Law Firm News

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Law Firm News

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Piper Rudnick, L.L.P.

DLA Piper advises Bank of Scotland Corporate on £925m acquisition with London & regional properties of David Lloyd Leisure Ltd
"DLA Piper UK LLP has advised Bank of Scotland Corporate on its joint acquisition with London & Regional Properties of David Lloyd Leisure Ltd from Whitbread Plc for £925 million. The acquisition vehicle, called Versaille Bidco Ltd, is jointly owned by London & Regional Properties and Bank of Scotland Corporate.

In what was a highly competitive sale process for one of the UK’s premiere leisure assets, DLA Piper worked with Versaille Bidco Ltd to deliver the most attractive offer to Whitbread Plc, beating interest from a number of trade and financial buyers.

The DLA Piper team was led by corporate partner Mel Sims, with assistance from Julian Mathews (Corporate), Ed Griffiths (Corporate) and Alex Griffiths (Banking).

The deal was put together in a very tight time scale and will see the consortium integrate the business with Next Generation Clubs, which will create the leading racquets, health and fitness club group in the UK. The combined entity will operate 77 clubs in the UK and a further 10 sites across Europe, with two new clubs due to open later this year.

Completion is expected to occur in August 2007 and the combined business will be run by the Next Generation Clubs’ management team led by current CEO Scott Lloyd.

Mel Sims, partner at DLA Piper, commented: ""We are delighted to have acted for Bank of Scotland Corporate on this high profile transaction which exchanged in the same week that we will be acting for them on their realisation of their investment in Red Funnel Group - the Southampton/Isle of Wight Ferry operator secondary buy out which they supported, and we acted on, in May 2004.""

David Lloyd Leisure Ltd was founded in 1982 by David Lloyd and sold to Whitbread in 1995, who continued to grow the business by rolling out new sites in the UK and Europe. Next Generation Clubs was founded in 1996 by Scott Lloyd and was acquired by London & Regional Properties in 2006. Both businesses specialise in providing a range of premium health activities, including racquet sports, swimming pools and gyms, with additional services including health and beauty spas, crèche facilities, restaurants and bars.

The DLA Piper team was led by corporate partner Mel Sims, with assistance from Julian Mathews (Corporate), Ed Griffiths (Corporate) and Alex Griffiths (Banking)."

06-04-2007

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Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP

Paul Hastings Expands Finance and Restructuring Practice With Addition of Internationally Recognized Bank Regulatory Team
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP, a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that John Douglas and Chris Daniel, previously at Alston & Bird LLP, have joined the firm's finance and restructuring practice, resident in the Atlanta office. Mr. Douglas, formerly the chair of the bank regulatory practice at Alston & Bird LLP and former General Counsel of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, joins as partner. He will lead Paul Hastings' global bank regulatory practice. Mr. Daniel will be joining as Of Counsel.

Douglas and Daniel's practice focuses on the regulation of financial institutions, on mergers and acquisitions and other transactions involving banks and thrifts, and on advising officers, directors and shareholders in such institutions. In addition, Douglas and Daniel head one of the leading payment systems practices in the United States, advising clients on various payment system issues which arise in the context of the increasing electronification of payments such as credit and debit cards, stored value cards, money transmissions, the ACH network and electronic bill payment.

"Adding a top bank regulatory practice is the next strategic step in the expansion of our leading finance and restructuring practice," said John Hilson, Finance and Restructuring Practice Chair. "Douglas is an internationally recognized attorney with unparalleled experience in the regulation of financial institutions. He and his team have deep expertise in bank regulatory matters and are leaders in the rapidly growing payment systems area. The unique combination of their practice capabilities allows us to broaden our service offerings and will enhance the firm's financial services client base."

"I am tremendously excited to join Paul Hastings," says Douglas. "With its premier global platform and commitment to excellence, Paul Hastings presents an incredible opportunity for our team to represent global clients in their most complex and challenging matters."

