Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Ruskin, Moscou & Faltischek, PC

Ruskin Moscou Faltischek Adds Two New Associates to Its Ranks
Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. announced today that attorneys Adam J. Gottlieb and Jennifer F. Hillman have joined the firm as associates. Gottlieb is a member of the firm’s Trusts & Estates Department, and Hillman is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department.

Gottlieb, also a certified public accountant, previously served as a Manager in the Trusts and Estates Practice group at a large accounting firm on Long Island, where he devoted substantially all of his time to estate, gift and income tax planning for high net worth individuals and estate and trust administration. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Long Island University/C.W. Post Campus and Co-Chairman of the Estate and Personal Financial Planning Committee for the Nassau Chapter of the New York State Society of CPAs. He is also a member of the Estate Planning and Administration of Estates and Trusts Committees of the New York State Society of CPAs, the Tax and Trusts & Estates Sections of the New York State Bar Association, the Tax and Surrogate’s Court Estates & Trusts Committees of the Nassau County Bar Association, and the St. John’s University School of Law Alumni Association.

Hillman graduated from St. John’s University School of Law, where she served as Managing Editor of the St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary. Prior to joining Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, she was an associate at a large international law firm where she focused her practice on complex product liability litigation, including aviation and pharmaceutical defense and commercial litigation. She is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Bar Association of Nassau County.

“We are very pleased to have attorneys of Adam and Jennifer’s caliber on our team,” noted Co-Managing Partner Douglas Cooper. “Their talent, dedication and exceptional capabilities will serve our clients well.

11-14-2006

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Gardner, Carton & Douglas, L.L.P.

Drinker Biddle & Reath and Gardner Carton & Douglas to Merge
In a move that creates significant new opportunities for service to clients, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP and Gardner Carton & Douglas LLP announced today their plans to combine. The combined firm would have more than 650 lawyers in 12 offices nationwide, making it one of the 70 largest law firms in the United States. The combination would also expand the reach of the organization and strengthen a number of key practice areas while providing deeper resources to its clients.

“Standing still is not an option in today’s marketplace,” said Alfred W. Putnam, Jr., who will be chairman of the merged organization, to be known as Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP with operations headquartered in Philadelphia. In Illinois and Wisconsin, the merged organization would do business as Drinker Biddle Gardner Carton LLP during a transition period. Partners from each firm have voted to approve the merger, which would become official on Jan. 1, 2007.

“To best serve clients involved in complex transactions or litigation, you need to have a critical mass of top-notch lawyers spread across the country,” said Putnam. “The combination of these two storied firms – with more than 250 years of combined history – now provides clients with a major presence in the Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and New Jersey markets, each with more than 100 professionals.

“That depth of skill and strength of knowledge – combined with our other offices on the West Coast, in New York and in Delaware – gives us more tools to provide the highest quality legal services for our clients,” Putnam added. [See the attached “Fact Sheet” for more information on offices or refer to www.drinkerbiddle.com.

“This merger makes sense on every level,” said Gardner Carton chairman Harold L. Kaplan. “Our clients will now have a much greater depth of resources available to them. Our core practice areas will complement one another. And, from day one, this combination brings together two extremely talented and distinguished groups of lawyers committed to the profession, our communities and, most importantly, to our clients.”

Drinker Biddle would bring to the merger nationally recognized experience in a wide range of traditional legal services provided to its clients, including antitrust, bankruptcy, class actions, products liability, securities, corporate, intellectual property, insurance, environmental, investment management, real estate, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition to its highly regarded corporate and securities practice and its extensive litigation experience, Gardner Carton would bring to the new firm its nationally known practices in healthcare, bankruptcy, human resources, real estate, intellectual property, investment management and government relations.

Negotiations to merge the firms began in earnest earlier this year. From the beginning, the management teams recognized the firms’ shared values of the highest standards in client service, legal work and professional ethics. “We see the cultures of each firm coming together quite nicely,” said Andrew C. Kassner, the executive partner of the merged firm. “We expect a seamless integration in our combined driver practices, and we are excited about growth in niche practices such as customs and international trade, education law, information technology and Native American tribal governments.”

One of the reasons the two firms were compatible was their dual presence in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Plans are under way to combine office space in each of those cities. In Chicago, Drinker Biddle’s lawyers would join more than 150 lawyers at Gardner Carton.

In Washington, D.C., Gardner’s lawyers and government relations professionals would combine with Drinker Biddle’s offices at 15th and K streets to create an office of more than 100 professionals in the nation’s capital. The combined firm also would have offices in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Milwaukee, Wilmington, Del., Florham Park, N.J., Princeton, N.J., Albany, N.Y., and Berwyn, Pa.

