Davis Polk & Wardwell was today named a “2008 Best Law Firm for Women” by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. The annual honor recognizes law firms whose policies take into account the issues that are most important to the retention and promotion of female lawyers.
Davis Polk was selected based on its initiatives in a number of areas, including family-friendly benefits, flexibility, leadership, compensation, and advancement and retention of women.
“Today nearly half of law school graduates are women. Law firms need to make a fundamental shift in their policies by instituting female- and family-friendly benefits as Davis Polk has done,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “We hope that by recognizing Davis Polk, who has already moved the needle, a paradigm shift will follow.”
“We hope other law firms will take notice of Davis Polk’s commitment to change, and competition will drive more creative ways to enhance work/life balance and improve the status of women in the profession,” said Deborah Epstein Henry, Founder and President, Flex-Time Lawyers LLC. Flex-Time Lawyers is a national consulting firm advising attorneys and legal employers on work/life balance.
Davis Polk is a long-time leader among major US firms in hiring and promoting women. In 1971, Davis Polk became one of the first Wall Street firms to elect a woman partner. Today, it is recognized as one of the most female-friendly firms in The Am Law 100, and its women lawyers lead numerous practice groups and committees throughout the firm.
Davis Polk was one of the first large firms to establish part-time and flextime policies for all lawyers. The policies are structured to meet the ever-changing needs of individual lawyers and the departments in which they work. At any given time, dozens of Davis Polk lawyers, including partners, are working on a reduced or flextime schedule at the firm.
“We are very pleased to be recognized for our successful efforts in creating a workplace that accommodates the needs of women and families,” said Davis Polk partner Carey Dunne, a member of the firm’s management committee. “As a firm, we continually strive to identify and establish practices that enable all of our lawyers to balance their careers with family responsibilities and other personal interests. As a result, Davis Polk offers wide-ranging flexibility in career paths and work arrangements, while maintaining the unsurpassed level of service and excellence that we have always committed to our clients.”
Davis Polk’s workplace initiatives are developed in conjunction with DPWomen, one of six affinity groups geared toward enhancing the firm’s culture. DPWomen meets regularly to discuss the interests and concerns that women have at the firm and within the legal profession in general, including such topics as work/life balance, mentoring and career development. DPWomen recently hosted a panel discussion on flextime working arrangements, which was sponsored by the National Association of Woman Lawyers (NAWL).
To be eligible for consideration by Working Mother magazine and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC, firms with at least 50 lawyers had to answer detailed questions regarding workplace benefits and professional development policies. Davis Polk is profiled in the August/September 2008 issue of Working Mother and at www.workingmother.com. More information regarding women’s initiatives at Davis Polk can be found at: http://www.dpw.com/careers/women.htm.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Frank J. Azzopardi, Neil Barr, Maurice Blanco, Mark J. Lehmkuhler, Jeffrey R. O’Brien and Paula A. Ryan have been elected partners of the firm effective July 1, 2008. Davis Polk now has 168 partners in its offices in New York, Menlo Park, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo.
Mr. Azzopardi is a corporate lawyer with extensive transactional experience in overseeing intellectual property, technology and media related issues arising from corporate transactions, such as mergers, asset sales, reorganizations, spinoffs, licensing and supply arrangements, joint ventures, collaborations and rights agreements. His experience includes advising entertainment and media, information technology, biotechnology, investment banking, private equity and other clients on a variety of matters. Mr. Azzopardi also has extensive litigation experience involving intellectual property disputes, especially in the area of trademarks and passing off. He has provided advice to Comcast, Texas Instruments, Bertelsmann, Morgan Stanley, Roche, Syngenta and Emerson, among others.
Mr. Barr is a tax lawyer advising clients on federal income tax matters, including mergers, acquisitions, spinoffs, splitoffs, private equity investments and financial products. In addition, he has advised clients in connection with various tax controversy matters. He recently has advised Comcast in connection with its pending investment in the WiMax joint venture between Clearwire and Sprint, as well as in connection with its acquisition and disposition of various cable properties; AIG in connection with the leveraged buyout of Kinder Morgan; Marsh & McLennan in connection with the sale of Putnam Investments; and Old Lane in connection with its acquisition by Citigroup. He recently was listed as a leading tax lawyer in Chambers USA – America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2008.
Mr. Blanco is a corporate lawyer concentrating on capital markets transactions, and is a member of the firm’s Latin America and Spain Practice Group. He has worked on public and private debt and equity offerings, exchange offers and debt restructurings by U.S. and non-U.S. issuers in a variety of industries. He recently advised on the initial public offering (one of the largest ever in Latin America) of BM&F (the Brazilian futures exchange); the initial public offerings of Western Refining, Virtual Radiologic Corporation and Megacable; high-yield debt offerings by Independência and Neenah Foundry; and follow-on equity offerings by Copa Airlines and Anhanguera.
