Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

McKenna Long & Aldridge Welcomes Dennis Zakas to Corporate Practice
Dennis Zakas has joined McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP’s corporate practice as a partner in the firm’s Atlanta office. Zakas focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions; global capital markets, including offshore and domestic public and private securities offerings; corporate governance; and joint ventures. He has experience in the technology, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, and logistics industries.

Zakas represents issuers, venture capitalists and angel investors in financings, including floatations on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. He also represents private equity funds, sponsors, and strategic buyers and sellers in leveraged buyout transactions and other complex M&A transactions. In addition, he has experience in representing numerous technology companies and growth companies as outside general counsel and in a variety of transactions, including venture capital financings, mergers and acquisitions and technology licenses. Zakas also represents larger companies in joint ventures, business process and information technology outsourcings, and other complex commercial transactions.

“Two things really please me in adding an attorney of Dennis’s caliber to our firm,” said Thomas Wardell, chair of McKenna Long & Aldridge’s corporate department. “First, he is a terrific, veteran corporate counselor with skill and dexterity in many different disciplines. He has stepped into our group immediately and quickly demonstrated why we courted him so earnestly. Second, one of the clearest indications of where your practice stands is the kind of talent you’re attracting. We’ve grown a great deal and that’s good, but we’re even more gratified that our reputation is drawing attorneys as well-known, accomplished, and respected as Dennis.”

Before joining McKenna Long & Aldridge, Zakas was a partner at Hunton & Williams. Before that, he was a partner with Kilpatrick Stockton. Zakas is a member of the bars of New York and Georgia and serves on the board of the Technology Association of Georgia. He is listed in Best Lawyers in America and was named a Mergers & Acquisitions Super Lawyer by Atlanta magazine and Georgia Super Lawyers magazine® in 2005, 2006, and 2007. He was also named a 2005 Volunteer of the Year of the Technology Association of Georgia.

Zakas is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s School of Law and holds an M.A. (in Economics) and B.A. from the University of Virginia.

04-16-2007

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Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw advises on the sale of eFinancialNews Holdings Ltd
International law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP's Corporate Group has advised the shareholders of eFinancialNews Holdings Ltd (eFNH) on its sale to Dow Jones for £27.5 million, plus approximately £3 million of working capital. Completion is conditional on German competition clearance and is expected to occur in early May.

This follows Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw's advice on the sale of eFinancial Group Limited and the eFinancial careers business to Dice in October last year.
Financial News was founded in March 1996 by a team of senior journalists as the weekly newspaper for the European securities and investment banking industry. It remains a leading player in the financial sector. As a result of the sale, eFNH's Financial News brands and businesses will operate as part of Dow Jones. Tony Gibson will remain Chief Executive and Publisher with William Wright as Editor in Chief. Angus MacDonald, Group Chief Executive of eFNH has agreed to assist the transition in a part-time capacity.

London Corporate partner Andrew Copley led the team and was assisted by James Trentham and competition assistant Clare Brown.

04-16-2007

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Mayer Brown LLP

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw advises Northern Racing plc on a recommended cash offer by NR Acquisitions Limited
Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP's London corporate group has advised Northern Racing plc on a recommended cash offer for it by NR Acquisitions Limited. The amount payable under the offer in respect of the existing issued share capital of Northern Racing is approximately £65.9 million.

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has advised Northern Racing on a number of transactions since it was established in 1989, including the acquisitions of Bath, Brighton, Fontwell Park, Great Yarmouth, Hereford and Newcastle racecourses and its reverse takeover of The Chepstow Racecourse plc.

NR Acquisitions is indirectly wholly owned by David and Simon Reuben and was formed for the purpose of making the offer.

The Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw team advising Northern Racing was led by corporate partners Kate Ball-Dodd and Stephanie Bates, supported by corporate assistants Duncan Wilson and Tim Knowland, real estate assistant Richard Tilbrook and share incentives partner, Andrew Stanger.

04-16-2007

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Kramer, Levin, Naftalis & Frankel, LLP

Gary Naftalis Receives Robert Morgenthau Award
The Police Athletic League honored Gary P. Naftalis with The Robert M. Morgenthau Award on April 16, 2007. He received the award during the Police Athletic League's 9th Annual Legal Profession Luncheon at the Pierre Hotel in New York.

04-16-2007

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Kirkland & Ellis

Kirkland & Ellis LLP Expands Commercial Litigation and White-Collar Criminal Defense Practice with the Addition of Two Prominent Lawyers
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Mark Holscher and Jeffrey S. Sinek have joined the firm as partners in the Litigation Practice Group. Messrs. Holscher and Sinek will focus on white-collar and commercial litigation matters.

"We have continued to see a need for expertise in complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense," said Thomas D. Yannucci, chair of Kirkland’s Worldwide Management Committee. "We are delighted to add such highly talented lawyers as Mark and Jeff to this dynamic practice area."

