Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Blank Rome LLP.

Addition Expands Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce Alain Lapter has joined the Firm as an associate in the intellectual property group. Mr. Lapter brings considerable experience in business and trademark law, and will be based in Blank Rome’s Washington, DC office.

Mr. Lapter comes to Blank Rome from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, where he served as a trademark examining attorney. In this capacity, Mr. Lapter reviewed numerous trademark applications for procedural and substantive issues as part of the Office’s quality review process; and argued before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board with respect to the concurrent use of trademarks. Mr. Lapter is also a frequent author on intellectual property law topics published in various legal journals.

Admitted to practice in Washington, DC, and Massachusetts, Mr. Lapter received his law degree at the University of Connecticut School of Law, and a masters of law in intellectual property from George Washington University Law School. Mr. Lapter holds a bachelor of science degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Colorado.

05-21-2007

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

AKIN GUMP EXPANDS INVESTMENT FUNDS PRACTICE IN NEW YORK
J.P. Bruynes and William L. Sturman have joined the New York office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as partners in the investment funds practice, the firm announced today.

R. Bruce McLean, Akin Gump’s chairman, stated, “Akin Gump’s fund formation practice is a cornerstone of both the firm’s corporate department and the New York office. With a unique strength in both hedge and private equity fund formation, the practice is ideally positioned to meet the growing needs of our clients in these areas. We are very pleased to add J.P. and Bill’s talents to the group.”

Mr. Bruynes advises domestic and offshore hedge fund managers, investment advisers, commodity trading advisers, commodity pool operators and other investment management professionals and funds in all aspects of their business, including fund formation and operation, asset allocation and compliance. Mr. Sturman advises sponsors of leveraged buyout, international private equity, merchant banking and other private investment funds. In addition, he represents financial institutions in the formulation of carried interest vehicles.

Mr. Bruynes joins the firm from Arnold & Porter LLP; Mr. Sturman joins the firm from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

“J.P. and Bill will further enhance our ability to meet the tremendous needs of our hedge and private equity fund client base,” said Stephen M. Vine, co-chair of Akin Gump’s investment funds private equity practice. “As the marketplace sees an increase in convergence between hedge funds and private equity, J.P. and Bill’s experience and acute understanding of the intersection between the two will provide tremendous value to our clients.”

Covering all major categories of alternative investing, Akin Gump’s investment funds and private equity group has helped clients raise, invest and realize billions of dollars over the past decade. The firm is especially well-known for its long-term relationships with some of the world’s largest private equity and hedge fund managers.

05-21-2007

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Davis Polk & Wardwell

Spansion Notes Offering
Davis Polk & Wardwell advised Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as initial purchasers in connection with a $550 million Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of senior secured floating-rate notes due 2013 by Spansion LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Spansion Inc.

Spansion Inc. is the largest company in the world dedicated exclusively to developing, designing and manufacturing Flash memory, a critical semiconductor component of most electronic products and one of the fastest growing segments in the semiconductor industry.

The Davis Polk corporate team included partners Alan F. Denenberg of the Menlo Park office and Michael Kaplan of the New York office, associates Michael Nordtvedt, Robert J. Maynes and John Crawford of the Menlo Park office and associate Amber D. Derryberry of the New York office. The credit team included associates Vivian Yin Mei Wong and Benjamin H. Klein of the New York office. Partner Susan D. Kennedy and associate Ilya Fradkin (not yet admitted) of the New York office provided real estate advice. Partner Rachel D. Kleinberg of the Menlo Park office and associate Arie Rubenstein (not yet admitted) of the New York office advised on tax matters. Don Snyder of the Menlo Park corporate department and Bernadette M. Sullivan of the New York real estate department were the legal assistants for the transaction.

05-21-2007

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Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP

Weil Gotshal Secures Dismissal of Shareholder Derivative Action Against Wal-Mart Directors and Officers
Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP obtained a significant victory on behalf of the directors and officers of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in a shareholder derivative action alleging that the directors and officers breached their fiduciary duties by failing "to properly oversee, control and govern Wal-Mart's business and affairs" and failing "to ensure Wal-Mart's compliance with applicable anti-discrimination laws." In support of the claim, plaintiff pointed to employment law litigation against Wal-Mart throughout the country, including, most significantly, Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., an employment discrimination class action on behalf of 1.6 million women.