Mr. Lehmkuhler is a corporate lawyer who has worked in the firm’s Hong Kong and Tokyo offices since 1997. His work focuses on mergers and acquisitions transactions, including private equity portfolio investments, leveraged buyouts, tender offers, and cross-border joint ventures and strategic alliances throughout Asia. He has advised a number of institutional clients in connection with the formation of Asia-focused private equity funds and other investment vehicles. He also has significant experience in Asian high-yield bond financings and other capital markets transactions.
Mr. O’Brien is a corporate lawyer in the London office, advising on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and credit transactions, and corporate governance matters. Among his recent M&A transactions, he has advised bidders in connection with several public and private company auctions; Royal Caribbean on its acquisition of Pullmantur; Morgan Stanley on the sale of its aircraft leasing business to Terra Firma; Julius Baer on its acquisition of three private banks and an asset manager from UBS; and Novo Nordisk on several strategic transactions. Among his recent capital markets transactions, he has advised Codere on three high-yield bond offerings and its IPO; Cairn India on an equity private placement; BBVA on its benchmark Rule 144A/Regulation S covered bond offering; Julius Baer on an underwritten rights offering; and the issuers or underwriters in connection with several initial public offerings in Spain.
Ms. Ryan is a trusts and estates lawyer, focusing on multigenerational estate planning for high net worth individuals. She has extensive experience advising individuals and financial institutions in connection with the administration of complex estates and trusts, including in tax planning, tax controversies and addressing the concerns of beneficiaries. She also counsels individuals in connection with a broad range of personal and financial matters, including charitable giving, the creation and operation of private foundations, the disposition of collectibles and various family matters.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Ronnie Abrams has joined the firm as Special Counsel for Pro Bono. In this new position, Ms. Abrams will lead and expand the firm’s extensive pro bono program. She joins Davis Polk from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she was most recently the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. During her tenure in that office, she gained wide-ranging trial experience, oversaw investigations, and supervised attorneys in hundreds of criminal cases and trials. She received several awards for her work, including from the US Justice Department. Previously, she was an associate at Davis Polk from 1994 to 1998.
“We are very pleased to welcome Ronnie Abrams back to Davis Polk in this important new position to augment and guide our pro bono program,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of the firm. “Davis Polk views pro bono work as a central responsibility of the firm and our lawyers. Working with our Pro Bono Committee, I believe Ronnie will effectively increase our already substantial outreach and allow us to serve even greater numbers of those in need.”
Davis Polk provides pro bono legal services to those who cannot otherwise obtain legal representation, averaging tens of thousands of hours annually devoted to work in many different areas of law.
In addition to overseeing the firm’s broad array of current pro bono cases and initiatives, and the many relationships that Davis Polk maintains with various legal services organizations, Ms. Abrams will guide the firm’s strategy to enhance several key aspects of its pro bono program. Initial areas of focus will include expanding the firm’s involvement in large and complex pro bono matters, such as Disability Advocates, Inc. v. New York State Office of Mental Health, et al., a landmark five-year case that Davis Polk successfully concluded in 2007 and which won major improvements in treatment for New York State prisoners with mental illness. Davis Polk also is seeking to identify and expand upon the opportunities for corporate pro bono work and further develop core strengths in the areas of asylum and domestic violence.
“We created this position to reflect and enhance the firm’s strong commitment to pro bono services,” said Sharon Katz, co-head of Davis Polk’s Pro Bono Committee. “The need for free legal services is growing in size and complexity. This new position allows Davis Polk to build upon our robust and highly successful pro bono practice.” The firm’s Pro Bono Committee includes nine partners and two senior counsel.
In April 2008, the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono affiliate of the New York City Bar Association, honored Davis Polk with the City Bar Justice Center Award for leadership in increasing access to justice. In 2007, Davis Polk was the recipient of The Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico and Public Service Law Firm Award for extraordinary commitment–the top law firm service award presented by the Society. The firm has been recognized for its pro bono work by many organizations, including Advocates for Children, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, Citizen’s Advice Bureau, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, Human Rights First, inMotion and Sanctuary for Families’ Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services.
“I’m very happy to return to Davis Polk,” said Ms. Abrams. “The firm has done outstanding work on behalf of individuals and organizations who cannot afford legal counsel. From immigration and asylum, to domestic violence, prison reform and ensuring fair elections, I’m eager to help continue the firm’s important work for those in need.” As an associate at the firm, Ms. Abrams was engaged in various pro bono cases, including obtaining a reversal of a homicide conviction and serving as counsel at the retrial.