Mr. Holscher comes from O'Melveny & Myers' Los Angeles office. In 2002, The American Lawyer selected him as one of the top 45 lawyers in the country under the age of 45, and he has been selected and profiled as a leading trial lawyer in Chambers, Best Lawyers in America as well as The International Who's Who of Business Crime Lawyers. While at O'Melveny, he successfully represented Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Dr. Wen Ho Lee against charges that he mishandled classified information with the intent to aid an unidentified foreign power. Mr. Holscher also was a member of the defense team for former Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

Mr. Holscher served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California from 1989-1995. In this position, he tried complex cases, including RICO, criminal bankruptcy, tax and fraud trials. During his tenure there, Mr. Holscher tried the Fleiss tax evasion and money laundering case. Also, he has successfully argued several cases before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during his time with the U.S. Attorney’s office and while in private practice.

Mr. Holscher is a 1988 graduate of Boalt Hall where he served on the Moot Court Board and California Law Review, and is a 1985 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Mr. Sinek was chair of the national White-Collar Practice of Thelen Reid in Los Angeles. Mr. Sinek has represented companies and individuals in federal and state criminal and regulatory investigations. He conducts internal investigations for publicly traded corporations and has counseled clients on preparing and implementing corporate compliance programs.

From 1989 to 1994, Mr. Sinek served as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. He has tried more than 15 jury trials and received commendations from several law enforcement agencies for his work as a prosecutor.

Mr. Sinek is a 1987 graduate of Boalt Hall and a 1984 cum laude graduate of Harvard College, where he received the Harvard College Scholarship for Academic Achievement of High Distinction.

Both Messrs. Holscher, 44, and Sinek, 46, will be resident in Kirkland's Los Angeles office.

04-16-2007

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King & Spalding

Expansion Continues Apace With an Affiliated Office in Saudi Arabia
King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today that it has expanded its Middle East practice throughout Saudi Arabia through an affiliation agreement with The Law Offices of Mohammed Al-Ammar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. King & Spalding, whose lawyers have been handling client matters in the Arabian Gulf for more than 20 years, established an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December 2006. The firm expanded its Middle East platform in Dubai last January with the addition of three lawyers.

King & Spalding also announced that Tariq Abbadi has joined King & Spalding in Riyadh as Of Counsel to work with Al-Ammar. Abbadi, a native Arabic speaker who specializes in corporate and Saudi regulatory work, has practiced in Riyadh for more than three years. He joins King & Spalding from Baker Botts.

King & Spalding’s Riyadh affiliation with lawyer Mohammed Al-Ammar enhances the firm’s ability to provide a high level of service to Saudi clients and on Saudi-related transactions. Al-Ammar has significant experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, including serving as in-house counsel in Riyadh for Samba Financial Group (a prominent financial institution in the Middle East) and being seconded to a UAE energy company to advise on an initial public offering.

"We are very pleased to announce the finalization of our affiliation with The Law Offices of Mohammed Al-Ammar in Riyadh," said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding. "Our close affiliation with Mohammad and the addition of Tariq not only adds further depth to what we believe is the strongest Saudi Arabia practice group in the region, but also expands our ability to service the increasing demands of our clients in Saudi Arabia."

A large portion of King & Spalding’s Middle East matters concerns Saudi Arabia. In February, the firm represented The National Titanium Dioxide Co. Ltd. (CRISTAL), based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in its proposed US$1.2 billion acquisition of Lyondell Chemical Company’s global Millennium Inorganic Chemicals business.

King & Spalding’s Saudi Arabia practice group is comprised of lawyers who devote a substantial portion of their time to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia matters. In addition to Al-Ammar and Abbadi, key members of the Saudi Arabia practice group include the following lawyers:

* Jawad Ali, a native Arabic speaker, is an Islamic finance expert and represents various Saudi Arabian funds and individual investors;
* Nabil Issa, who has specialized in Saudi matters for more than five years and formerly practiced in Riyadh, focuses on Islamic finance and investment;
* Patrick Campos, who has worked in Riyadh and Dubai over the past three years, centers his practice on project development and finance and Islamic finance;
* Wael Wahbeh, a native Arabic speaker, specializes in corporate and private equity work and practiced in Riyadh prior to moving to the UAE.

Issa and Campos were both acclaimed for their Saudi Arabia knowledge and experience in the 2007 edition of Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

"With Saudi Arabia’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2005, its vibrant economy and strong interest in Islamic finance, the need for legal services among current and new clients has been growing," said Philip R. Weems, managing partner of King & Spalding’s Dubai office. "We are glad to be able to provide a wide array of advice and representation with our lawyers located in Riyadh and Dubai."

King & Spalding has seven lawyers resident in the UAE, including three partners, and expects to add five more lawyers to its Dubai office within the next three months. With 12 lawyers in Dubai and an affiliation in Riyadh, King & Spalding will be one of the largest U.S. firms in the region.

