430A.

          "Rule 430A" and "Rule 462" refer to such rules under the Act.

          "Rule 430A Information" shall mean information with respect to the
     Securities and the offering thereof permitted to be omitted from the
     Registration Statement when it becomes effective pursuant to Rule 430A.



                                                                              38

          "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement" shall mean a registration
     statement and any amendments thereto filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) relating
     to the offering covered by the registration statement referred to in
     Section 1(a) hereof.

          "Rule 497" refers to Rule 497(c) or 497(h) under the Act, as
     applicable.

          "Rules and Regulations" shall mean, collectively, the Act Rules and
     Regulations and the 1940 Act Rules and Regulations.




          If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our
agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon
this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the
Fund, the Advisers and the several Underwriters.

                                        Very truly yours,

                                        NUVEEN DIVERSIFIED DIVIDEND AND
                                        INCOME FUND


                                        By:
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Name:
                                           Title:




                                        NUVEEN INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORY CORP.


                                        By:
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Name:
                                           Title:




                                        NWQ INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY, LLC


                                        By:
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Name:
                                           Title:




                                        SYMPHONY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC


                                        By:
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Name:
                                           Title:




The foregoing Agreement is hereby
confirmed and accepted as of the
date first above written.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.


By:
    ------------------------------------
     Name:
     Title:


For itself and the other
several Underwriters named in
Schedule I to the foregoing
Agreement.



                                   SCHEDULE I
                                   ----------

                                                         Number of Firm
                                                       Securities to be
Underwriters                                              Purchased
- -------------------------------------------    ---------------------------------

Citigroup Global Markets Inc...............

Nuveen Investments, LLC....................