Ms. Abrams will work closely with Amy Rossabi, Davis Polk’s longtime Pro Bono Coordinator, to expand the firm’s pro bono portfolio, enhance training and supervision for associates in trial work and other matters, as well as ensure the firm maintains a leadership position in the pro bono community.
As Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division at the US Attorney’s Office, Ms. Abrams supervised more than 160 federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. She formulated office policy and served as coordinator and liaison to the Department of Justice in Washington, DC and the New York City Police Department on various initiatives. As Chief of the General Crimes Unit, she supervised hundreds of investigations and prosecutions from intake to charging decisions and disposition in a variety of cases, including ones involving financial fraud, firearms, immigration, child exploitation and identity theft. She was responsible for supervision and training of all new federal prosecutors in all aspects of criminal prosecution, including conducting investigations, grand jury proceedings, trial advocacy, brief writing, discovery practices, plea negotiations, sentencing and pretrial and post-conviction litigation.
Ms. Abrams received the Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as a Federal Prosecutor for two cases–the first involved the convictions of members of a Colombian gang wanted for murder and approximately 100 armed robberies in six states and the second case was for the convictions of the leadership of the United Blood Nation, commonly known as the Bloods. She also received the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association’s Group Achievement Award. This fall, Ms. Abrams will be a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School, where she will teach students about investigating and prosecuting federal criminal cases in US District Court. She holds a JD from Yale Law School and a BA from Cornell University (cum laude).
Beijing, PRC -- Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Howard Zhang will join the firm on April 7, 2008 as a partner in the Beijing office. Mr. Zhang will advise clients on cross-border securities, mergers and acquisitions and strategic investment transactions. He joins the firm from O’Melveny & Myers, where he was Managing Partner of their Beijing office and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice.
Mr. Zhang, a former diplomat with the Chinese government, is internationally recognized for his expertise in venture capital and private equity transactions. He has extensive experience working with leading private equity firms, venture capital funds, investment banks and multinational corporations. He is routinely listed as a leading lawyer in directories, including Chambers and Legal 500. According to Chambers Global 2008, clients and peers refer to Mr. Zhang as the “guru of private equity.”
Davis Polk’s Beijing office opened in February 2007 to expand the presence and reach of the firm’s broad and highly successful practice there. The firm was lead counsel for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) on its $21.6 billion dual-listed initial public offering, the largest IPO in history. Davis Polk also advised ICBC on a $3.78 billion investment by Goldman Sachs, Allianz Group and American Express. Other Chinese matters handled by Davis Polk include the IPOs of Air China, China Merchants Bank, China Construction Bank, Sinopec, China Unicom and Baidu.com, the proposed $18.5 billion acquisition of Unocal by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, sovereign debt offerings by the People’s Republic of China, the formation of China International Capital Corporation, and numerous other equity and high-yield debt offerings, and mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions involving companies in China.
“This move to expand our Beijing office is a result of the highly successful practice we’ve built in China,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk. “Howard Zhang adds an unsurpassed understanding of the regulatory environment and business practices in China. He is a welcome addition to our partnership and I know he will be integral to continued success for the firm and our clients.”
“Davis Polk has a long history as a leading firm on global transactions involving China,” said Howard Zhang. “I look forward to building on the firm’s exceptional success and helping to further establish its presence in the Chinese marketplace.”
“Our Beijing office already has represented issuers and underwriters in many important and frequently ground-breaking offerings, as well as a number of large M&A transactions,” said Show-Mao Chen, Davis Polk partner and head of the office in Beijing. “Howard’s arrival is a key step in building on these assignments. In particular, Howard significantly bolsters our M&A and private equity capabilities in China, and will be a natural fit and excellent addition to our preeminent global M&A practice.”
Mr. Zhang holds a JD from Boston University, where he was a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award, and a BA from Shanghai International Studies University.
Active in China for more than a century, Davis Polk has been involved in a number of the largest-ever Chinese cross-border transactions. The firm has been active throughout Asia since the early 1900s and was one of the first Wall Street law firms to open offices in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The firm’s China practice now consists of over 25 lawyers in the region.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Jerry Citera has joined its New York office as Counsel in the firm’s Financial Institutions Group. Mr. Citera will advise broker-dealer clients on regulatory and transactional matters. He joins the firm from Chadbourne & Parke LLP, where he was head of the broker-dealer regulation practice.
Mr. Citera has extensive experience representing broker-dealers, banks, investment banks, investment advisers and other financial institutions in a wide range of legal, compliance and regulatory matters. Prior to Chadbourne, he was Executive Director and Regulatory Risk Manager for the US Equities Division of UBS Securities, LLC, where he managed legal, compliance and regulatory risk. Mr. Citera also served as Deputy General Counsel of PaineWebber Securities, managing the Capital Markets Group of the Legal Department. Earlier in his career, he was a lawyer with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Market Regulation and Office of General Counsel. He also was a member of the securities enforcement and broker-dealer regulatory practices at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now known as WilmerHale).
