Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Baker & McKenzie, L.L.P.

Two Corporate & Securities Partners Join Baker & McKenzie LLP in New York
Baker & McKenzie LLP further strengthened its Corporate & Securities practice in New York with the additions of Jonathan Stapleton and Margaret R.A. Paradis as Partners. Stapleton joins the Firm from Arnold & Porter LLP, and Paradis joins from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

“We are pleased to welcome Jonathan and Margaret to the Firm,” said Marc Paul, Chair of the North America Corporate & Securities Practice Group. “The strength of our Corporate & Securities practice is contingent on the talents of our lawyers, and the addition of Jonathan and Margaret significantly enhances our capabilities in securities, mergers and acquisitions, and investment fund and asset management.”

Jonathan Stapleton’s practice consists of acquisitions, dispositions and joint ventures; financings, public and private; private investment funds; securities; and general corporate and corporate governance representation. He has acted as principal outside corporate and securities counsel for a number of public corporations. Stapleton has represented public and private companies in their corporate, financial and other restructurings, including joint ventures, public and private corporate acquisitions and dispositions. In addition, he has represented public and private company boards and board committees in their consideration of strategic alternatives.

Stapleton received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

“Baker & McKenzie’s New York office has established itself as an important player in a key financial center. I am pleased to join a firm that provides me with a tremendous opportunity to support my clients’ needs in markets around the world,” Stapleton said.

Margaret R.A. Paradis is an investment fund and asset management lawyer who has advised clients on a broad range of investment advisory and fund related transactional, compliance and regulatory matters. She has extensive experience counselling investment advisors and institutional investors on the securities laws applicable to public and private investment funds and advisory activities. She has advised on the securities law and other issues involved in the ongoing operations of an advisory firm, as well as product development with a focus on investment funds. Paradis has extensive knowledge pertaining to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Investment Company Act of 1940. Prior to joining Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Paradis spent several years in-house with asset management businesses in global financial organizations, including The Chase Manhattan Bank, Bankers Trust Company, and PaineWebber.

“I am excited to be joining Baker & McKenzie. The securities team offers financial firms the diversified financial law expertise and global reach that they need and expect from counsel in today's markets,” Paradis said.

Paradis received her LL.M in International Law from New York University Graduate School of Law and her J.D. from St. John’s University School of Law. She received her B.A., cum laude, from Vassar College.

Commenting on the additions, David Hackett, North American Managing Partner, said, “The addition of Jonathan and Margaret is indicative of our continued growth and success in New York. We look to build on this momentum of adding critical mass in key areas and core practice groups to successfully provide the most sophisticated service to our clients in North America and around the world.”

Baker & McKenzie has had steady growth in its New York office, headlined by the September 2005 acquisition of Coudert’s flagship office in New York, which more than doubled Baker & McKenzie’s presence in the city. Other key additions in New York since 2004 include Laurence Pettit, Martin Weisberg, David Spencer, Chuck Niemeth, Roslyn Tom, Howard Jiang, and Robert Grauman.

“We are delighted to have Jonathan and Margaret join our continually expanding team of Corporate & Securities attorneys in New York,” said Chuck Niemeth, Managing Partner of Baker & McKenzie LLP New York. “They complement an already established practice and will further its successes here and globally.

11-06-2006

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Baker & McKenzie, L.L.P.

Baker & McKenzie LLP Acts for Kuoni Travel Limited on its Acquisition of Kirker Holdings Limited
Baker & McKenzie, London has advised Kuoni Travel Limited on its acquisition of Kirker Holdings Limited from ECI Partners LLP and Kirker Holdings' Management, for an undisclosed sum.

Kuoni Travel Limited is the UK subsidiary of Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd, the Swiss listed company, which is one of Europe's leading tourist travel companies. In recent years Kuoni has diversified into niche markets.

Kirker Holdings Limited is a specialist in tailor made holidays, particularly short breaks for UK customers. In 2004 it expanded its operations to medium and long haul destinations.

Michael Caro, Corporate Partner at Baker & McKenzie, commented: "We have acted for Kuoni for many years and were very pleased to have advised Kuoni on its second UK acquisition this year.

"The acquisition of Kirker Holdings follows Kuoni's acquisition in September of Holiday Supplies Limited on which Baker & McKenzie also acted, and continues Kuoni's strategy of expansion in the specialist and premium travel segment."