Douglas has advised financial institutions such as Wachovia Corporation in its acquisition of CoreStates Financial Corp. and First Fidelity Bancorporation and Westcorp. He also assisted Bank of America in its strategic alliance and outsourcing venture to provide electronic bill payment and presentment. He represented a consortium of 18 of the nation's largest banks and a technology company to form the largest provider of home banking services and assisted six major international banks and a card association in the formation of a major global payments processing company.

Douglas is a director of the Financial Services Volunteer Corp., a member of the Financial Markets Tribunal of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, and a member of the Executive Committee of the University of North Carolina Law School's Banking Law Symposium. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Euromoney's Guide to the World's Best Banking Lawyers, Law Business Research's An International Who's Who of Banking Lawyers and The Financial Times' Who's Who Legal International (Banking). He was recently named to the "BTI Client Service All-Star Team," a group of 113 lawyers recognized for exceptional service to Fortune 100 clients.

Daniel's practice focuses on financial institutions and other companies participating in the nation's banking and payment systems. He regularly advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, bank regulatory matters, and payment systems issues. He is a frequent lecturer on matters relating to payment systems and on issues related to the issuance of stored value cards and data breaches. He serves on the Board of Editors for the Journal of Payment Systems Law.

About Paul Hastings Corporate Practice: Teams of Paul Hastings' corporate lawyers provide clients with the sophisticated, cross-border legal and business expertise they need to finance and operate companies. The firm's Securities and Capital Markets, M&A, Bankruptcy and Restructuring, Lending, Project Finance, Private Equity, and Investment Management practices are nationally and internationally ranked. Paul Hastings' lawyers are experienced in every aspect of modern transactional practice in virtually every industry and service sector. Clients include major financial institutions, domestic, international, public and private companies.

06-04-2007

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Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP

Paul Hastings Advises Apollo Real Estate in its £445 Million Acquisition of The 160-Unit Telford Shopping Centre
Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP ("Paul Hastings"), a leading international law firm, has advised Apollo Real Estate in its £445 million acquisition of the 160-unit Telford shopping centre in Shropshire, England.

Telford Shopping Centre is one of the major shopping centres in the region with 160 stores including Marks & Spencer, Zara, Debenhams and Beatties - a House of Fraser store.

The deal is structured as an indirect acquisition of ownership interests and will be financed by RBS. The seller is Universities Superannuation Fund.

Paul Hastings regularly represents Apollo in transactions in the UK and across Europe including the ppurchase and subsequent sale of The Arcades Shopping Centre, Ashton under Lyne and The Forge, Glasgow.

The Paul Hastings team was led by partners Mark Eagan and Emma Bucknall from the Real Estate practice, Keith Wilson from the Finance practice and Justin Hamer on tax and structuring.

06-04-2007

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Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.

White Collar Litigation Group Joins Fulbright
Three former U.S. Department of Justice attorneys, who focus on white collar defense, joined Fulbright & Jaworski’s international litigation and dispute resolution practice on Monday.

Richard C. Smith, Alexandre H. Rene and Guy D. Singer come to Fulbright’s Washington, D.C. office from Akerman Senterfitt. All three previously worked in various high-ranking positions in the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. Smith served as the Acting Chief and Principal Deputy Chief for Litigation.

“We’re in an age of heightened scrutiny of corporate conduct,� said Steven B. Pfeiffer, chair of Fulbright’s Executive Committee. “Previously, such scrutiny focused on the civil aspects of alleged wrongdoing. Now, the focus is on personal responsibility. This expanded scrutiny requires corporate leaders and directors to be more vigilant and makes the legal insights offered by those who formerly prosecuted these cases invaluable to our clients.�

Smith left the Fraud Section in November 2005 to enter private practice. He was known within the Justice Department for his “real-time prosecutions� that set out to ensure a quick investigation and prosecution of corporate fraud matters. Smith was the government’s lead attorney in the first case prosecuted under Sarbanes-Oxley. The trial culminated from an investigation led by Smith. The investigation resulted in 17 convictions.

While at the Justice Department, Smith also served as counsel to the Director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas. During his six years in Houston, Smith worked with former Fulbright Partner and U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby, who passed away last year following a battle with cancer.