Mr. Citera has authored numerous articles on various securities law issues and is a frequent speaker on broker-dealer regulatory issues. He is admitted to the bars of New York and the District of Columbia. He holds a JD from the State University of New York, University at Buffalo (magna cum laude), where he served on the law review, and a BA from the State University of New York, University at Albany (magna cum laude).
“We provide regulatory advice to many of the world’s leading financial institutions and are growing our Broker-Dealer dealer practice to meet increasing client and market needs,” said Randall Guynn, head of the firm’s Financial Institutions Group. “Jerry’s wide-ranging background makes him a strong and welcome addition to our team.”
Davis Polk’s Broker-Dealer practice, which is a part of the firm’s Financial Institutions Group, represents many of the largest broker-dealers in the United States in regulatory matters, as well as smaller, specialized broker-dealers, securities markets, other financial institutions and a major securities industry trade association.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Christopher B. Hockett has joined the firm as a partner in the Menlo Park office. Mr. Hockett will practice in the firm's litigation group, and will handle a broad range of commercial and antitrust matters. He joins Davis Polk from Bingham McCutchen LLP, where he was a partner in the San Francisco office and former head of the firm’s litigation practice.
Mr. Hockett, 48, has established a national reputation representing clients as lead counsel in complex commercial litigation matters, including antitrust and unfair competition disputes, patent litigation and consumer class actions. In addition, he has counseled and represented clients in connection with government investigations and the antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions. His clients have included leading technology and telecommunications companies such as AT&T, Cingular, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Oracle and T-Mobile. He also has represented industry-leading firms in a variety of other sectors, including financial services, media, entertainment, manufacturing and health care.
“This move adds important senior leadership to our growing Menlo Park litigation practice,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk. “Chris is a highly respected ‘go to’ litigator for high-stakes matters in California and elsewhere around the country. With his skills, experience and dedication to client service, Chris is a great fit and a natural addition to our partnership. We are extremely pleased to have his talents at Davis Polk.”
“Davis Polk is a world class law firm with superb lawyers and great institutional values,” said Mr. Hockett. “I am delighted to join the firm and its preeminent litigation practice. The Davis Polk Menlo Park office has been an extraordinary success story and has made a significant impact in Silicon Valley. It is exciting to be a part of its further growth.”
Mr. Hockett has authored numerous publications on antitrust matters and is a frequent speaker on trial advocacy, intellectual property, competition and other litigation issues. He has been recognized numerous times in Chambers and other publications as a leader in his field. He holds a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and a BA from the College of William & Mary.
Davis Polk’s Menlo Park office, founded in 1999, combines the firm’s traditional strengths in transactional, advisory and litigation work with an in-depth understanding of the unique attributes of technology companies. Davis Polk clients include Silicon Valley startups and established global technology companies, as well as the world's largest financial institutions and a number of the leading private equity firms. The Menlo Park office consists of 55 lawyers, including 15 partners and 2 counsel. Davis Polk has represented prominent companies in Silicon Valley and around the world in a range of commercial, antitrust, and securities litigation matters, as well as in high-stakes intellectual property litigation and in connection with internal and government investigations. Matters recently handled by the firm’s 19 Menlo Park litigators have included stock options-related investigations, shareholder class action and acquisition-related litigation, antitrust disputes, consumer class actions, patent litigation and Lanham Act disputes. Davis Polk also has been involved in many of the largest and most notable recent mergers and acquisitions transactions and securities offerings involving technology companies.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced the appointment of Donna Rosenwasser as the firm’s Executive Director. Ms. Rosenwasser succeeds Robert A. Hendel, who is retiring after 26 years at the firm. The move is effective on January 1, 2008.
As Executive Director, Ms. Rosenwasser will have responsibility for all office operations, supporting approximately 700 lawyers, 200 legal assistants and 760 staff members in the firm’s 10 offices worldwide. She will work closely with the firm’s Management Committee and various other partner committees on policy formulation in the areas of personnel and firm management. Among the staff departments that Ms. Rosenwasser will lead are Finance, Recruiting, Associate Development, Litigation Services, Information Systems, Professional Services and Business Development.
Since joining Davis Polk in 2002, Ms. Rosenwasser has served as Associate Executive Director. She was responsible for a number of the firm’s non-legal departments, and oversaw a wide range of projects and internal initiatives relating to such areas as finance, benefits, litigation support, office openings and expansion, expatriate issues, taxation and client service.