The Baker & McKenzie team was led by partner Michael Caro and senior associate Oliver Stacey, assisted by associate Richard Essex.

11-06-2006

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Baker & McKenzie, L.L.P.

Former Chief Fraud Prosecutor Joins Baker & McKenzie LLP in Chicago
Baker & McKenzie LLP announced today that Robert W. Kent, Jr. has joined its North American Litigation Practice Group as a Partner in Chicago. Prior to joining the Firm, Kent was Chief of the Complex Fraud Section of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.

With almost two decades of experience investigating and prosecuting high-profile, complex fraud cases, Kent will continue the expansion of the Firm’s litigation capabilities in white collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, internal investigations and corporate compliance.

“This is great news for us and for our clients,” said Tom Doyle, chair of Baker & McKenzie LLP’s North American Litigation Practice. “Bob is a highly respected litigator and his Justice Department experience will bring added depth to our existing litigation practice, especially in matters involving internal investigations and business crimes. As clients increasingly try to ensure global compliance with a broad array of laws and ethical expectations, Bob’s perspective will be a great addition to our existing resources.”

During the last decade, Kent led several of the most prominent fraud prosecutions brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago including: U.S. v. Conrad Black, et al., alleging some $80 million in embezzlement by executives of a publicly traded, multinational publishing conglomerate; U.S. v. Laurence Capriotti and Jack Hargrove, et al., involving a $90 million dollar fraud by the owners of a large title insurance agency and a trust company; U.S. v. Vincent Lane, concerning bank fraud by the former chairman of the Chicago Housing Authority in connection with his personal real estate investments; and U.S. v. Henry Paschen, involving the multimillion dollar income tax fraud by the owner of a prominent Chicago construction firm.

In addition, Kent led and coordinated U.S. Attorney’s Office programs in prosecuting securities, health care and financial institution fraud. He was and continues to be a recognized national speaker on the most topical issues relating to corporate fraud, including internal investigations and waivers of attorney-client privilege.

Commenting on Kent’s joining, David Hackett, Baker & McKenzie LLP’s North American Managing Partner, said, “We are extremely pleased to have Bob join the Chicago office and litigation practice. In today’s world, where we help law abiding corporations face heightened scrutiny from prosecutors and regulatory agencies literally around the globe, our ability to attract highly experienced talent like Bob to our genuinely global capabilities gives us significant advantages in better serving our clients.”

Prior to becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Kent practiced law at a corporate law firm in Chicago and clerked for U.S. District Court Judge William A. Ingram in San Jose, California. He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1983. He received his B.A. from Princeton University in 1980.

“I look forward to working with Baker & McKenzie's talented team of litigators," said Kent. "With the Firm’s world-wide resources, I will be able to provide clients with a full suite of specialized services related to business conduct."

With the addition of Kent in Chicago, Baker & McKenzie will continue to substantially increase the breadth and size of the Firm’s already robust global disputes practice. The Global Dispute Resolution Practice includes more than 700 lawyers experienced in litigation, arbitration, mediation and all forms of alternative dispute resolution.

11-06-2006

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Andrews Kurth

Andrews Kurth Selects Eight New Partners for 2007
AmLaw 100 firm Andrews Kurth announced today the election of eight of its lawyers to the partnership. Christopher Boehler, Quentin Faust, Ted Gilman, Charles Jacaman, Jeff Kuehnle, Muriel McFarling, Cheryl Rosenberg and Sean Wooden will assume their new positions on January 1, 2007.

"The addition of these new Partners will greatly strengthen our firm," said Managing Partner Howard Ayers. "We are pleased to welcome them to the partnership."

New partners in alphabetical order:

Christopher Boehler (Houston, Texas) focuses on banking/finance, real estate and general business transactions. Christopher's finance and banking experience includes the representation of both lending institutions and borrowers in commercial financing transactions, including workouts and restructuring of same. He also represents both landlords and tenants in commercial leasing of retail, office and industrial projects, and advises on the acquisition, disposition and development of real property.

Quentin Faust (Dallas, Texas) has a wide-ranging business law practice, functioning as outside general counsel to a variety of public and private corporations. He advises clients on general contract matters, intellectual property concerns, corporate law compliance, overall business strategies, merger and acquisition activities, and securities law reporting, as well as private and public financing and capital-raising transactions.

