Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Arent Fox LLP

Edward J. Rojas Joins Arent Fox Tax Practice
Arent Fox is pleased to announce that Edward J. Rojas has joined the firm's tax and finance groups as a partner in the New York office. Rojas has experience in equipment lease financings, cross-border financings, synthetic credit default swaps, like-kind exchanges, public finance and tax controversy work.

He advises on federal tax matters affecting regulated utilities and corporations in project financings. He also serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel and company counsel in tax-exempt bond offerings, and tax counsel in leveraged lease transactions. He has represented issuers in tax audits, assisted developers in voluntary settlements and securing private letter rulings and he has also worked on low income housing tax credits.

His public finance practice involves public/private transactions with both the private and public sectors in bond financings, such as facilities for professional sports teams, airports, public power and pipelines, terminals, and oil and LNG facilities.

Immediately prior to joining Arent Fox, Rojas practiced tax law at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pitman LLP. He received his JD from Columbia Law School and his AB from Harvard College.

02-23-2007

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

AKIN GUMP EXPANDS AMERICAN INDIAN LAW AND POLICY PRACTICE
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has expanded its American Indian law and policy practice with the addition of James Meggesto, Vanessa Ray-Hodge and Madeline Soboleff Levy, the firm announced today. In addition, Wilson Pipestem and Aurene Martin have affiliated with Akin Gump as senior advisors on Indian affairs.

Donald R. Pongrace, chair of Akin Gump’s American Indian law and policy practice, stated, “Akin Gump has long been a leader in representing American Indian tribal governments and entities that share a commitment to tribal political empowerment, tribal sovereignty and economic development. We are very pleased to welcome James, Vanessa and Madeline to the firm and to be able to draw from time to time on Wilson and Aurene’s experience and insights as senior advisors. The group’s collective record of accomplishments as advocates of tribal sovereignty is impressive and they represent a substantial expansion of our capabilities and commitment in this growing area of the firm’s practice.”

Mr. Meggesto, a member of the Onondaga Nation in New York, joins the firm as policy counsel. His practice focuses on federal recognition litigation, land into trust matters, legislative representation, water law, natural resources development, environmental regulation and enforcement, treaty rights litigation and economic development initiatives. In addition, he has extensive experience in all aspects of Indian gaming. He has represented tribal clients in federal, state and tribal courts, as well as before Congress and various federal agencies. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Brockport and Albany Law School.

A member of the Pueblo of Acoma, Ms. Ray-Hodge joins the firm as an associate. She represents tribal clients on issues regarding federal and state tax laws, environmental regulation, water rights, obtaining and putting land into trust, contract support under the Indian Self-Determination Education and Assistance Act, tribal sovereignty and sovereign immunity, and tribal gaming rights. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia Law School.

Ms. Levy, a member of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, joins the firm as a public policy analyst. She works closely with congressional offices, intertribal organizations and attorneys in tracking legislation and appropriations and in reporting on major policy developments. She is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound.

A member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and an Osage headright holder, Mr. Pipestem represents tribal governments and tribal business enterprises on matters relating to federal trust management, treaty rights, commercial transactions, jurisdiction and gaming. He has taught Federal Indian Law at area law schools and serves on the boards of several national Indian organizations.

A member of the Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians, Ms. Martin has extensive experience in the field of federal Indian law and policy, particularly in the areas of gaming, legislation, administrative law and tribal governmental matters. Before entering private practice, she served under President George W. Bush as counselor to the assistant secretary of Indian affairs at the Department of the Interior and subsequently as acting assistant secretary for Indian affairs. Previously she was senior counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. Earlier, she served as the director of congressional and public affairs for the National Indian Gaming Commission, a federal regulatory agency, in Washington, D.C. She began her career as an attorney for the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and its law school.

Mr. Pipestem and Ms. Martin join the ranks of other senior advisors on Indian affairs affiliated with Akin Gump, including consultants Steven J.W. Heeley and Rodney B. Lewis. They will devote a portion of their time to the firm’s clients, while continuing in their roles at Ietan Consulting, LLC, the firm’s strategic partner.

Akin Gump lawyers have represented tribal governments and tribal entities in complex water rights litigation and settlement negotiations, landmark federal legislation (including the largest water settlement in United States history), tribe-state gaming compact negotiations, trust and restricted fee land acquisitions, federal appropriations, land claims and related litigation, and economic development projects (including all elements of project planning development, regulatory compliance and financing), and provide a broad array of legislative advocacy and strategic advice to Indian tribes and tribally owned entities.

02-23-2007

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Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale & Dorr, L.L.P.

WilmerHale Advises Linde on the Realignment of its Joint Ventures in Asia
Technology company The Linde Group, and worldwide industry and medical gases company Air Liquide, signed agreements for the realignment of their joint ventures in Asia.

Following approval by the competent authorities, Linde will acquire the shares of Air Liquide in gas companies Malaysian Oxygen (Malaysia) and Hong Kong Oxygen & Acetylene (Hong Kong). In return, Linde will sell its shares in Singapore Oxygen (Singapore), Eastern Industrial Gases (Thailand), Vietnam Industrial Gases (Vietnam) and Brunei Oxygen (Brunei) to Air Liquide. Upon closing of these transactions, Linde will receive a net purchase price of EUR 275 million.