Prior to joining Davis Polk, Ms. Rosenwasser was a partner and the Director of Finance at McKinsey & Company where she spent 14 years and also served as Tax Counsel. Ms. Rosenwasser began her career as a tax associate with the law firm of Andrews & Kurth. She received a B.A. from Rice University and a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Donna’s intelligence, management capabilities and broad experience lead the vital administrative functions of our firm worldwide,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk & Wardwell. “Having worked closely with her for more than five years now, it is clear that Donna is the ideal candidate to succeed Bob Hendel and continue the efficient and forward-thinking management of our global operations.”
“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to take on this new role. Bob Hendel is an exceptionally talented person, and I believe that working closely with him for five years has prepared me well for this new professional challenge,” said Ms. Rosenwasser. “Davis Polk is one of the top professional organizations in the world, and I’m very proud to be part of it.”
Mr. Hendel joined Davis Polk in 1981 as Manager of Information Systems. In this capacity, he supervised the implementation of a firmwide computer network, making Davis Polk among the first law firms in the world to install such a system. He was named the firm’s first Executive Director in 1982, well before this was a common position at large law firms. As Executive Director, Mr. Hendel oversaw all of Davis Polk’s administrative services and functions, enabling the firm to keep pace with rapid growth and geographic expansion, which during his tenure saw the firm triple its lawyer headcount and more than double the number of its offices worldwide. He also remained committed to keeping the firm at the forefront of innovation in information technology systems, both in their application to firm operations and client matters.
Mr. Ettinger added, “It would be impossible to overstate the contributions that Bob has made to the efficiency, growth and success of Davis Polk over the past three decades. On behalf of all of my partners and everyone at Davis Polk, I extend my deepest gratitude to Bob and wish him and his family much health and happiness in the future.”
Davis Polk & Wardwell today said that it is taking a major step forward in its previously announced plan to expand its French law practice with the arrival of Georges Terrier and Christophe Perchet as partners.
Georges Terrier, who joins Davis Polk from Jeantet, a leading independent French law firm, is a prominent member of the Paris bar who has earned a market-leading reputation for his corporate advisory, M&A , corporate governance and related litigation expertise. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of the market and has developed trusted relationships with a number of senior business leaders and other leading players in the legal and financial community of Paris.
Christophe Perchet, during 10 years spent at Jeantet, has developed a combined M&A and related litigation expertise, in particular as legal adviser to large French and international companies in connection with their cross-border transactions.
The recruitment of Georges Terrier and Christophe Perchet furthers Davis Polk’s objective, announced with the hiring of Arnaud Pérès and the current team of lawyers practicing French law, of becoming a leading Paris firm in strategic advisory and transactional work for its French and international clients.
John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk, said: “France is a strategic market for our firm and our clients, and we are delighted that Georges and Christophe have agreed to join our team of lawyers in Paris. We admire their professional qualities and what they have achieved already in their careers. Importantly, we share with them the same values and vision for the development of our profession, our French practice and how best to address our clients’ needs.”
He added: “This recruitment is a major step forward, which strengthens our roots in the French market. It is critical to be able to provide our French and international clients doing business in France both the resources and expertise of our international network and an in-depth knowledge of the French market.”
Georges Terrier said: “I am extremely impressed by the personal and professional qualities of the Davis Polk partners. Having spent many years with a superb French firm, it is very exciting for us to be joining Davis Polk, with its leadership position on Wall Street and, above all, to have the opportunity to build a totally integrated team of first-rate French and U.S. lawyers. The international dimension provided by Davis Polk’s network, particularly within Europe, which we will thus be able to bring our clients, is essential in order to assist them in their most important transactions.”
Christophe Perchet said: “One of the attractions of our joining Davis Polk is being able to work with people who have a strong teamwork culture. This team-oriented approach is the way Georges and I have always enjoyed working and it translates into high quality service for the client.”
Margaret Tahyar and Arnaud Pérès, partners in the Paris office, emphasized that Georges Terrier and Christophe Perchet bring a special combination of both transactional and litigation expertise. According to Ms. Tahyar: “This combination is increasingly a key part of the strategic advice that clients seek today.”
Georges Terrier, 61, is a leading corporate and litigation lawyer on the Paris scene. A partner at Jeantet since 1982, he has been managing partner of the firm since 2000. His clients include some of the largest French companies in the fields of luxury goods, industry, transport, banking and insurance. Recent corporate transactions in which he has been involved include advising Sacyr Vallehermoso, the Spanish construction group, in connection with the litigation proceedings related to its unsolicited public tender offer for the French construction group Eiffage; the Vallourec group, in connection with the acquisition of VM Tubes, one of Vallourec’s strategic industrial assets; the French nuclear group Areva in connection with the acquisition of the T & D division of Alstom and Suez, in connection with various transactions, including the sale of the French cable-operator, Noos.