On May 16, 2007, the US District Court for the Northern District of California granted Weil Gotshal’s motion to dismiss the action due to plaintiff's failure to show that the Wal-Mart Board's refusal to commence the action was not protected by the business judgment rule. The decision recognizes that directors manage the business and affairs of corporations, including with respect to litigation. The decision is particularly significant because the California court applied Delaware law as the source of rules governing corporate governance issues, including standing and pleading issues.

The Weil Gotshal team working on this matter included Norman Veasey, Stephen Radin, Jeffrey Klein, Mark Jacoby, Edward Reines and Melissa Carvalho.

05-21-2007

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Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP

Weil Gotshal Represents GS Capital Partners in Alltel Acquisition
Alltel Corp., the owner and operator of the nation’s largest wireless network, announced that it has agreed to be acquired by TPG Capital and GS Capital Partners (GSCP). The transaction is valued at approximately $27.5 billion. Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP represented GSCP, a global private equity group, in the deal. The transaction is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2007 or by the first quarter of 2008.

The Weil Gotshal team working on this matter included partners Thomas Roberts, Michael Aiello, Barry Wolf, Marc Silberberg and Andrew Colao and associates Aabha Sharma and Heidi Naunton.

05-21-2007

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Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP

Paul Hastings Enhances Capital Markets Practice with Addition of Ann Lawrence to Los Angeles Office
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP (Paul Hastings), a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that Ann Lawrence, previously at Latham & Watkins, LLP, has joined the firm's Corporate Department as Of Counsel, resident in the firm's Los Angeles office. Ms. Lawrence's practice focuses on representing investment banks and issuers in public and private securities offerings, with a focus on high-yield debt financings.

"The continued growth of the Paul Hastings Global Capital Markets Practice is a top priority for the firm," said Bill Schwitter, Capital Markets Practice Co-Chair. "Ann's significant experience representing investment banks and issuers in high profile transactions enhances our capital markets practice and adds depth to our group."

Ms. Lawrence has represented underwriters including Goldman, Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley, UBS Securities, Credit Suisse, and Jefferies & Co., in a broad range of domestic and international corporate transactions, including leveraged buy-out transactions, initial public offerings and public and private securities offerings.

05-21-2007

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O'Melveny & Myers, LLP

OMM Represents Norsk Hydro in $30B Merger with Statoil
O'Melveny represented Norwegian energy group Norsk Hydro ASA in obtaining merger control clearances in the EU and the United States for the merger of its oil and gas activities with Statoil ASA -- an estimated $30 billion deal creating one of the largest offshore oil and gas operators in the world.

These clearances represent a major step forward for Statoil and Norsk Hydro in order to complete the merger by the third quarter of 2007. The combined company, to be called StatoilHydro ASA, will be controlled by the government of Norway and will have operations in 40 countries. It will produce 1.9 million barrels of crude oil per day and will have proven oil and gas reserves of about 6.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent. The transaction, which was announced by the parties in December 2006, is the biggest merger in Norway's history.

Partner Riccardo Celli led the O'Melveny team, which included associates Christian Riis-Madsen, Giovanni Cifelli, and Elizabeth Turner in Brussels and partner Rich Parker, counsel Rebecca Farrington, and associate Steve Chasin in Washington, D.C. WilmerHale, represented Statoil.

The merger with the oil and natural gas division of Norsk Hydro will enable Statoil, Norway's state-owned oil company, to solidify its placement among the world's biggest oil producers.

"By combining forces, the new company will be a highly competent and financially strong Norwegian-based energy champion, well positioned to ensure continued domestic excellence and pursue international business opportunities for long-term growth," the companies said in a joint statement.

Statoil, headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, is an integrated oil and gas company with annual sales of over NOK390 billion. Norsk Hydro is a leading offshore oil and gas producer and the world's third largest integrated aluminum supplier. After the merger of its oil and gas activities with Statoil, Norsk Hydro will remain a large international aluminum producer with significant associated hydropower production.

05-21-2007

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