The realignment of the joint ventures follows from one of the conditions imposed by the European Commission for granting clearance of Linde's acquisition of The BOC Group plc.

WilmerHale regularly advises Linde on matters regarding competition law and merger control. In previous months, WilmerHale has advised and represented Linde on its acquisition of UK-based The BOC Group plc and US company Spectra Gases Inc., as well as the disposal of BOC Gazy Sp. z o.o. and KION GmbH.
In the realignment of its joint ventures with Air Liquide in Asia, Linde was advised on merger control issues by Berlin partner Ulrich Quack as well as by the associates Dr. Alexander Jüngling, Christian Wörz and Dr. Oliver Fleischmann from the Berlin office.

02-23-2007

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Stoel Rives, LLP

Real Estate Attorney Joins Stoel Rives
John M. Sharp has joined the Real Estate practice group in the firm’s Seattle office. He is experienced in a wide variety of real estate and financing issues, including drafting and negotiating retail installment contracts, leases, inventory and capital improvement loans, promissory notes, guaranties, and intercreditor, subordination, forbearance and confidentiality agreements. He has also counseled corporate personnel on issues concerning operations, sales and marketing, administration, collections, credit, repossession and foreclosure. Before joining Stoel Rives, Sharp built a successful real estate sales business, representing buyers and sellers of single-family homes and condominiums.

Sharp is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Law (J.D., 1990) and Pomona College (B.A., 1985) and is admitted to the state bar of Washington.

02-23-2007

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Schiff Hardin LLP

SCHIFF HARDIN LLP'S WALTER H. BUSH AND MICHAEL K. WOLENSKY VOTED 2007 GEORGIA SUPER LAWYERS
Schiff Hardin LLP partners Walter H. Bush and Michael K. Wolensky have been voted Georgia Super Lawyers, as reported in the March 2007 edition of Atlanta Magazine and at www.superlawyers.com.

They were selected for his honor by balloting among more than 23,500 Georgia attorneys who were asked to name the best lawyers they had personally observed in action. Super Lawyers are those attorneys who were in the top five percent of this selection process.

02-23-2007

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Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc. Prevails in Product Liability Case Tried in Matagorda County, Texas
a Matagorda County, Texas jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of TRW Vehicle Safety Systems, Inc. (TRW) in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the surviving family of Joshua L. Fisher of Seadrift, Texas.

The two-week trial stemmed from an automobile collision in February 2002, near Palacios, Texas. Fisher’s surviving family members sought $10 million in damages from TRW, which designs and manufactures automotive restraint systems. TRW supplied the seat belt buckles in the 1996 GMC Jimmy involved in the collision.

The plaintiffs were represented by Charles “Chuck” Cole of Cole, Cole & Easley in Victoria, Texas; TRW was represented by the Houston office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman led by litigation partners David R. Tippetts and Jack E. Little, Jr.

"With product liability cases like these, defendants must overcome an element of sympathy while exposing a complex defect theory, typically in a less than favorable venue,” said Tippetts, a partner in Pillsbury’s Houston office. “Fortunately, the jury rejected plaintiffs’ defect claims and affirmed the integrity of TRW’s products.”

The lawsuit arose out of a two-vehicle collision at a rural intersection near Palacios. Lisa Fisher, 29, and her husband, Joshua Fisher, 27, were struck when another vehicle ran a stop sign. The impact caused the Fisher vehicle to leave the road and overturn multiple times. Josh Fisher, the right front passenger, was ejected from the vehicle and died from his injuries six days later.

At trial, the plaintiffs alleged Fisher was wearing his seat belt immediately prior to the impact, but that the buckle “inertially unlatched” during the rollover causing him to be ejected. TRW disputed the plaintiffs’ claims the subject buckle was defective and unreasonably dangerous. It proved “inertial unlatching” does not occur in real world accidents and is confined to laboratory tests conducted by expert witnesses sponsored by attorneys suing automotive manufacturers and component part suppliers. TRW also presented evidence Fisher was not restrained at the time of the incident.

Tippetts established TRW studied the “inertial unlatching” phenomenon and designed seat belts so they do not unlatch in accidents. He also established Plaintiffs' experts could not identify a single instance in which any buckle had ever unlatched in any real-world testing designed to simulate the forces seen in a rollover accident. As stated by Little in closing argument: "The TRW buckle was subjected to a real-world rollover on Feb. 27, 2002, and it performed as designed and intended. It saved Lisa Fisher’s life. It would have saved Josh Fisher’s life, if he had worn it.”

This latest jury win in Bay City is the sixth straight favorable verdict Pillsbury has obtained for TRW, in addition to numerous other cases that have been successfully resolved prior to trial.

02-23-2007

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Weber, Gallagher, Simpson, Stapleton, Fires & Newby, LLP

Jeffrey D. Newby Named Certified Workers' Compensation Law Attorney
The law firm of Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP is pleased to announce that Jeffrey D. Newby has become certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Workers' Compensation Law attorney based on his written application and performance on the Attorney Certification Board examination.

Mr. Newby, the Firm's managing New Jersey attorney, devotes his practice to the defense of workers' compensation and general liability matters on behalf of insurance carriers, self-insured entities and third-party administrators.

02-23-2007

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