Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Brown & Brown

ROBERT J. STARK NAMED 2006 OUTSTANDING YOUNG RESTRUCTURING LAWYER
Brown Rudnick, a premier international law firm, today
announced that Robert J. Stark, a partner in the firm’s Bankruptcy & Finance Department,
has been named to the 2006 list of “Outstanding Young Restructuring Lawyers” by
Turnarounds & Workouts. Recognized for his individual accomplishments in bankruptcy and
corporate restructuring, Mr. Stark was one of only 14 attorneys in the country to be
selected for this prestigious list.
In 2005 and 2006, Robert Stark served/serves as lead counsel on each of the following
restructuring engagements of national importance (in alphabetical order):
�� Collins & Aikman Corporation (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Indenture Trustee
for $415 million in subordinated unsecured notes issued by Collins & Aikman
Corporation. As part of this engagement, Mr. Stark represents the Indenture Trustee
on the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors appointed in the Chapter 11 case.
�� Dana Corporation (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Unsecured
Noteholders organized prior to the Chapter 11 filings, which issued a notice of default
and helped prompt the company's Chapter 11 filings.
�� Delphi Corporation (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Indenture Trustee for $412.3
million in subordinated unsecured notes issued by Delphi Corporation.
�� Evergreen International Aviation (out-of-court restructuring): Counsel to the Ad Hoc
Committee of Secured Noteholders, comprised of institutions holding more than 70%
of the secured notes issued by Evergreen, in the aggregate principal amount of $215
million. As part of this engagement, Mr. Stark also represents the Collateral Agent
and Indenture Trustee for the secured notes.
�� Falcon Products, Inc. (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of
Unsecured Creditors, comprised of institutions holding a significant amount of bond
and trade claims against the debtors. As part of this engagement, Mr. Stark sought
an investigation into the debtors’ post-petition activities and opposed confirmation of
the debtors’ plan of reorganization, ultimately achieving a favorable settlement for
unsecured creditors.
�� Lionel LLC (Chapter 11 case): Special Counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured
Creditors, investigating intellectual property disputes that are at the heart of the
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debtor’s financial collapse and that prompted the toy train manufacturer to seek
Chapter 11 relief.
�� Oakwood Homes Corporation (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the liquidation trustee,
which initially held more than $400 million in cash and other assets. As part of this
engagement, Mr. Stark handles all matters involving disputes with the entity that
purchased Oakwood’s assets and businesses out of bankruptcy -- an affiliate of
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway.
�� Oneida, Ltd (out-of-court workout; Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc
Committee of Equity Security Holders, which is opposing a pre-arranged plan of
reorganization negotiated with certain Oneida creditors.
�� Riverstone Networks, Inc. (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Official Committee of
Equity Security Holders. As part of this engagement, Mr. Stark is overseeing the sale
of the debtors’ businesses through a competitive auction process, commencing with
a $170 million “stalking horse” bid. Because Riverstone is a very solvent entity, the
Official Committee of Equity Security Holders serves as the debtor’s primary case
adversary.
In addition to the above engagements, in 2005 and 2006, Mr. Stark also served /serves as
counsel in each of the following restructuring engagements of national importance (in
alphabetical order):
�� Owens Corning (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Security
Holders, comprised of institutions that hold a large percentages of Owens Corning
preferred and common equity and that oppose the debtors’ proposed plan of
reorganization.
�� Refco Inc. (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Customer
Creditors, comprised on institutions that had deposited more than $3 billion with one
of the Chapter 11 debtors, Refco Capital Markets.
�� US Gypsum (Chapter 11 case): Counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Trade Creditors,
comprised of institutions that hold a significant percentage of the debtors’
outstanding trade debt and that oppose the debtors’ proposed plan of reorganization.
Published by the Beard Group, Inc., Turnarounds & Workouts is a newsletter for people
tracking distressed businesses in the United States and Canada. Each issue features: news
articles; Publisher Christopher Beard's Column, “Gnome de Plume;” Who's Who in a
significant bankruptcy case; case trackings and recent filings; a calendar of bankruptcy and
insolvency conferences; and special reports on bankruptcy and insolvency professionals,
including the annual Top Turnaround Firms and Largest Bankruptcy Law firms.
About Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels LLP
Brown Rudnick is a full-service, international law firm with offices in the United States and
Europe. The firm’s attorneys provide representation across key areas of the law: Bankruptcy
& Finance, Corporate & Securities, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Complex Litigation,
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Government Law & Strategies, Energy, and Health Care. Combining a dedication to
excellence with a commitment to superior client service, Brown Rudnick
provides its clients with a breadth and depth of expertise uniquely suited to their legal
needs. For more information, please visit www.brownrudnick.com.
The Brown Rudnick Center for the Public Interest is a measure of the Firm’s strong
commitment to the community and serves as an umbrella entity encompassing the Firm's
pro bono legal work, charitable giving, community involvement and public interest efforts.
For more information, please visit www.brownrudnickcenter.com.

