Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Arent Fox LLP

Arent Fox and O’Brien Abeles Join Forces, Creating a Presence on Both Coasts
Arent Fox and Los Angeles-based O’Brien Abeles announced today they will combine their firms on January 1, 2007. The resulting entity will be called Arent Fox LLP.

The merger is spurred, in part, by the firms’ common client relationships as well as by Arent Fox clients expressing a desire for the firm to have a West Coast presence.

“We have been searching for a merger candidate in LA with an excellence and a culture that are compatible with ours,” said Marc Fleischaker, chairman of Arent Fox. “The quality of the lawyering at O’Brien Abeles, their outstanding ethics, and the commitment they have demonstrated to both their clients and the individuals in the firm convinced us that this would be a successful merger. We are ecstatic about this combination and look forward to significant growth in California.”

Robert O’Brien, the founding partner at O’Brien Abeles, echoed Fleischaker’s comments: “Arent Fox has a terrific reputation as a leading firm with seasoned lawyers. After getting to know the principals of the firm, we are excited by the potential. This is a win-win situation.”

“Our clients have always come first,” said Jerry Abeles, an O’Brien Abeles partner. “But this merger will only increase our responsiveness and allow us to expand our menu of services.”

The LA office will see immediate growth with the addition of four lawyers to O’Brien Abeles’s current roster of nine.

Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper, former U.S. ambassador-at-large, will join Arent Fox LLP on January 1. While with the State Department, Prosper was a presidential adviser who formulated U.S. policy responses to atrocities, conflicts and the War on Terror; additionally, he managed and coordinated the U.S. interagency and U.S. embassies on policy. In addition to his focus on the firm’s international practice in areas such as trade regulation, intellectual property protection and arbitration, Prosper, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney in LA before joining the State Department, will counsel corporate clients on internal investigations and compliance issues.

Also joining the newly merged firm will be Steven Bledsoe. Bledsoe, formerly a share partner with Kirkland & Ellis’s LA office, represents clients from a variety of industries in high-stakes litigation matters. His arrival will add further depth to a litigation team that includes O’Brien, Abeles, and well-known entertainment and IP litigator Bela Lugosi Jr.

Two current Arent Fox partners, Wayne Matelski and Michael Cryan, complete the foursome. Matelski is a Washington partner who co-chairs the firm’s regulatory department and is the senior pharmaceutical and medical device attorney in Arent Fox’s food and drug practice. Cryan, a litigator whose practice focuses on intellectual property and general business, is relocating from the New York office.

Arent Fox is a full-service law firm with offices in Washington, DC, and New York. O’Brien Abeles—which focuses on litigation and counseling for a variety of industries, including media and entertainment —is based in LA.

12-19-2006

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Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP

Weil Gotshal Advises on the Second Ever IPO on the Prague Stock Exchange
International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges has advised CA IB on the IPO of ECM Real Estate Investments S.A., the second ever IPO on the Prague Stock Exchange, which closed on December 9, 2006. The transaction, comprising a retail offering in the Czech Republic and an institutional private placement in Europe, raised approximately EUR75million. ECM Real Estate Investments S.A. is a property developer with assets in the Czech Republic and Russia.

The Weil Gotshal team was led by Capital Markets partner James Cole, with assistance from senior associate Peter Schwartz and associate Yomi Ademola.

Partner James Cole commented, "Following our involvement in the first ever Czech high yield exchange offer in July, we are delighted to end the year with our involvement in the second ever IPO on the Prague Stock Exchange. These transactions, as well as our representation in a number of Polish IPOs, highlight the strength of Weil Gotshal's central and eastern European capital markets practice

12-19-2006

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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Ted Wells Named the National Law Journal's 2006 Lawyer of the Year
Litigation partner Ted Wells was named 2006 Lawyer of the Year by The National Law Journal. The accompanying article, which appears in the December 18 edition, says that Ted "would only need to consider the past 12 months to come up with a list of accomplishments longer than what most attorneys would hope to achieve in a lifetime." According to the article, these achievements include:

* Preparing to defend I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, as he faces felony charges of lying to investigators and a grand jury in the probe into a leak of a CIA agent's name,
* Obtaining a mistrial for the former chairman of the nation's biggest pharmaceutical distributor in one of the largest securities fraud cases in history,
* Helping to negotiate a unique deferred-prosecution agreement in a federal case against former investment banker Frank Quattrone, who was accused of impeding a federal investigation involving public offerings of stock,
* Securing a partial victory for Philip Morris USA Inc. by convincing a judge to reject the government's proposal to require tobacco companies to pay $10 billion for smoker-cessation programs, and
* Helping to defend racial integration in education in two cases currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

12-19-2006

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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Paul, Weiss Represents SL Green in Recapitalization of Investments in 485 Lexington Avenue and 521 Fifth Avenue
Paul, Weiss client SL Green Realty Corp. completed recapitalizations of its interests in 485 Lexington Avenue and 521 Fifth Avenue, two Class A Manhattan office buildings, in transactions which valued the two properties in excess of $800 million. SL Green purchased a portion of the interests in 485 Lexington Avenue from its existing partners, The City Investment Fund and The Witkoff Group, with options to acquire the balance of the interests in the future. In a separate transaction, SL Green recapitalized 521 Fifth Avenue, with The City Investment Fund acquiring a minority interest in property. The Paul, Weiss team included real estate partners Steve Simkin and Peter Fisch, associates Nick Kujawa, Jesse Meltzer and Stephan Steiner, and paralegal Carolyn Carlsen.