The firm’s Middle East practice focuses on Islamic finance, energy, real estate, private equity and international arbitration in the Middle East and North Africa. Its offices in Dubai and Riyadh specialize in complex commercial and financial transactions and international arbitration. King & Spalding is a leader in the area of Islamic finance and pioneered many Shari’ah-complaint financial products that are in wide use today. The firm is also recognized worldwide for its oil and gas work—especially in the area of liquefied natural gas—and has a strong practice base in electric power, petrochemicals and renewable energy. Its corporate practice group provides a complete range of services to global clients in multiple jurisdictions. American Lawyer magazine has ranked King & Spalding’s international arbitration practice as one of the top 12 in the world.

04-16-2007

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Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.

DOJ Antitrust Official to join Akin Gump
Mark J. Botti, a former senior official in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, will join Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in Washington as a partner on April 16, the firm announced today.

During his 13 years of service at the Department of Justice, Mr. Botti served in a wide-range of litigation and policy positions within the Antitrust Division. As chief of the Litigation I Section, he litigated complex antitrust claims on behalf of the United States. He exercised jurisdiction over some of the most vital sectors of the economy, including health care, insurance and agriculture. Mr. Botti brought monopolization cases, horizontal conspiracy suits and merger challenges. His team tried the last successful merger case and the last successful monopolization case litigated to judgment by the Antitrust Division. In addition to appearing in court numerous times on behalf of the Department, he taught litigation skills internally and made many public presentations on antitrust litigation. Prior to heading the Litigation I Section, Mr. Botti served as assistant chief in the Litigation II Section and as a trial attorney in the Professions and Intellectual Property Section and in the Health Care Task Force.

During his tenure with the Department, Mr. Botti provided policy and enforcement advice to the assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division and to the broader executive branch and the private bar. He worked in many industrial sectors, including mass consumer products, national defense, industrial manufacturing and mass media. He is a recognized authority on the health care industry and has provided antitrust advice to the White House, Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services, other federal agencies, foreign nations, international organizations and state governments. He was the career Division official who directly oversaw the extensive hearings held by the Division and the Federal Trade Commission on health care during the years 2004-2005 and the drafting of the agencies’ joint seminal report, Improving Health Care: A Dose of Competition. Mr. Botti also made numerous public presentations on behalf of the Division on such topics as merger enforcement, monopolization and antitrust enforcement techniques.

Cheryl A. Falvey, head of the firm’s litigation practice group in Washington, D.C., said, “Law firms across the country are competing for talented antitrust litigators like Mark, who have extensive trial and litigation experience that will significantly benefit clients involved in complex civil and criminal antitrust litigation. We are very pleased that Mark chose to join us at Akin Gump.”

Mr. Botti added, “I am delighted to join such a high-caliber firm as Akin Gump. During my years with the Antitrust Division, I practiced with and opposite extremely skilled antitrust litigators and counselors. By joining Akin Gump, I know that I will continue to work with the very best litigators and antitrust counselors in the country. I look forward to representing and advising clients in concert with Akin Gump’s expert and experienced team.”

Mr. Botti received his A.B. in 1982 from Dartmouth College and his J.D. cum laude in 1985 from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law; he subsequently clerked for John M. Manos of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio and later for David A. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Before joining the government, he was a partner at Arter & Hadden in Washington, D.C. Active in the American Bar Association, Mr. Botti is a vice-chair of the Health Care and Pharmaceuticals Committee, is a co-editor of the health care chapter of the Association’s Antitrust Law Developments VI (2007), and served for three years as co-chair of the Government Litigation Subcommittee of the ABA Section of Litigation Antitrust Litigation Committee.

Mr. Botti joins Akin Gump’s strong and growing national antitrust group. The 40-lawyer group, consisting of experienced trial lawyers, former prosecutors and government officials, transactional counsel, and policy and trade advisors, concentrates in litigating cases to trial and representing clients and their interests before the federal antitrust agencies and state attorneys general. The group provides full-service capabilities in all aspects of business competition, including criminal cartel investigations, competition litigation, mergers and acquisitions, competitive relief, legislative affairs, consumer protection and intellectual property, as well as general counseling. The antitrust group is part of Akin Gump’s general litigation practice, which, with more than 400 attorneys worldwide, represents clients in civil and criminal matters in most federal trial and appellate courts, as well as in numerous state courts.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 900 lawyers with offices in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Taipei and Washington. The firm has a diversified practice and represents regional, national and international clients in a wide range of areas, including antitrust; appellate; banking and finance; capital markets; communications and information technology; corporate and securities; corporate governance; employee benefits; energy; entertainment and media; environmental; estate planning, wealth transfer and probate; financial restructuring; global security; government contracts; health; insurance; intellectual property; international trade; investment funds; labor and employment; land use; litigation; mergers and acquisitions; private equity; privatization; project development and finance; public law and policy; real estate development and finance; Russia/CIS; tax; and technology.

04-16-2007

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