05-04-2006

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Baker Botts LLP

Dallas Independent School District Presents Baker Botts with 2006 Outstanding Business Partner Award
Baker Botts L.L.P. received the 2006 Outstanding Large Business Partner Award from the Dallas Independent School District for its work this past year at Julius Dorsey Elementary. Cynthia Uduebor accepted the award on behalf of the firm at the 37th Annual Partners/Volunteer Recognition luncheon on May 4, 2006.

Baker Botts' partnership with Julius Dorsey, which began in 1992, continues to grow each year. This past year the partnership's projects and activities included a tutoring program, underwriting for Reading is FUNdamental, the ongoing development of a learning garden, a pen pal program, the Dorsey Holiday Party, the upcoming Law Day Field Trip to the Federal Courthouse, the Science Fair Program, RIF Book Distributions, sending Dorsey Scholars to Summer Camp, a College Initiative, the Mother's Day Art Project, the traditional Girl Scout Cookie Sale, and the unique opportunity for Baker Botts' lawyers and staff to share and interact with students and teachers on a regular basis.

In addition to the 2006 Outstanding Large Business Partner Award, Baker Botts was recognized with the Gold Award for contributing over $100,000 in volunteer time and services. Romina Mulloy was recognized with the Emerald Partner Award for her overall participation and leadership with the Dorsey program. Terry Barnard was recognized with the Emerald Partner Award for her leadership in the tutoring program.

Congratulations to Baker Botts and all the volunteers who offered their time and support. To view a list of the firm’s volunteers please click here .

05-04-2006

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Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP

Media Defense Litigation Partner, James Chadwick, Joins Sheppard Mullin San Francisco
James M. Chadwick has joined the San Francisco office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the Business Trial and Entertainment, Media and Communications practice groups. Chadwick most recently practiced with DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary in Palo Alto.


James Chadwick focuses on media law and media defense litigation, First Amendment and privacy law, trademark and copyright law, and civil litigation. Chadwick represented clients in the litigation of a number of cases that resulted in important First Amendment or intellectual property decisions, including: Lissner v. U.S. Customs Service, San Jose Mercury News v. U.S. District Court, Sipple v. Foundation for National Progress; In re Willon; Montana v. San Jose Mercury News, Inc.; Nordyke v. Santa Clara County; James v. San Jose Mercury News, Inc.; Religious Technology Center v. Netcom; among others.

Chadwick also provides ongoing counseling and pre-publication advice to media clients such as the San Jose Mercury News and Mother Jones magazine. He has pursued litigation under state and federal open records and open meetings laws on behalf of both media and individual clients.

""James is one of the country's top media defense attorneys and we are thrilled to welcome him to the San Francisco office,"" said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm. ""He will play a key role in the ongoing expansion of our national media defense practice, which includes partners Gary Bostwick and Kent Raygor in Century City, Guylyn Cummins in San Diego, Kevin Goering in New York and senior associate Jean-Paul Jassy in Century City.""

""Sheppard Mullin has an outstanding reputation and a strong entertainment and media practice,” Chadwick said. ""I am particularly familiar with the media team, which is deep and highly skilled. I’m looking forward to working with Sheppard Mullin and contributing to the continued success of the dynamic group.""

Co-chair of the firm's Entertainment, Media and Communications group, Marty Katz, commented that ""Our objective has been to build the preeminent media defense practice in the country. With the addition of James in San Francisco, we now have top notch experts in New York and each of the three critical California markets.""

Chadwick received his law degree summa cum laude from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1991, and graduated from San Francisco State University with a M.A. in 1985 and from the University of California, Santa Cruz, cum laude, with a B.A. in 1979.