“We have found a home for our practice at Fulbright,� Smith said. “Fulbright has an international reputation for its exceptional litigators, and we are proud to become a part of a trial practice with such a rich history. Fulbright’s broad array of practice areas will assist white collar clients who face investigations that do not occur in a vacuum. There are often parallel proceedings, such as administrative and civil enforcement actions, that happen simultaneously.�

Rene, who joins Fulbright as a partner along with Smith, entered private practice a year before Smith. Rene served as a trial attorney for two years in the Department of Justice’s Fraud Section; spent four years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in D.C.; and three years as an assistant state attorney in the Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s Office.

While with the Justice Department, Rene investigated and prosecuted white collar cases involving bribery, bank fraud, money laundering, securities fraud, obstruction of justice, perjury, mail and wire fraud, among others. He obtained guilty pleas from seven former apparel executives, for example, and has tried more than 100 cases at the federal and state levels throughout the U.S.

Singer comes to Fulbright as senior counsel. He is licensed to practice only in Florida and Pennsylvania. While his application for admission to the District of Columbia Bar is pending, his practice will be directly supervised by Smith and Rene. Singer spent nine years as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s Miami-Dade County State Attorney’s office. In 2001, he became a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida and joined the Justice Department’s Fraud Section in 2003 as a trial attorney. Singer was the Fraud Section’s lead prosecutor in the Abramoff investigation. In 2006, he went into private practice.

“The experience that Richard, Alex, and Guy bring will be a major boost to our white collar practice,� said Stephen C. Dillard, head of Fulbright’s worldwide litigation practice. “Each of these lawyers brings trial and investigations experience, as well as an understanding of both the prosecution and defense side of white collar cases. They are going to be a real success at Fulbright.�

Fulbright’s litigation strength stems from a proud history, which includes such giants of the profession as Leon Jaworski, Kraft Eidman and the firm’s co-founder, John Crooker, Sr. Fulbright’s litigation and dispute resolution practice has been a cornerstone of the firm since 1919.

“We believe Richard, Alex and Guy are excellent additions to our litigation capabilities,� said Joseph T. Small, the partner-in-charge of Fulbright’s Washington, D.C. office. “They are outstanding lawyers and individuals, who are a great addition to Fulbright, a firm where we value integrity and thrive on providing our clients with the highest quality service in a collegial atmosphere.

06-04-2007

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Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

Kelli L. Sager Named One of “50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America�
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is pleased to announce that Kelli L. Sager, a partner in the Los Angeles office, was named one of the “50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America,� by The National Law Journal (NLJ). Compiled from reader nominations as well as NLJ editors' own research, this list highlights women attorneys from around the country, whom NLJ describes as having, “demonstrated power to change the legal landscape, shape public affairs, launch industries, and do big things.�

Sager, a First Amendment and media law litigator, has been defending free-speech rights for more than 20 years, representing television, radio, motion picture, newspapers, book publishers, national magazines and new media producers, both at the trial and appellate levels of state and federal courts. Sager was spotlighted by NLJ for her continuing legal efforts in securing a U.S. Supreme Court copyright ruling as co-counsel in MGM v. Grokster and successfully challenging a California state law that would have permitted the automatic sealing of the divorce records in Marriage of Burkle. Last month, Sager was also recognized as one of the “Top 75 Women Litigators in California� by the Los Angeles Daily Journal.

06-04-2007

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Covington & Burling, P.C.

Covington Boosts Policyholder and Litigation Practices with Addition of Roger Enock
Roger Enock has been elected a partner of Covington & Burling LLP and will be resident in the firm’s London office, where he will be serving as Head of the European Policyholder Coverage Practice. Roger joins from the litigation and dispute resolution team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he had been a partner since 1992. His appointment brings the overall number of partners in Covington’s European offices to twenty.

Roger, an English-qualified solicitor, has a wealth of experience in a broad range of commercial litigation and arbitration disputes, with an emphasis on substantial cases in the insurance sector. Roger has handled a wide array of matters for corporate policyholders in connection with claims against their insurers. Some of his most significant cases include acting on behalf of Sony Pictures, Société Générale, and others in a series of claims against film financing insurers and representing a major European-based concern in relation to a large claim against insurers in Germany. Roger has also handled a number of internal and regulatory investigations, international and domestic arbitrations, and general commercial cases in the High Court.

