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Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, LLP

Willkie Advises Pardus Capital in the $2.55 Billion Investment Commitment For Delphi Corp.
It was announced that auto parts manufacturer Delphi Corp. has accepted a new proposal for an Equity Purchase and Commitment Agreement with affiliates of lead investor Appaloosa Management L.P.; Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I, Ltd.; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc.; UBS Securities LLC; Goldman Sachs & Co.; and Willkie client Pardus Capital Management, L.P. (the "Plan Investors") to invest up to $2.55 billion in preferred and common equity in the reorganized Delphi. The investment, which remains subject to approval by the Bankruptcy Court, is expected to support the company's previously announced transformation plan and its plan of reorganization.

Under the terms of the Equity Purchase and Commitment Agreement, the Plan Investors will commit to purchase $800 million of convertible preferred stock and approximately $175 million of common stock in the reorganized company. They will also commit to purchasing any unsubscribed shares of common stock in connection with an approximately $1.6 billion rights offering that will be made available to existing common stockholders subject to approval of the Bankruptcy Court and satisfaction of other terms and conditions. The Investment Agreement also reflects Delphi's earlier pledge to continue its salaried and hourly defined benefit U.S. pension plans and provides for fulfilling required contributions to the plans that were not made in full during the Chapter 11 process.

Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Delphi Corp. is a leading global supplier of mobile electronics and transportation systems, including powertrain, safety, steering, thermal, and controls & security systems, electrical/electronic architecture, and in-car entertainment technologies. With sales of $26.4 billion in 2006, it has approximately 171,000 employees and operates 159 wholly owned manufacturing sites in 36 countries.

The matter is being handled by partners Myron Trepper, Rachel Strickland, Morgan Elwyn, and Robert Stebbins; and associates Brain Guiney, Jeffrey Letalien and Jeffery Fang.

07-23-2007

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White & Case, LLP

Largest-ever M&A Transaction in Islamic Banking
White & Case is advising National Commercial Bank ("NCB"), the largest bank by total assets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in its acquisition of a 60 percent equity stake in Turkish Islamic bank Türkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi ("Türkiye Finans") for approximately $1.08 billion. Türkiye Finans is currently owned by two of Turkey's leading industrial groups, food processing company Ulker and conglomerate Boydak, which will both retain a 20 percent equity stake following the acquisition. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2008. The deal is the latest in a long line of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Turkish banking sector.

Türkiye Finans is Turkey's leading Participation Bank. Participation Banks are Shari'a-compliant banks that do not charge or pay interest on loans or deposits but offer clients "participation" in their profits. Türkiye Finans currently has 124 branches and had assets at the end of last year of $2.9 billion.

"Levels of foreign direct investment in Turkey have increased significantly in the last five years and FDI inflows currently account for approximately 4.5 percent of GDP. In particular we are seeing a broadening of the international investor base. Specifically, there has been an upsurge in FDI from the Middle East since 2005, with NCB being the latest player to enter the Turkish market," commented Emre Derman, lead White & Case partner advising NCB. "The banking sector has been on the receiving end of large sums of overseas investment in the last three years, but the number of domestically held equity stakes in Turkish banks available for sale is now diminishing. Although there are still opportunities for secondary purchases of equity stakes already held by other international financial institutions, other industries are likely to be the focus of the next phase of foreign investment, with insurance, energy and real estate being the most obvious candidates."

The White & Case team advising NCB was led by partner Emre Derman, working closely with associates Robert Shukru Icsezen, Gupse Unlucetinkaya, Ebru Ince and Ahu Yalgin.

07-23-2007

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Vinson & Elkins L.L.P.

V&E Congratulates Journalists for Silver Gavel Honors
In 1958, the American Bar Association presented its first ever Silver Gavel Award to Sidney Lumet for his movie classic Twelve Angry Men.

In the 50 years since, the ABA Silver Gavel has become one of the most prestigious awards honoring journalists, authors, broadcasters and producers for their efforts to improve public education and understanding of America’s legal system. Winners have included Judgment at Nuremberg, To Kill a Mockingbird, and long-time CBS Newsman Fred Friendly’s book, Minnesota Rag.

Vinson & Elkins LLP is proud to sponsor the ABA Silver Gavel Awards presentation, which will be held Tuesday, July 24, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. V&E would like to congratulate the following honorees:

Keith Beauchamp, who produced and directed The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. This gripping documentary tells the story of the 14-year-old African-American from Chicago who was abducted from his great uncle’s house, brutally beaten, and shot to death. The movie also features an interview with Till’s mother, who courageously demanded that her son’s casket be open at his funeral for the world to see what the racist killers had done to her son.

