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Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, L.L.P.

Richard Helmreich named to 2007 ERISA Advisory Council
Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently announced the appointment of Richard Helmreich to the 2007 Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, also known as the ERISA Advisory Council. The 15-member council provides advice to the Department of Labor on policies and regulations affecting employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Helmreich and the other members are selected by the Secretary of Labor and appointed for staggered three-year terms. This appointment is one of the most distinguished honors that can be bestowed on professionals in the Employee Benefits community.

Helmreich is a partner in the Corporate Department of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur and is the Chair of the firm's Employee Benefits Practice Group. Helmreich regularly counsels clients on sophisticated business transactions and provides strategic advice concerning all types of employee benefit plans, pension plans, health and welfare plans, nonqualified plans, executive compensation arrangements, and equity-based incentive programs.

05-04-2007

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Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Farella Braun + Martel Awards Five 2007 Diversity Scholarships To Bay Area Law School Students
Farella Braun + Martel LLP has awarded its annual Diversity Scholarships to five first-year students at Bay Area law schools. Each student received $5,000 for a total of $25,000. Since FBM's Diversity Scholarship Program began in 2001, the firm has awarded more than $120,000 in scholarships to 29 law students from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law; University of California, Davis, School of Law; Golden Gate University School of Law; University of California, Hastings College of the Law; Stanford Law School; and the University of San Francisco, School of Law.

The scholarships are offered each year to first-year law students from socially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. The recipients are selected based on personal and academic accomplishments, financial need, and demonstrated leadership and commitment to serving the legal profession, the community and the public interest.

"We are excited to award this impressive and promising group of students well-deserved scholarships that will assist them in continuing their legal careers. The recipients have demonstrated commendable efforts to serve underrepresented communities and contribute greatly to the legal profession," said Jennifer Peneyra, Recruiting and Diversity Manager. "As a firm, we understand the importance of diversity and its presence in the legal industry. We are thrilled to give back and assist this deserving group of law school students with Diversity Scholarships. We are also proud to have been honored this year, as a result of our long-standing commitment to this and other programs advancing diversity interests, as one of the ‘Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity' from Multicultural Law magazine."

Farella Braun + Martel's Diversity Committee focuses its efforts on promoting diversity within the firm, in the legal profession, and in the community at large. Through educational workshops on diversity awareness, roundtable discussions, and other events directed to increase diversity within the firm, the Diversity Committee strives to foster an environment where everyone has equal access to opportunities for personal and professional growth. The Diversity Committee also extends its support for diversity to the community by contributing to local and national organizations that advance diversity issues, sponsoring minority law student groups, providing scholarships and internships for diverse students, participation in "pipeline" programs to promote diversity in the legal profession, and pro bono legal assistance to people from diverse communities and disadvantaged backgrounds.

The five recipients of the 2007 Farella Braun + Martel Diversity Scholarships are:

Jessica Brown is enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and is an article editor on the Submissions Team for the Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice. She is also a member of the Law Students of African Descent and the Boalt Hall Committee on Human Rights. Prior to law school, Brown worked at the War Crimes Studies Center at UC Berkeley, and interned at the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence and the Institute for Mental Health Initiatives. While working toward her undergraduate degree, Brown volunteered at the St. Francis House Soup Kitchen and mentored students through the After School Kids' (ASK) Program. She presently serves as a mentor for minority law school applicants through the Boalt Hall Admissions Office. This summer, Brown will work as a legal intern with the Center for Social Development.

Vina Ha attends the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and is a member of the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association and the Berkeley Business Law Journal. He has worked as a program coordinator at the Asian Community Mental Health Services Center, as a program manager at the UCLA Labor Center, and most recently, as a program manager at The Greenlining Institute, a public policy think tank and coalition. Ha currently volunteers at the Immigration Law Clinic and organizes fundraising events for social causes related to low-income and minority issues. He has also ventured into the field of entertainment, serving as a committee member for the Center for Asian American Media, producing documentaries on student activism and public policy issues, and performing as a DJ at numerous venues. Ha will spend this summer working as a summer associate at the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Jaime Hernandez is enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, where he serves on the Executive Board of the Boalt Hall Queer Caucus and represents the organization on the Center for Social Justice Student Advisory Board. He is also a member of the Boalt Hall Healthcare Law Society and University Allies for Essential Medicine. As an undergraduate student at the University of Miami, Hernandez served as the executive vice-president and treasurer of the University's College Democrats, as the executive board advisor for Amnesty International and UNICEF, and as an executive board member for the University of Miami Philosophy Club. He volunteered at the Camillus House, a non-profit shelter and medical care facility for homeless people, and Care Resources, a non-profit organization serving low-income HIV-positive individuals. He currently volunteers at the California Asylum Representation Clinic. Hernandez is the first person in his immediate family to earn a college degree and attend law school.