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 480 attorneys in nine offices located throughout California and in New York and Washington, D.C. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Sheppard Mullin provides legal expertise and counsel to U.S. and international clients in a wide range of practice areas, including Antitrust, Corporate and Securities; Entertainment, Media and Communications; Finance and Bankruptcy; Government Contracts; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Real Estate/Land Use; Tax/Employee Benefits/Trusts & Estates; and White Collar Defense. The firm was founded in 1927.

05-04-2006

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Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Selects New Board and Executive Team
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP announced today that James M. Rishwain and Stephen B. Huttler have been elected by their partners to serve the firm as Chairman and Executive Vice Chairman. Rishwain and Huttler will also serve as part of a newly elected 12-member Board.



“Our partners have selected the two very best candidates to lead Pillsbury in its continued expansion as a global law firm,” said Mary Cranston, the firm’s Chairwoman. “Both Jim and Steve have held substantial leadership roles at the firm, and have deep skill sets that are complementary.”

Rishwain, the Chairman-elect, is a real estate partner in Pillsbury’s Century City office and is the co-leader of the firm’s 70-lawyer global real estate group, one of the firm’s most profitable practice areas. Huttler, the Executive Vice Chairman, is currently the firm’s Vice Chairman and led Shaw Pittman in Washington, D.C., before its merger with Pillsbury Winthrop in April, 2005.

“I am truly honored and excited to lead the firm,” Rishwain said. “I look forward to building a vision and strategy that focuses our business model on our clients and takes our firm to the next level as a global leader in legal services.”

Huttler, who has worked in tandem with Cranston and Managing Partner Marina Park since the merger, praised their leadership. “We will build on the platform created by Mary and Marina, and work to take it to the next level toward our goal of being the law firm of choice for industry leaders on their most strategic and important matters,” Huttler said.

Rishwain and Huttler were chosen by the Board, which in turn was selected by a nominating committee earlier this year. In voting that concluded yesterday, Pillsbury’s approximately 370 partners elected Rishwain, Huttler and the Board to lead the firm. Rishwain and Huttler will work closely with Cranston and Park in the coming months to ensure a smooth and efficient transition of the firm’s leadership duties.

Additionally, the Board elected Richard L. Epling, a New York insolvency and restructuring partner, as its Lead Director and Patrick C. Marshall, a San Francisco litigation partner, as Executive Partner for Practice Section Development and Management.

Among his prior management roles, Rishwain co-managed the firm’s Century City office from 2001 to 2004, and co-managed the Los Angeles office in 2004. He has served on the firm’s Partner Compensation Committee for several years and as a leader of Pillsbury’s real estate practice section since the late 1990s. He also led a task force to revise the firm’s compensation system at the beginning of Cranston’s tenure in 1999. Last year, he received a California Lawyer magazine Attorney of the Year award. He earned his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1984.

Huttler was the Managing Partner of Shaw Pittman before its merger with Pillsbury Winthrop last year. In that role, Huttler was responsible for the strategic direction and management of the firm. He had also served on the firm’s board of directors and chaired all of the firm’s major committees, including those overseeing compensation, promotions and associates. He also continues to practice as a real estate partner focusing on complex transactions, business planning, and crisis management. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1974.

Serving alongside Rishwain and Huttler on the firm’s Board are partners Craig Barbarosh (Insolvency & Restructuring / Orange County), Jorge del Calvo (Corporate & Securities – Technology / Silicon Valley), Richard Donaldson (Corporate & Securities – Technology / Northern Virginia), Richard Epling (Insolvency & Restructuring / New York), Sarah Flanagan (Litigation / San Francisco), Robert James (Finance / San Francisco & Houston), David Snyder (Corporate & Securities / San Diego), Robin Spear (Corporate & Securities / New York), Wendelin White (Real Estate / Washington, D.C.) and Robert Zahler (Global Sourcing / Washington, D.C.). The 12-member board reflects the firm’s diversity well, and includes three women partners, and partners from seven practice areas and nine offices.

Following the completion of her term as Chairwoman in December, Cranston will become the firm’s Senior Partner. She will advise firm leadership on strategy, and work with partners and associates on business development and diversity initiatives. Park plans to return to her technology transactions practice in Silicon Valley.