Christophe Perchet, 41, is a corporate lawyer with experience in public and private mergers and acquisitions, as well as related litigation. Recent transactions in which Christophe Perchet was involved include advising the French government in connection with the re-organization of EADS corporate governance and its share capital restructuring; advising Sacyr Vallehermoso, in connection with the privatization of Sanef, the French motorway company, and in the acquisition of a 30% stake in the French construction group Eiffage; and advising the French nuclear group Areva in connection with various acquisitions in related business areas such as mining, uranium enrichment and electrical equipment. He began his legal career in 1992 as an associate of Freshfields in Paris before joining Jeantet in 1997, where he was made a partner in 2001.
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Bjorn Bjerke, Mary Conway, Michael Davis, Avi Gesser, Harald Halbhuber, Kimberley D. Harris, Kirtee Kapoor, Jinsoo H. Kim, James C. Lin, Arthur S. Long, Mark M. Mendez, Edmund Polubinski III, Lanny A. Schwartz, Sarah K. Solum and Mischa Travers have been elected partners of the firm effective July 1, 2007. Davis Polk now has 160 partners in its offices in New York, Menlo Park, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo.
Mr. Bjerke is a corporate lawyer focusing on complex structured products and derivatives including asset-backed debt instruments, fund linked instruments and credit based arrangements. His recent transactions include representing a large real-estate fund complex in a multi-billion dollar lending arrangement; representing large financial institutions in developing various fund-linked structures and derivative trading platforms and establishing synthetic CDO structures. He also represented ISDA as drafting counsel in connection with the 2006 ISDA Fund Derivatives Definitions and Delta Air Lines in connection with certain financing arrangements linked to Delta Sky Miles.
Ms. Conway is a tax lawyer concentrating in investment management matters, including the formation and operation of private equity funds, hedge funds, mutual funds and other pooled investment vehicles. She has provided advice to Chilton Investment Company, Credit Suisse, Crestview Partners, FrontPoint Partners, HRJ Capital, Integrated Finance Limited, J.P. Morgan, Magnetar Capital and Morgan Stanley, among others. Her practice includes partnership matters and international tax matters.
Mr. Davis is a corporate lawyer concentrating in mergers and acquisitions. The matters he has worked on recently include advising IPSCO in connection with its proposed sale to SSAB Sventskt Stål; Marsh & McLennan in connection with the proposed sale of Putnam Investments to Great-West Lifeco; IPSCO on its acquisition of NS Group; FrontPoint Partners on its sale to Morgan Stanley; MCI on its sale to Verizon; Ford on its acquisition of plants from, and the restructuring of its business relationship with, Visteon; and various other private equity and venture capital transactions.
Mr. Gesser is a litigator concentrating in securities class actions and enforcement, white-collar criminal defense matters and complex commercial cases. Currently, he is representing a major investment bank in class actions involving analyst independence issues. He also recently served as a lead negotiator of a multi-year comprehensive agreement between a large consumer products company and multiple governmental bodies related to international trade issues. He has represented corporations and individuals in various investigations that have been resolved favorably prior to trial. He was also part of the litigation team representing Delta Air Lines in its Chapter 11 restructuring.
Mr. Halbhuber is a corporate lawyer in the London office. His practice focuses on a broad range of corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions transactions. In corporate finance, he has advised both issuers and underwriters on debt and equity transactions. Most recently, he worked on several high-yield debt issuances by European issuers. He has also worked on several initial public offerings and rights offerings. His recent M&A transactions include advising Morgan Stanley on acquisitions in Russia, Italy and the U.K., and Carl Zeiss SMT in the structuring of a joint venture with Cymer and the acquisition of a U.S. nanotechnology company.
Ms. Harris is a litigator with extensive experience representing corporate clients in a variety of criminal, regulatory, and complex civil matters. Recent representations include: the Audit Committee of an auto parts manufacturer in connection with an internal investigation, as well as related criminal and regulatory investigations by the federal government; a major investment bank in connection with criminal and regulatory investigations of the bank’s IPO allocation practices; a former director of the New York Stock Exchange in connection with an investigation by the New York Attorney General and the SEC; and a major pharmaceutical company in connection with multiple complex civil class actions in both state and federal court.
Mr. Kapoor is a corporate lawyer who has had extensive experience in corporate finance, restructurings, workouts and mergers and acquisitions transactions. His experience also includes several transactions in India. His recent matters include advising The Gillette Company in connection with its $57 billion acquisition by The Procter & Gamble Company; Oracle Corporation on its $600 million acquisition of a majority stake in i-flex solutions; Oracle Corporation on its $5.85 billion acquisition of Siebel Systems and Delta Air Lines on its Chapter 11 restructuring generally and in connection with the over $10 billion unsolicited bid from US Airways.