11-13-2006

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Davis Polk & Wardwell

Davis Polk Advises The New York Mets on Stadium Naming Rights Agreement
Davis Polk & Wardwell is advising The New York Mets major league baseball franchise and affiliated entities in connection with their naming rights agreement with Citigroup Inc. for the Mets' new stadium.

The 45,000-seat facility, expected to be completed in time for the opening of the 2009 major league baseball season, will be named Citi Field. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The Davis Polk corporate team includes partners David L. Caplan and Marc O. Williams and associates H. Oliver Smith and Vladimir Shendelman. Associate Frank J. Azzopardi is providing intellectual property advice. All lawyers work in the New York office.

11-13-2006

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Davis Polk & Wardwell

Davis Polk Advised Hanatour Service on an Offering of GDSs
Davis Polk & Wardwell advised Hanatour Service Inc. in connection with a Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of 5,805,000 global depositary shares (GDSs), representing 1,161,000 common shares of Hanatour, raising US$69 million in gross proceeds and lead managed by J.P. Morgan Securities Ltd. The GDSs were listed on the London Stock Exchange and admitted for quotation on the International Order Book. Hanatour is the leading wholesale travel agency in Korea.

The Davis Polk corporate team included partner Eugene Gregor of the Tokyo office and associates Hyun Kim, Sukjoon Richard Lee and Kee Won Shin of the Hong Kong office. Partner John D. Paton of the London office and associate Raymond J. Holst of the New York office provided tax advice in connection with the transaction. Stephanie Zhu of the Hong Kong office was the legal assistant on the transaction.

11-13-2006

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Davis Polk & Wardwell

Davis Polk Advises Fortis Investments on the Combination of its Fund of Hedge Fund Activities with Cadogan Management
Davis Polk & Wardwell is advising Fortis Investment Management Inc. on the combination of its fund of hedge fund activities with those of Cadogan Management. Fortis Investment Management will own 70% of the combined business, which will trade under the name "Cadogan" and have combined assets under management of $3.7 billion. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close within 90 days of the announcement date.

The Davis Polk corporate team includes partner John K. Knight and associates Wilfred J.A. Pereira and Sapna Dutta, all of the London office. Partner Leor Landa and associates Gregory S. Rowland and Alina Fulop, all of the New York office, are providing investment management advice. Partner Harry Ballan and associate Neil Barr, both of the New York office, are providing tax advice. Counsel John T. Wright and associate Tamar Y. Croog are providing employment advice.

11-13-2006

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Crowell & Moring LLP

CROWELL & MORING ADDS 23 LAWYERS IN WASHINGTON AND NEW YORK Move Strengthens Health Care and Labor & Employment Litigation Capability, Grows Intellectual Property Practice
Pointing to significant growth in its newly opened New York office, Crowell & Moring LLP announced that the attorneys of King Pagano Harrison (KPH), one of the nation’s leading health care and labor & employment litigation law firms, and a trio of intellectual property partners from Morgan & Finnegan LLP, have joined the firm. The addition of 20 lawyers from KPH significantly strengthens the litigation capabilities of Crowell & Moring’s Health Care and Labor & Employment groups, which serve an international client base of Fortune 1000 companies and other organizations on regulatory, strategic counseling, and litigation concerns. The firm’s nationally ranked intellectual property practice also gains increased momentum in New York through the additions to its litigation, counseling and procurement practices. The moves add a total of 23 new lawyers, including 12 partners, to Crowell & Moring’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices.

The KPH attorneys, led by founding partners Jeffrey W. King, Jeffrey W. Pagano, and Keith J. Harrison, are experienced trial lawyers who have won cases in state and federal courts throughout the United States, as well as matters before administrative boards that regulate industry. Litigation is the cornerstone of KPH’s practice, whose health care and labor & employment clients include Brink’s Company, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and MedStar Health, Inc.

The former Morgan & Finnegan partners, Bruce D. DeRenzi, Dickerson M. Downing, and Andrew M. Riddles, bring further depth to the firm’s intellectual property practice in the patent field, including added capabilities in the chemical and electrical sciences, as well as with regard to the trademark, trade secret and copyright fields. Their practice has included extensive involvement in litigation in the federal courts and in proceedings before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and International Trade Commission, representing numerous United States and foreign clients, such as DuPont, a long-standing Crowell & Moring client. In addition to their litigation practice, each also has extensive experience in providing counseling and opinions in a wide array of technologies.

“We have known and respected the health care and labor & employment litigation capabilities of King Pagano Harrison for many years. Their significant courtroom experience complements our practice and provides new depth and resources for high-stakes litigation matters. We are also excited that our intellectual property practice in New York continues to gain momentum through three seasoned partners who offer significant litigation and counseling experience. It’s a tremendous opportunity for the firm to expand the breadth and depth of our client service,” said Kent A. Gardiner, Crowell & Moring chairman.