During Cranston and Park’s tenure, which began in 1999, the firm completed two mergers that created a firm with an equal number of lawyers on both coasts (400 each), grew from 490 to 900 lawyers and added seven offices. Additionally, Pillsbury’s revenues more than doubled from $224 million to $574 million a year, its net income was up 182 percent and its per-partner-profits rose 76 percent. Cranston and Park also initiated an innovative client team approach. Last year, that approach helped Pillsbury place fourth among 240 law firms in the BTI Consulting Group’s annual Client Service Performance Survey.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is an international law firm with approximately 900 attorneys in 16 offices, including San Francisco, New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and London. In business for more than 135 years, Pillsbury’s practice focuses on capital markets and financial services, energy, global sourcing, litigation, real estate, technology, life sciences and communications. For more information, please visit www.pillsburylaw.com.

05-04-2006

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Nelson, Kinder, Mosseau & Saturley, P.C.

Steve Berson Joins Nelson Mullins
Steven L. Berson joins Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP to practice in Atlanta in the areas of corporate, securities and technology law.


Prior to moving to Atlanta, Mr. Berson accumulated more than 20 years experience in New York, San Francisco and Silicon Valley. He spent most of the 1980s with the Wall Street firm of Brown & Wood (now Sidley Austin LLP) handling a large number of domestic and international securities and merger and acquisition transactions. He then spent 13 years with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati—the largest law firm in Silicon Valley—representing numerous life sciences and technology growth companies through all stages of development, from startup companies through multinational enterprises.

During his career, Mr. Berson has represented numerous issuers, investment banking firms, venture capital firms and private equity firms in a wide range of capital markets transactions, financings, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and strategic relationships. In addition, Mr. Berson has advised many public company clients on a wide range of matters, including SEC, NASD and NYSE compliance, corporate governance, strategic partnerships and executive compensation matters. Mr. Berson is a frequent speaker on a variety of corporate and securities laws topics.

In 1981, Mr. Berson earned a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School. He earned a B.A. degree (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1977 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Nelson Mullins, established in 1897, has more than 360 attorneys practicing from offices in Atlanta, Boston, Charleston, Charlotte, Columbia, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Raleigh, Washington and Winston-Salem. For more information on the Firm, go to www.nelsonmullins.com, or call (803) 255-9788 or (803) 255-9280.

05-04-2006

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McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope & Weaver, P.A.

Lauchlin Waldoch Invited to Join Council of Advanced Practicioners of The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
Lauchlin Tench Waldoch, of McConnaughhay, Duffy, Coonrod, Pope
& Weaver, P.A., has joined the prestigious Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) of
the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). The CAP is an invitation only
Council providing specialized member benefits to NAELA’s Advanced Practitioners.
NAELA Members who are invited to join the CAP must either be certified as an Elder
Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation or be a NAELA Fellow. In
addition, the individual must have high professional and ethical ratings (AV) by the
Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry, and have been a member of NAELA for 10 years.
About the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
Established in 1987, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) is a nonprofit
association that assists lawyers, bar organizations and others. Members of
NAELA are attorneys who are experienced and trained in working with the legal
problems of aging Americans and individuals of all ages with disabilities. The mission
of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is to establish NAELA members as
the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance and services to enhance the lives
of people with disabilities and people as they age. NAELA currently has more than
5,000 members across the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
For more information about NAELA, please visit www.naela.org.

05-04-2006

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Ruskin, Moscou & Faltischek, PC

Ruskin Moscou Faltischek Sponsors Major Seminar on New Lobbying & Procurement Law
On Friday, April 28, 2006, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. sponsored a special seminar held at Molloy College that gave attendees an in-depth look at New York State’s newly enacted lobbying and procurement law. Guest speakers included State Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who discussed the law and its ramifications, and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, author of the new legislation, who gave the audience his views on why the law was enacted and what it means for companies across New York State. Attorney John DeMaro made a presentation on the components of the new law and pitfalls to be avoided.

L-R: Arthur “Jerry Kremer, partner, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek; Hon. Richard Brodsky, 92nd Assembly District; Hon. Alan Hevesi, NY State Comptroller; Hon. Howard Weitzman, Nassau County Comptroller; Sen. Dean Skelos, Deputy Majority Leader, NY State Senate; John DeMaro, partner, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek

Former New York State Assemblyman Arthur “Jerry” Kremer, the forum's moderator, noted, ""This drastic revision of the state's contract procurement and lobbying law applies to governments at every level and hundreds of Long Island businesses that are currently doing business with the public sector -- or want to do business with it. A failure to comply with the law could lead to a company being barred from doing any future business at the loss of countless dollars.

05-03-2006

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