Ms. Kim is a corporate lawyer concentrating in lending and other corporate finance transactions. She represents corporate clients and financial institutions in secured acquisition and other leveraged financings, unsecured financings, debt restructurings and exit financings. Recent representations include Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold in a $11 billion senior secured financing in connection with its acquisition of Phelps Dodge, J.P. Morgan in a $4.5 billion debtor-in-possession facility for Delphi, Delta Air Lines in a $2.5 billion senior secured exit financing, and Goldman Sachs Credit Partners and Credit Suisse in a leveraged acquisition financing for Education Management.
Mr. Lin is a corporate lawyer in the Hong Kong office, advising on public and private corporate finance transactions, including initial public offerings, high-yield debt offerings and private equity investments. He advised China Merchants Bank on its $2.66 billion HKSE listing, Air China on its $1.24 billion HKSE/LSE listing; and the underwriters in the privatization and NYSE/HKSE listing of Aluminum Corporation of China. Mr. Lin has also worked on several NASDAQ IPOs, including the $124 million listing of Baidu.com and the $468 million listing of Himax Technologies. He regularly advises a number of Asian high-technology companies on U.S. law matters.
Mr. Long is a corporate lawyer advising U.S. and foreign banks on the regulatory implications of M&A transactions; private equity investments; the offering of new financial products, including derivatives; enforcement , compliance and bank insolvency issues; and, in the case of foreign banks, establishing U.S. offices. Representative matters he has worked on include Banco Santander’s investment in Sovereign Bancorp; SLM Corporation (Sallie Mae) on its proposed sale; the acquisition by Citizens Financial Group of Charter One Financial; Citigroup’s acquisition of Banamex; Banco Bilbao Vizcaya’s merger with Argentaria; and JPMorgan’s investment in KorAm Bank.
Mr. Mendez is a corporate lawyer focusing on equity derivatives. Recently, he has advised Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs as book-running managers of a $1.5 billion offering by General Motors of convertible senior debentures and a Citigroup affiliate on the related capped call transaction; CVS Corporation in connection with a $2.5 billion collared accelerated share repurchase; Montpelier Re Holdings in connection with two variable share forward sale agreements; Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch in connection with the issuance of debt securities mandatorily exchangeable for shares of Class A common stock of Nuveen Investments; and JPMorgan in connection with the Microsoft Employee Stock Option Transfer Program.
Mr. Polubinski is a litigator representing corporations and individuals in a wide range of securities, professional liability, products liability, general commercial and acquisition-related litigation in federal and state courts. He also represents corporate and individual clients in investigations and other proceedings before various regulatory agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, and the New York Stock Exchange. Recent matters include the defense of an investment banking client in putative class action antitrust litigations; the representation of a corporate issuer and individual clients in class action securities litigation and a related SEC investigation; the defense of a major pharmaceutical company in nationwide consumer protection and product liability litigation; and the representation through trial of a big four accounting firm in litigation arising out of the failure of a large national bank.
Mr. Schwartz is a corporate lawyer advising on securities compliance, regulatory and transactional matters. His clients include major international banks, broker-dealers, securities exchanges, consulting firms, a securities industry trade association and a large life settlement provider. From 1999 to 2005, he was executive vice president and general counsel of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. Previously, he was managing director and counsel at Bankers Trust Company, specializing in bank and broker-dealer regulation and investment banking. He speaks and writes regularly on securities market structure and regulatory issues, and was formerly a member of the adjunct faculty of Columbia University School of Law.
Ms. Solum is a corporate lawyer in the Menlo Park office, advising on capital markets transactions, mergers and acquisitions, SEC disclosure and corporate governance. Recent capital markets transactions include convertible debt offerings for Cadence Systems, Cypress Semiconductor and Equinix; investment grade debt offerings for Comcast, Oracle and Seagate; follow-on offerings for Kaiser Aluminum, Wet Seal and Onyx Pharmaceuticals; initial public offerings for Chipotle Mexican Grill and CAI International; and McDonald’s spin-out of Chipotle Mexican Grill. Mergers and acquisitions she has worked on recently include advising NetIQ on its sale to Attachmate WRQ and Oracle on its acquisitions of Siebel Systems and PeopleSoft.