Roger joins Covington’s international policyholder practice, which is recognized as a leader in handling matters for corporate policyholders in the US and the UK. For nearly 30 years, the firm’s US-based coverage practice has been recognized for its outstanding reputation and results. In the UK, Covington’s policyholder practice has established a particular reputation in representing large multinational policyholders in high-value international coverage arbitrations and in challenging insurers’ efforts to extinguish cover for current and future policyholder claims through so-called solvent schemes of arrangement. The firm has recently represented groups of corporate policyholders before the English High Court in successful challenges to such schemes of arrangement involving British Aviation and the WFUM pools. The firm has also assisted many policyholders in reaching favorable settlements with Equitas and London Market insurers. The firm is recommended in the latest edition of Legal 500 UK in both the “Insurance and reinsurance litigation: for policyholders only� and “Commercial Litigation� sections.

Roger commented: “I am delighted to be joining a US firm of Covington’s stature with a deserved reputation for excellence in the representation of its clients. I look forward to contributing to the realization of Covington’s ambitions for its European practice. I particularly look forward to building on Covington’s well-established reputation in both the UK and the US for representing policyholders in high-value disputes with their insurers.�

Stuart Stock, Chair of Covington’s Management Committee, said: “Roger has a terrific reputation in the market. We are extremely pleased that he has chosen to join us. His extensive experience as a litigator will be a great asset to the firm’s Policyholder Coverage and Dispute Resolution Groups, both in Europe and globally.�

Edward Britton, Managing Partner of Covington’s London office, added: “Covington is already well known in the UK market for representing policyholders in insurance coverage disputes. The appointment of a senior litigator of Roger’s standing, with his deep and sophisticated experience in insurance market disputes, will greatly strengthen our London-based capabilities in this strategically important sector. We are delighted to welcome Roger to the firm.

06-04-2007

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Covington & Burling, P.C.

Former Freshfields Partner Martin Wright Joins Covington’s London Office as an M&A Partner
Covington & Burling LLP announced today that Martin Wright, formerly a mergers and acquisitions partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, has joined the firm as partner in its London office. Martin will continue his practice in cross-border mergers and acquisitions for multinational corporations and in private equity transactions for buyers and sellers, and will become head of Covington’s European corporate practice.

At Freshfields, Martin developed a proven track record of handling complex cross border transactional matters for clients across a broad array of industries. He acted for, among others: DaimlerChrysler AG in the formation of European aerospace conglomerate EADS; Alcan Inc. in its sale of Péchiney Electrométallurgie SAS to Ferroátlantica SL; Smithfield Foods, Inc. in the acquisitions of the Jean Caby Group and the SBS Group; and TOTAL SA in its disposition of Sigma Kalon, its paints division that involved 120 companies in over forty jurisdictions worldwide.

Martin joins Simon Goodworth, an experienced senior private equity and mergers and acquisitions lawyer who leads the European private equity practice. Both Martin and Simon have acted for private equity fund buyers of companies as well as industry sellers of businesses to private equity firms.

Martin commented: “Covington is an outstanding firm with an excellent reputation worldwide. Its London office has a talented group of corporate lawyers that provides a base for expanding the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices. This is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to working with the firm’s many talented professionals and serving the firm’s stellar client base.�

Scott Smith, Co-Chair of Covington’s corporate group, commented: “We have had the pleasure of talking with half a dozen of Martin's clients and some of his former colleagues. They uniformly confirm that Martin is a deeply experienced cross-border M&A lawyer with exceptional abilities as a communicator and negotiator.�

Stuart Stock, Chair of Covington’s Management Committee, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Martin to Covington. He adds deep and broad experience to our corporate practice in London and represents a further, significant step in the development of our corporate practice in Europe and globally.�

Edward Britton, Managing Partner of Covington’s London office, added: “Martin’s considerable expertise will complement our existing corporate practice in Europe and further our ability to advise clients on complex cross border transactional matters. He is an excellent addition to the firm’s corporate group.

06-04-2007

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