Joseph Margulies, a lawyer/law professor, who authored Guantanamo and the Abuse of Presidential Power. This book examines the constitutional issues that have confronted America following the terrorist attacks in 2001. It also showcases the role of lawyers who have tackled politically unpopular causes, mostly without pay, in an effort to protect basic civil liberties.

Maximillian Potter, a journalist at Denver’s city magazine, 5280, who researched and wrote an amazing article titled Nobody’s Hero. This article focused on how a federal law requiring employers to give U.S. reservists and members of the National Guard jobs that are the same or equal when they return from their military service is not being enforced and the devastating impact it has had on the lives of those who served our country.

King County Bar Association, which won in the New Media category for its innovative and informative web site, www.votingforjudges.org. The bar joined with a coalition of nonpartisan organizations to provide public information to voters during a hotly contested judicial election.

Charlie Savage, the national legal affairs writer for the Boston Globe, who authored a series of articles in 2006 that introduced Americans to a previously unexamined procedure called "signing statements." Mr. Savage revealed that minutes after President Bush publicly signed a law sponsored by Sen. John McCain banning the torture of detainees, the president issued a "signing statement" in which the executive branch can ignore or bypass provisions in the law that it believes are invalid. The articles examined the history of "signing statements," including the dramatic increased use of the procedure under President Bush.

Ari Shapiro, a reporter for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., who provided listeners with a riveting report on how indigent defendants in Louisiana became lost in the justice system in the weeks and months following Hurricane Katrina. The story features a man arrested for unpaid parking tickets forced to spend several days in jail without food and water, then beaten by guards when he request to be released.

"These outstanding journalists have utilized their respective media outlets to better educate the public about the internal workings of the legal system," says Mike Raiff, a V&E lawyer in Dallas who represents media companies such as the New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and CBS News on various First Amendment issues. "The ABA Silver Gavel Awards encourage more coverage of the courts and legal system."

This is the second year that Vinson & Elkins has sponsored the ABA Silver Gavel Awards. V&E Communications Director Mark Curriden is a member of the ABA's Silver Gavel Committee and won the Silver Gavel Award in 2000 for his book, Contempt of Court: A Turn-of-the-Century Lynching That Launched A Hundred Years of Federalism.

The 2007 Silver Gavel Awards will be presented to the recipients on Tuesday, July 24, by ABA President Karen Mathis at a special program at the National Press Club, which is located at 529 14th Street, NW, Washington,

07-23-2007

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Thelen, Reid, Brown, Raysman & Steiner, LLP

Thelen Represents Next-Generation Biofuels Company Gevo in Green Investment from Virgin
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner has represented cutting-edge biofuels company Gevo, Inc. in a significant strategic investment from Virgin Fuels, a new green energy affiliate of Virgin Air.

Virgin now joins legendary venture capitalist and biofuels advocate Vinod Khosla as a backer of Gevo's revolutionary new biofuels process. Virgin founder Richard Branson has stated an interest in using biofuels to run his company's fleet of commercial jetliners. Virgin Fuels was founded last year with a mission to invest $400 million in cleaner, alternative forms of energy in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions.

The financing transaction, which was completed on July 16, involved the sale of Series B Preferred Stock for a cash investment of undisclosed size. Gevo was represented in the deal by Los Angeles Business and Finance partner Stephen Rothman, with assistance from Technology, Media, and Communications attorney Ayan Kayal.

"This transaction is a good example of both Thelen's strong position in the alternative energy field and its leading representation of university spinout companies," said Mr. Rothman.

Gevo was established in 2005 based on breakthrough research conducted at the California Institute of Technology by company founders Frances Arnold, Matthew Peters, and Peter Meinhold, who genetically modified microorganisms in order to produce butanol and other new biofuels more efficiently. This technique is now being developed by the rapidly growing Gevo along with a fermentation process for producing butanol from agricultural crops. As a transportation fuel, butanol is less corrosive than ethanol, can be used in existing engines and pipelines without first mixing it with gasoline, and produces no net increase in greenhouse gases.

Thelen serves as general outside counsel to Gevo. Silicon Valley IP partner Robert Krebs and associates Theresa Takeuchi and Jonathan Passner work to protect Gevo's exclusive patents.

New York partner JoAnne Adlerstein deals with immigration issues for the company; partner Monica Richman and associate Lori Harrison handle its trademarks; and partner Brian Gallagher deals with its tax matters.