Samorn Selim is a student at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law and is the summer grants coordinator for the Berkeley Law Foundation. She is also a member of the Berkeley Journal of Employment Labor Law, the Asian American Law Journal, and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. Selim has served as a mentor through the Youth Support Program and as the program coordinator at Web of Encouragement, where she developed and implemented a workshop to assist underserved junior and senior high school students with post-graduate opportunities. She has volunteered at the Hospice of San Joaquin, interned with the San Joaquin County Superior Court Family Law Division, and participates in the California Asylum Representation Clinic. She is the first person in her immediate family to earn a college degree and attend law school. Selim will work this summer as a consumer rights intern with the Federal Trade Commission.

Devanand Singh attends the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and is a member of the University's Business and Technology Group, Association of Communications, Sports and Entertainment Law, South Asian Law Students Association and the South Asian Bar Association. Prior to law school, Singh attended Stanford University, where he served on the Executive Board of the Stanford Pre-Law Society, and was the marketing director for both the Asia Technology Initiative and the Stanford Concert Network. He also interned with the Stanford Technology Law Review and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. Singh has volunteered at the Stanford Community Law Clinic, where he worked on the Restaurant Workers' Rights Project to increase knowledge for workers' rights and awareness of unethical business practices of restaurants employing undocumented workers.

05-04-2007

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Crowell & Moring LLP

Crowell & Moring's Wilma Lewis Elected to American Arbitration Association Board of Directors
Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that partner Wilma A. Lewis was elected to the American Arbitration Association's (AAA) Board of Directors at its annual meeting held in New York on April 30, 2007. Lewis was one of six distinguished business and legal professionals to be named to the board. AAA is a not-for-profit, public service organization and the world's leading provider of conflict management and dispute resolution services.

A partner in the firm’s Litigation Group, Lewis has extensive litigation experience at the federal trial and appellate levels, and focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, including class actions as well as internal investigations. Prior to joining Crowell & Moring, she served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia — the first woman appointed by the President to serve in that capacity. During her tenure from January 1998 to April 2001, she led the largest U.S. Attorney's Office in the country, with responsibility for most federal and local criminal investigations and prosecutions, and most federal civil proceedings on behalf of the United States in the Nation’s Capital. From April 1995 to January 1998, she served as Inspector General for the U.S. Department of the Interior — the first African-American to hold that position — where she oversaw investigative and audit activities designed to ferret out fraud, waste and mismanagement in Department of the Interior programs and operations. Her public service also included her tenure as Associate Solicitor for the Division of General Law at the U.S. Department of the Interior (1993-1995). The recipient of numerous commendations and awards, Lewis currently serves as chair of the DC Board of Elections and Ethics.

Lewis was elected to the AAA's Board of Directors with five other distinguished business and legal professionals including: Gonzalo Biggs - partner at Figueroa & Valenzuela in Santiago, Chile; Harold Hongju Koh - Dean and Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale Law School; Carole Malinvaud - partner at Gide Loyrette Nouel in Paris; Tim Martin - Vice President & Special Counsel at Nexen; and Francis McGovern - professor of Law at Duke University School of Law.

05-04-2007

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Choate Hall & Stewart LLP

Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP Honored in Boston Business Journal's Fifth Annual “Best Places to Work”
Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP today announced that it has been honored by the Boston Business Journal as one of the 2007 “Best Places to Work” in Massachusetts in its fifth annual awards program. The honor recognizes the company’s achievements in creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions, and company culture. This is the second year in a row that Choate has made the Boston Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” list.

Choate, Hall & Stewart was one of 328 companies nominated – a 40 percent increase in nominees over 2006 – and made the top 20 list in its size category (midsize 101-500 employees) based on the results of employee-engagement surveys taken throughout the spring. Companies were evaluated on the results of more than 25,000 employee-satisfaction surveys. Employees answered questionnaires that addressed such factors as their pride in the company, company encouragement, support and recognition of achievement, and relationships with co-workers and supervisors. The results were analyzed and scored by assigning points to each question.

“It is a great honor to once again be named one of the “Best Places to Work” in the state. We have a dedicated and talented staff and we work hard to foster a positive work environment that reflects our commitment to excellence in our own workplace and for clients,” said William Gelnaw and John Nadas, Choate, Hall & Stewart’s managing partners.

“With the hiring market so tight, a quality workplace truly is a competitive advantage. Employees respond to a flexible yet challenging culture and company leaders who lead by example,” said Boston Business Journal Editor George Donnelly. “Employees are proud to work for companies that are about more than just business.

05-04-2007

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Brown, Raysman, Millstein, Felder & Steiner, L.L.P.