Ted Gilman (Austin, Texas) focuses on corporate and securities law, primarily in the context of the representation of public and private technology and other emerging growth companies. His experience includes the representation of issuers, underwriters and venture capital and other private equity firms in public and private securities offerings, both acquirors and targets in a variety of public-public and public-private business combination transactions, and publicly held clients with ongoing compliance with federal securities laws.

Charles Jacaman (Dallas, Texas) concentrates on real estate, finance and general business transactions. He represents property owners in drafting and negotiating commercial leases, management agreements, and purchase and sale agreements; commercial mortgage loan originators; loan servicers in connection with loan assumptions, modifications and workouts; and institutional borrowers in commercial real estate financing transactions.

Jeff Kuehnle (The Woodlands, Texas) is a member of the firm's Litigation section, handling complex commercial and oil and gas litigation. He has represented a variety of clients, primarily natural gas producers and pipelines and financial institutions, in disputes pending in both federal and state courts.

Muriel McFarling (Dallas, Texas) practices in the Corporate / Securities section, representing and advising publicly and privately held companies in a variety of business and commercial matters, including public and private debt and equity offerings, corporate formations and governance matters, securities laws compliance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Cheryl Rosenberg (Houston, Texas) practices in the Public Law area with a primary focus on public finance. She serves as bond counsel and disclosure counsel for various issuers of tax-exempt debt in Texas, particularly cities, counties and school districts. Cheryl also serves as underwriters' counsel and advises governmental bodies on election matters.

Sean Wooden (Washington, DC) focuses on advising clients on their intellectual property portfolios (including patents, trademarks and trade secrets) and developing, managing and exploiting these portfolios through litigation, acquisition, licensing and other transactions. His intellectual property experience covers a wide array of technologies and clients, ranging from individual inventors and small businesses to large multinational corporations.

11-06-2006

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Ashurst LLP

Ashurst advised Endeavour International Corporation on US$300 million financing for the acquisition of North Sea oil and gas assets
Ashurst advised Endeavour International Corporation on financing in relation to its acquisition of North Sea oil and gas assets from Talisman. The financing comprises a US$225 million senior revolving loan and LC facility, and a US$75 million second lien credit facility.

The Ashurst team was led by project finance partner Huw Thomas, assisted by associates Nick Ross-McCall, Jaskiran Sandhu and Jon Ornolfsson, and trainee solicitor George Comyn. Structured finance partner Chris Whiteley and corporate associate Alex Lewis also advised.

Huw Thomas commented:

"Our team really enjoyed working for Endeavour, helping to bring to successful completion an acquisition financing package combining a classic North Sea borrowing facility and a second lien facility structured for the US market."

Herbert Smith acted for the senior lenders, BNP Paribas and Bank of Scotland, while Shearman & Sterling acted for the second lien lenders.

11-06-2006

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Ashurst LLP

Ashurst advised TA Associates on the €153 million acquisition of eDreams
Ashurst advised TA Associates on the €153 million leveraged buyout (LBO) of online travel agency eDreams. The transaction sees the purchase by TA Associates and eDreams' management of 100 per cent share capital of the company from shareholders and is the largest LBO of an e-commerce company in Southern Europe to date.

TA Associates is a leading private equity firm which manages capital of approximately US$10 billion and has invested in more than 370 companies.

The cross-border Ashurst team was led by Madrid corporate partner Jesús Almoguera and comprised Madrid corporate associates Jorge Vázquez, Mercedes Agreda and Francisco de León, Madrid competition associates Carmen Perete and Rafael Baena, Madrid international finance Partner Juan Hormachea with associates Nicholas Pawson, Beatriz Sainz and Maria Burgos, Madrid tax partner Eduardo Gracia with associate Javier Hernández Galante, London finance partner Jane Fissenden, with associate Sarah Mandl, London tax partner Richard Palmer with associate Ceri Stoner, Milan finance associates Marco Leonardi and Lorenzo Vernetti, Milan corporate partner Leonardo Proni with associate Massimo Maggiore, and Milan tax partner Stefano Serbini.

Goodwin Procter also advised TA Associates, while Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Garrigues acted for eDreams. Morgan Stanley acted as financial adviser on the transaction.

11-06-2006

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Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, LLP

Curtis was ranked 140 out of 172 national law firms for their 2006 summer associate program in The American Lawyer Student Edition, November 2006 issue
Curtis was ranked 140 out of 172 national law firms for their 2006 summer associate program in The American Lawyer Student Edition, November 2006 issue. This marks an improvement from last year’s ranking of 154.

11-06-2006

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