07-23-2007

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Pepper Hamilton, L.L.P.

Pepper Hamilton Expands Commercial Litigation Practice Group: Jan P. Levine and Robin P. Sumner Join Firm
Pepper Hamilton LLP announced that two commercial litigators—Jan P. Levine, a leader in health care and related complex litigation, and Robin P. Sumner, who concentrates on antitrust and other complex commercial litigation matters—have joined the firm as partners in the Philadelphia office.

“Jan and Robin are superb litigators and an excellent fit for our commercial litigation practice,” said Robert E. Heideck, Pepper’s executive partner. “Part of our strategic initiative is to expand our commercial litigation capabilities, and these two lawyers are strong additions to the practice. We’re delighted they have chosen to join Pepper, and we look forward to working with them both.”

Ms. Levine and Ms. Sumner joined Pepper from Dechert LLP in Philadelphia, where Ms. Levine was a litigation partner and chair of that firm’s health law group. Ms. Sumner was a partner in the antitrust/competition group and the financial services and securities litigation law group.

Ms. Levine’s practice includes a wide range of commercial litigation. She advises health care entities on antitrust issues, and defends institutions and individuals against allegations of antitrust violations. Ms. Levine negotiates and litigates disputes between payors and providers, analyzes insurance coverage issues, and litigates coverage disputes. She represents clients in director and officer liability claims, in physician disciplinary and staff privileging hearings, and in peer review, contract and bylaw matters.

Active in the legal community, Ms. Levine is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association’s Antitrust and Health Law sections. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1980) and Temple University School of Law (J.D. 1985).

Ms. Sumner focuses her practice on antitrust matters and other complex civil litigation, including class actions and multi-district litigation. She also has represented health care providers in a variety of matters, including cases alleging antitrust and False Claims Act violations and insurance coverage disputes. She is a graduate of Brown University (A.B. 1992) and the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law (J.D. 1998).

“I am happy to be a part of Pepper’s growth,” said Ms. Sumner. “I’m pleased to be able to work on a variety of litigation matters, and I am excited to develop my practice.”

Ms. Levine added, “I look forward to expanding and strengthening long-term client relationships and fostering new ones based on the talents and capabilities of attorneys across the firm’s practices.”

So far this year, nine lateral commercial litigation partners have joined Pepper.

07-23-2007

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Gray, Plant & Mooty

Jud DeLoss Joins Gray Plant Mooty’s Health Law and Nonprofit Organizations Practice Groups
The law firm of Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce that Gerald “Jud” E. DeLoss has joined the firm’s Minneapolis office. As a principal in GPM’s Health Law and Nonprofit Organizations practice groups, DeLoss focuses his practice on representing medical providers in health information technology, HIPAA, fraud and abuse issues, transactions, and regulatory compliance.

“Jud is a strong addition to our growing health law practice,” says Jennifer Reedstrom Bishop, chair of GPM’s Health Law practice group, “and his experience and leadership in health information technology (HIT) issues will further strengthen our privacy and HIT practice.”

DeLoss received his J.D., with distinction, from the University of North Dakota School of Law and his B.A., with a double major in management and marketing, from the University of North Dakota. He is a member of the Minnesota, North Dakota, Maine, and South Carolina Bar Associations. DeLoss is a member of the American Bar Association’s Health Law section and also serves as vice chair of the American Health Lawyers Association’s Health Information & Technology practice group.

07-23-2007

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Clark Hill PLC

Clark Hill Attorney Ada Snyder Kerwin to Present at Institute for Continuing Legal Education
Clark Hill attorney Ada Snyder Kerwin will present at the Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s 6th Annual Family Law Institute on November 1 at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. Kerwin will speak as part of the “Tax Law for Dummies” panel discussion at 3:45 p.m.

More information on the program and registration can be obtained at www.icle.org/family

Kerwin is a Member in Clark Hill’s Birmingham office and focuses her practice exclusively in the area of family law. Kerwin holds a Masters degree in clinical psychology, and as a psychologist she specialized in family therapy working with individuals, couples and families. Prior to specializing in Family Law, Kerwin practiced criminal defense in federal and Michigan courts. Kerwin was admitted to the State Bar of Michigan in 1983.

Kerwin has completed extensive training in domestic relations mediation and collaborative law. She is experienced in litigation, mediation and collaborating with other professionals to serve the best interests of the family.

Kerwin earned her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and her J.D. from Wayne State University.

07-23-2007

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