12-19-2006

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Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Nomura Holdings to Acquire 15-Percent Stake in Fortress Investment Group
Today Paul, Weiss client Nomura Holdings, Inc. and Fortress Investment Group LLC announced an agreement in which Nomura will acquire a 15-percent stake in Fortress Investment Group for approximately $888 million. Under the agreement, Nomura will own Class A shares representing 15 percent of Fortress with proceeds going to the Fortress principals. This transaction is expected to facilitate the expansion of Fortress's business in Asia. The Paul, Weiss team included corporate partners Toby Myerson and Mark Underberg, partner-elect Ariel Deckelbaum, associates Tinika Brown, Brian Cheng, Amran Hussein, Leslie Inamasu and Pang Lee and paralegal Peter Anderson; tax partner Rick Bronstein and associate Heath Martin; and employee benefits partner Rob Fleder and associate Lindsey Wiersma.

12-19-2006

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Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP

Paul Hastings' Private Equity Practice Recognized in Juve Handbook
Juve Handbook, a leading law firm directory that focuses exclusively on the German legal market, recognized Paul Hastings' London office among its list of the top private equity law practices in Germany. Recognition of Paul Hastings in the Juve Handbook, underscores the Firm's investment in its global practices, and development of top legal talent.

12-19-2006

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Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP

Finnegan Henderson Announces Nine New Partners
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, the largest intellectual property law firm in the world, announced today the election of nine lawyers to the partnership, effective January 1, 2007. The partners’ diverse backgrounds and expertise range from biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to computer and electronic technologies. Their practices focus on all aspects of IP law including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation.

New Partners in Alphabetical Order:

David P. Frazier, Ph.D. (Washington, DC) focuses on patent litigation, strategic pre-litigation client counseling, and due diligence evaluations in the fields of biotechnology, molecular diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals. Dr. Frazier received his B.S., with distinction, in Molecular and Cell Biology from Pennsylvania State University (1988); his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Harvard University (1996); and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center (2000).

Michael J. McCabe II (Atlanta, GA) concentrates his practice on U.S. district court litigation and appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He works primarily with the enforcement of U.S. patent rights and specializes in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and mechanical fields. Mr. McCabe received his Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1992), and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law (1998).

Eric P. Raciti (Cambridge, MA) works extensively in medical device technology areas. He assists companies in developing comprehensive patent strategies, including strategic patent procurement, portfolio development, and competitive intelligence and analysis. Mr. Raciti earned his B.S., cum laude, in Industrial Systems Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (1989), and his J.D. from Catholic University of America (1994). In addition, he earned an LL.M., magna cum laude, from the University of Leuven, Belgium (1995).

Christopher S. Schultz (Cambridge, MA) focuses on patent litigation and client counseling in the fields of electrical engineering and computer science. He has experience in all aspects of patent litigation, and has litigated patent cases in various jurisdictions across the country. Mr. Schultz earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University (1989), and his J.D. from Franklin Pierce Law Center (1995).

William L. Strauss, Ph.D. (Washington, DC) concentrates on patent litigation, pre-litigation client counseling, licensing, and patent prosecution in the fields of biotechnology, diagnostics, and pharmaceutics. He joined the firm after a twenty-year career in research and teaching that included positions as a Staff Fellow with the National Institutes of Health and as a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Strauss earned his B.A. in Biochemistry from Colgate University (1973); his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo (1980); and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (1998).

Anthony C. Tridico, Ph.D. (Washington, DC) focuses on client counseling and patent prosecution in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological arts. His practice includes preparing patentability, validity and infringement opinions; due diligence investigations; patent portfolio analysis; prosecuting both U.S. and foreign applications; and licensing. Dr. Tridico received his B.A. in Chemistry from La Salle University (1990). He received his M.S. (1994) in Chemistry and his Ph.D. (1995) in Physical Chemistry from Georgetown University. He received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center (2000).

Andrew J. Vance (Washington, DC) specializes in patent litigation, patent prosecution, and client counseling. A substantial portion of his practice involves litigating patent cases before the U.S. district courts and appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Vance has a strong background in thermo-fluid sciences, mechanics, and dynamics. He received his B.S.E., magna cum laude, in Mechanical Engineering (1994), his M.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering (1995), and his J.D. (1998) from the University of Michigan.

Douglas S. Weinstein (Taipei, Taiwan) focuses on patent litigation, patent prosecution, and portfolio analysis, as well as providing infringement, validity, and patentability opinions in the areas of electrical technology, computer technology, telecommunications technology, and business methodology. Mr. Weinstein received his B.E. in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Vanderbilt University (1988); his M.B.A. from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1994); and his J.D. and M.I.P. from Franklin Pierce Law Center (1988).

Alan A. Wright (Reston, VA) focuses on patent litigation, opinion writing, and client counseling in the pharmaceutical, computer software, cosmetics, and industrial equipment industries. He also works with Internet business methods and semiconductor fabrication. Mr. Wright received his B.S. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University (1985), and his J.D., cum laude, from American University (1995). Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Wright was a law clerk to the Honorable William C. Bryson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

About Finnegan Henderson
With 300 intellectual property lawyers, Finnegan Henderson is the largest IP law firm in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan; the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. We also represent clients on IP issues related to international trade, portfolio management, the Internet,
e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition.

12-19-2006

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