New York Partner Robert MacPherson to Serve as Chair Elect of ABA Forum on the Construction Industry
The American Bar Association Forum on the Construction Industry has chosen New York-based Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP partner Robbie MacPherson to serve as Chair Elect for the coming one-year term. The Forum is the world's largest organization for construction lawyers.

Mr. MacPherson has served the ABA Construction Forum for over a decade, first as a rank-and-file member, then rising to Division Chair, Program Chair, Governing Committee member, and, most recently, Chair of the Alternative CLE Committee.

"We're all tremendously proud of Robbie," said John Heisse, chair of Thelen's Construction and Government Construction Department. "He is extremely well respected as a leader within the ABA, and this nomination is testimony to that. This reflects well on the firm, as a whole, and our New York construction practice, in particular."

Mr. MacPherson's nomination became official following a voice vote at the Forum's Annual Meeting in April 2007. Once formally elected, he will commence his one-year term as Chair Elect in August 2007, then serve as Chair for a full year, and then as Immediate Past Chair during the year following.

Thelen's involvement with the ABA Forum on the Construction Industry is long and deep. Currently, Washington, DC managing partner Andy Ness also serves on the Forum's Governing Committee. Additionally, New York Construction partner Jeffrey Cruz was recently named Editor of the Forum's newsletter, Under Construction. Previously, Jeff co-authored "Hard Hat Case Notes," a column in the Forum's other major publication, The Construction Lawyer, for which Washington, DC partner John Ralls serves as Assistant Editor.

Thelen has a long history as a leading Construction law firm. In 2007, the firm has been named "Global Construction Law Firm of the Year" by Who's Who Legal.

05-04-2007

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Brown, Raysman, Millstein, Felder & Steiner, L.L.P.

Thelen Team Assists MDU Resources Group in $634 Million Asset Sale
Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP has assisted Centennial Energy Resources LLC, a subsidiary of longtime firm client MDU Resources Group, Inc., in inking a definitive agreement to sell its independent power production portfolio to Montana Acquisition Company LLC for approximately $600 million. Montana will also assume some $34 million in project-related debt in the transaction.

As part of the deal, Montana will also acquire MDU's Colorado Energy Management, a business unit that provides design, construction, operation, and maintenance services to energy providers. A privately held energy concern, Montana is partnered in the deal with multibillion-dollar private equity fund Natural Gas Partners VIII LP.

The transaction is scheduled to close in June and will be the largest in MDU's long history. Proceeds from the sale will be used to fund MDU's acquisition of Cascade Natural Gas Corp. and provide additional cash for growth opportunities in MDU's core lines of business.

Centennial Power's generating assets include 603 MW of electric generating capacity located in Montana, Colorado, California, and Georgia. The assets are fully contracted under mid- to long-term power purchase and sale agreements, and include coal-fired, natural gas-fired, and wind-powered generation. Goldman Sachs also conducted a hotly contested, four-month competitive bidding auction of these assets on behalf of MDU.

Thelen’s firm-wide MDU team was led by New York managing partner Doug Davidson and also included partners Michael Weinstein (NY, Tax), Jarrett Fugh (SF, Real Estate), Lisa Cole (SV, IP), and Phil Lookadoo (DC, Regulatory), as well as New York Business and Finance associates Jennifer Goldberg, Tim Gladden, Binh-Minh Ha, and Emily Lewis, and TMC associate Craig Conte.

05-04-2007

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Thompson & Knight LLP

T&K Attorney Appointed to Texas Woman's University Board of Regents
The international law firm of Thompson & Knight is pleased to congratulate Partner P. Mike McCullough on his appointment to the Texas Woman's University Board of Regents. Texas Governor Rick Perry's appointment of Mr. McCullough, for a term to expire February 1, 2013, was confirmed by the Senate May 1, 2007.

Mr. McCullough focuses his practice on estate planning and probate law, fiduciary administration, federal income tax matters, charitable planned giving, and the representation of tax-exempt organizations, including private foundations. He is Board Certified in Estate Planning and Probate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America since 1987. Mr. McCullough currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Texas Woman's University Foundation and on the Board of Directors for the Children's Health Services of Texas, Salvation Army of Dallas-Fort Worth, Dallas Symphony Foundation, The Meadows Foundation, and Callier Foundation. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a member of the State Bar of Texas, and a member of the Dallas Bar Association. He earned his B.B.A. degree from Baylor University and law degree from The University of Texas School of Law.

About Texas Woman's University

Texas Woman's University (TWU) is the nation's largest university primarily for women. Its four Texas campuses in Denton, Dallas, and Houston are joined by a fifth "e-Learning" campus that offers innovative on-line degree programs in business, education, and general studies. Six consecutive semesters of enrollment growth have produced a record enrollment of 11,353 students. TWU ranks ninth in the nation in doctoral degrees awarded in the health sciences and produces more new nurses than any other program in Texas.

05-04-2007

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