Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Rank sells Hard Rock to Seminole tribe for $965m
Rank Group, the international gaming and leisure group, announced yesterday that it has reached an agreement with Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Seminole native American Indian tribe of Florida, to sell the Hard Rock restaurant, hotel and casino business for a total consideration of $965m (£490m). Following this transaction, Rank intends to return $350m to shareholders through payment of a special dividend and to effect a share consolidation.

This transaction completes the transformation of Rank from a diversified leisure group into a focused gaming business. It is also the first major purchase of an international company by a native American Indian tribe. The disposal is expected to complete on 5 March 2007.

The Freshfields team was led by corporate partner Martin Taylor with corporate associate Michael Hilton.

12-08-2006

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Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Freshfields advises on IPO by China Communications Services
nternational law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised on the initial public offering (IPO) of China Communications Services (China Comservice), the telecommunications engineering and technical service unit of China Telecommunications Group (China Telecom), on its listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange which completed 8 December 2006. It sold 1.29bn H shares, or 24.6 per cent of its share capital. Total proceeds from the IPO were US$365m and will exceed US$400m should the 15 per cent over-allotment option be exercised in full. The retail portion of the global offering was 329 times over-subscribed. Freshfields acted as Hong Kong and US counsel to China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and Goldman Sachs, the underwriters on the IPO.

China Comservice is the second publicly traded unit of China Telecom and is the leading integrated provider of infrastructure, business process outsourcing, content and other services in China. China Comservice's other significant shareholders include China Mobile, China Unicom, Cisco Systems and IDG. Its customers include China's telecom operators, including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Netcom and China Railcom, as well as telecommunications equipment manufacturers.

The Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer team was led by Beijing-based partner Chris Wong and US partner Tim Steinert who is based in Hong Kong. Chris commented, 'We are very pleased to be closing a fantastic year for our ECM practice with another smoothly executed IPO, especially as the issuer is an affiliate of our long-term client China Telecom. Our team included lawyers from our Beijing and Hong Kong offices and the transaction once again shows the benefits of a highly integrated securities team across several China offices.'

Partners Chris Wong and Tim Steinert were assisted by a team of lawyers which included Joelle Lau, Damon Yip, Jean Wu, Su Ming Tan, Christopher Chia, Shuang Juan Wei and Xu Yin.

12-08-2006

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Ford & Harrison LLP

Ford & Harrison LLP Builds Third Habitat For Humanity House in Atlanta
Ford & Harrison, one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, sponsored and built its third Habitat for Humanity home in Atlanta. On October 14, Ford & Harrison attorneys and employees, along with partner sponsors from AIG Insurance, HRWorks and Wells Fargo, built a home for a deserving family from the ground up. The dedication of the home took place on Saturday, December 2.

“Building a Habitat for Humanity home has been a very worthwhile experience for our employees,” said Chad Shultz, a partner at Ford & Harrison LLP who spearheads this project for the firm. “I am glad that we decided to participate for the third year in a row. It is absolutely amazing to build a house in seven days using volunteers with limited building experience, but unlimited energy and compassion for the project.”

The home was built for Nafeesah Burson and Vincent Robinson. Nafeesah recently started working at General Motors and works part time for Accuclean. Vincent uses a wheelchair, yet is incredibly active in a community sports programs. His two children will also live in the home - Crystal, 14 and Vincent, Jr., 9. Vincent surprised his children with the new Habitat house on the day of the home dedication.

12-08-2006

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Duane Morris, LLP

Annette Idalski, Noted Employment Attorney, Joins Duane Morris in Atlanta
Duane Morris LLP is pleased to announce the arrival of Annette A. Idalski, formerly of Hunton & Williams, as a partner in its Atlanta office. Annette, the president of the Georgia Association for Women Lawyers, joins the firm's Employment and Immigration Practice Group.

Annette represents employers nationwide in litigation involving employment discrimination, workplace harassment, wage and hour compliance, restrictive covenants, and executive compensation agreements. She regularly conducts pre-litigation counseling and training, and counsels clients on their rights and obligations under the myriad federal, state and local employment laws, statutes and regulations.

In addition to her post with the Georgia Association For Women Lawyers, Annette was the recipient of the Association's Visionary Award in 2005. Annette was also selected by her peers as one of "Georgia's 2005 Legal Elite" as published in Georgia Trend magazine and was named an Employment Litigation Super Lawyer by Georgia Super Lawyers magazine®, 2007

Annette earned her J.D. from St. Mary's University School of Law in 1995 and her B.S. from Central Michigan University in 1991.

Duane Morris also announced that Annette will be joined today in its growing Employment and Immigration Practice Group by Celeste M. Wasielewski, a partner formerly of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, who will serve clients from the firm's Washington, D.C. office.

12-08-2006

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Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, L.L.P.

Goldman Sachs in $97 Million Mortgage Loan
Cleary Gottlieb represented Goldman Sachs Mortgage Company in its origination of a $97 million mortgage loan to affiliates of DiamondRock Hospitality Company. The fixed rate loan is secured by the Renaissance Waverly Hotel, a 521-room hotel located within the Cobb County Convention Center development in Atlanta, Georgia. The loan funded on December 8.

Goldman Sachs Mortgage Company is the commercial mortgage lending affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. DiamondRock Hospitality Company is a self-advised real estate investment trust that is an owner and acquirer of premium hotel properties.

12-08-2006

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Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton, L.L.P.

China Gold Producer in HK$2.5 Billion IPO
Cleary Gottlieb represented the initial purchasers, led by UBS and Cazenove, in the HK$2.5 billion Reg S/Rule 144A initial public offering of ordinary shares of Zhaojin Mining Industry Company Limited. The global offering included a Hong Kong public offering with a listing on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and an offering to institutional investors elsewhere in the world. The global offering of ordinary shares closed on December 8.

Zhaojin is one of China’s leading gold producers, with exploration, mining, ore processing and smelting operations based in Shandong province in northern China.

12-08-2006

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Clark Hill PLC

Clark Hill PLC Expands in Grand Rapids
Clark Hill PLC law firm has announced the opening of its permanent office in downtown Grand Rapids, located at 200 Ottawa Street NW, Suite 500. The newly renovated space occupies 15,000 square feet, and will serve as the permanent location of the firm’s Grand Rapids office.

“This is an exciting time for our firm,” Grand Rapids managing member Ingrid Jensen said. “We are fully committed to investing in Grand Rapids and look forward to continuing our services to our clients and the community in an enhanced capacity with our new leading edge facility.”

The new office features several technology advances, including Voice-Over-Internet phones, enhanced research capabilities and a web based document management system.

“We partner with our clients to help with not only their legal matters, but their whole approach to business,” Jensen said. “Throughout our new facility planning phase, we assessed the needs of our clients, and look forward to being able to offer enhanced services.”

Clark Hill’s new office officially opens December 11, and the firm plans to host an open house for clients, friends and community members in early spring. The firm originally opened its Grand Rapids office in February, 2006.

Clark Hill PLC Grand Rapids offers a full range of legal services with a concentration on business, litigation, municipal, personal legal services and education. Sixteen attorneys currently work out of the Grand Rapids office. In addition to Ingrid Jensen, attorneys David W. Centner, Rebecca J. Dukes, Marshall W. Grate, Karen Kostbade, Gregory N. Longworth, Douglas J. Rasmussen, Linda L. Rittersdorf, Barbara A. Ruga, John P. Schneider, Scott G. Smith, Roger A. Swets, Steven J. Tjapkes, Stephen D. Turner, Jeffrey J. Van Winkle, and James L. Wernstrom also work in the Grand Rapids office.

12-08-2006

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