The addition of KPH’s health care practice boosts Crowell & Moring’s Health Care Group to 34 lawyers. KPH’s health care work ranges from litigation to creating and implementing HIPAA compliance, and fraud & abuse investigations. KPH’s dynamic work in partnering with accounting firms has recovered more than $300 million in underpaid premiums to managed care companies that participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.

Crowell & Moring’s Labor & Employment Group will gain 12 lawyers from the move, growing its practice to 30 lawyers in the United States and Europe. The group provides a full range of management-side labor and employment services including: class action and individual labor and employment litigation in federal and state courts and before administrative bodies, strategic labor and employment law advice in the context of acquisitions or mergers, affirmative action compliance and related statistical analyses of employment practices, ERISA litigation and counseling, advice on international employment law issues, employment practice audits, and wage and hour class action litigation. The group boasts a preeminent traditional labor law practice, providing and solutions for the full spectrum of labor relations problems, including union organizing and “corporate” campaigns, unfair labor practice litigation, and collective bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act and Railway Labor Act. Jeffrey Pagano will serve as co-chair of the Labor & Employment Group with Crowell & Moring partner Kris D. Meade.

“The core strength of our health care and labor & employment practices has been our ability to successfully litigate high-stakes matters. Joining with Crowell & Moring allows us to pair that capability with the firm’s renowned regulatory and strategic counseling. Additionally, we’ll be able to serve clients more broadly by drawing upon the multi-disciplinary counsel of the firm’s wide range of practice groups and locations in California and Europe. Our combination is a natural fit because we share a similar and important culture in the way we foster and value long-term client relationships. We see eye to eye in that regard, and there’s nothing more important when you make such a significant move,” said Jeffrey King.

In 2003, KPH was ranked as one of the top firms in the nation in the areas of client service, responsiveness, and value by the BTI Consulting Group's Survey of Client Service Performance for Law Firms, a survey of in-house counsel. Additional KPH partners joining Crowell & Moring include: James E. Kellett, Jeffrey L. Poston, Christopher Flynn, Ira M. Saxe, Trina L. Fairley, and Kimberly G. Baldwin. The arrival of the KPH team brings together two firms that place a premium on culture and a commitment to diversity.

The new intellectual property partners, combined with lawyers from KPH, increase Crowell & Moring’s New York office to 15 attorneys. DeRenzi brings nearly 20 years of experience, focusing primarily on chemical and pharmaceutical patent infringement litigation, opinions and counseling, as well as in providing strategic advice to companies directed to the development and management of their intellectual property portfolios. He has litigated, prosecuted and rendered opinions in patent matters for United States and foreign clients in a wide array of subject matters, primarily in the chemical, agrochemical, pharmaceutical, petroleum, printing, and mechanical fields, including numerous appearances in the federal courts and administrative agencies. Downing brings more than 25 years of experience in litigation and counseling in trademark, trade secret, and copyright matters. He has successfully brought and defended cases for trademark and trade dress infringement, false advertising, trade secret violations and related causes of action for a variety of corporate clients nationwide. Riddles brings more than 20 years experience in counseling clients on patent portfolio management and in litigating patent matters in the electronic, mechanical and computer arts before the Federal Courts and administrative agencies. Riddles has also been involved in some of the seminal cases involving prosecution and litigation of business method patents. He is regularly called upon to render opinions on patents involved in high stakes litigation.

The New York intellectual property additions come just two months after the arrival of Janet M. MacLeod, known for her work in the life sciences arena. The moves reinforce the firm’s commitment to offering a leading intellectual property practice and add new strength in key industry areas, including the electrical and chemical sectors.

“The practice of intellectual property law and the way lawyers serve the global needs of clients in this area are becoming increasingly complex and require a platform that offers a diverse team of counselors and professionals. We’re proud to be part of a team in New York that can offer clients the benefit of our collective experience in handling all aspects of their intellectual property needs while drawing upon the strengths of the greater firm, from its internationally recognized Antitrust Group to the extensive international capabilities offered from its European offices,” said Bruce DeRenzi.

11-13-2006

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Brown, Raysman, Millstein, Felder & Steiner, L.L.P.

PACA Rule Would Cover Electronic Transactions
In what one industry lobbyist described as a “home run,” the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a proposed rule in the Federal Register, which would protect PACA trust rights in electronic transactions.

Sellers of fruits and vegetables would be protected as trust creditors when using electronic data interchange and other forms of electronic commerce, the proposed rule states.

Tom O’Brien, lobbyist with Thelen Reid & Priest LLP, Washington, DC, said the proposed rule took a strong stand, with few nuances that could be used to “game the system.

11-13-2006

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