Mr. Travers is a corporate lawyer in the Menlo Park office, advising technology companies and their underwriters and investors on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and other corporate transactions. Recent matters he has worked on include KLA-Tencor’s acquisitions of ADE, Therma-Wave, SensArray and OnWafer; Software AG’s acquisition of webMethods; Affymetrix’s acquisition of ParAllele; Comcast’s strategic partnership with TiVo; a $2.25 billion debt offering by Comcast Corporation; Affymax’s initial public offering; convertible debt offerings by Borland Software, Boston Properties, Informatica, Intel, Macrovision and Xilinx; and various investments in private companies by affiliates of Richemont.
In July 2006, New York State Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye asked DPW litigation partner Carey Dunne to chair the Special Commission on the Future of the New York State Courts, a body that she created to recommend reforms to the New York State court system. It is a little known fact that, despite its status as a capitol of finance, culture and the arts, New York State has the most Byzantine court structure in the country, including a system of 11 jurisdictionally distinct trial courts, which create confusion for even the most experienced state litigators. In her 2006 State of the Judiciary address, Chief Judge Kaye said, “The Commission will be asked to look at systems across the nation for ideas, and to prepare a court structure that is free of barriers that force the unnecessary fragmentation of cases, that is user-friendly, has the benefits of both specialization and simplicity, and that is accessible to all New Yorkers.”
The Commission is comprised of 30 members, including judges, legislators, academics, business leaders and lawyers from around the state. In addition to Carey Dunne as Chair, the Davis Polk team includes associate Elliot Moskowitz, who is Chief Counsel to the Commission, and Rebecca Winters, Sarah McDonald, Josh Plaut, Andrew Schlicter and Heather Ward as Commission Counsel. Legal Assistant Lisa Scovotti and Executive Assistant Barbara Purdy also provide critical support.
In the seven months following the establishment of the Commission, the team studied the voluminous record of past court reform efforts in New York; gathered and analyzed data on court filings and productivity; conducted a financial analysis of the impact of potential reforms; met with judges, legislators, politicians, business leaders, bar associations and others from around the state; and oversaw the deliberations of the Commission.
In February 2007, the Commission submitted a 170-page report to Chief Judge Kaye, recommending a dramatic restructuring of the courts, in which the state’s various trial courts would be consolidated into a simplified two-tier system. Prior to the submission of the report, Commission members met with Governor Eliot Spitzer, who later announced in his first State of the State address that court restructuring would be one of his highest reform priorities. The team also obtained public support for its proposals from the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, the state’s major business lobbying groups, good government groups and other prominent organizations from around the state. It also conducted an extensive financial analysis of the impact of the proposed reforms, which are estimated to save over half a billion dollars per year. Finally, the team drafted the report itself, which includes the text of a proposed Constitutional amendment, which will be needed to implement the recommended reforms.
On February 26, 2007, Chief Judge Kaye publicly released the Commission’s report, in connection with her annual State of the Judiciary address. In the address, she said, “I am grateful to Carey R. Dunne, Esq., of Davis Polk & Wardwell, for taking leadership of that distinguished group of former legislators, academics, practicing lawyers, representatives of the business community, and fourteen current and former judges, including former members of the Court of Appeals. In barely seven months, they have produced a truly remarkable document that I hope finally will trigger the reform every Chief Judge in modern times has advocated.”
The Commission’s proposals are now in the hands of new Governor Spitzer, who has publicly committed to submit to the Legislature the constitutional amendment drafted by the Commission. In the meantime, the work of the Commission will continue: In early February, Chief Judge Kaye asked the Commission to extend its term to conduct a study of the state’s system of local Town and Village courts, which have recently been the subject of much controversy in the press. The team's report on those courts is expected in the fall of 2007. A link to the Commission’s restructuring report can be found at http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reports/courtsys-4future_2007.pdf (text of report) and http://www.courts.state.ny.us/reports/courtsys-4future_append2007.pdf (appendices).
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Anthony Fenwick will join the firm as a partner in its Menlo Park office effective February 1, 2007. Mr. Fenwick will practice in Davis Polk’s intellectual property litigation group and will focus on complex patent and IP litigation cases. Prior to joining Davis Polk, Mr. Fenwick was a partner in the Silicon Valley office of Latham & Watkins.
Mr. Fenwick brings to Davis Polk nearly 15 years of experience in complex patent and other IP litigation in a variety of technology sectors, including semiconductors, consumer electronics, Internet technology and biotechnology. He has substantial bench and jury trial experience in federal and state courts and before the International Trade Commission. Mr. Fenwick received his law degree from Stanford and has spent his entire legal career in the Bay Area.
Davis Polk launched its Menlo Park-based IP litigation practice in early 2006 with the arrival of nationally recognized patent litigator Matthew Lehr. That practice builds on the resources and expertise of the firm’s preeminent litigation department and its growing IP transactional and advisory practice. The rapidly growing group represents leading Silicon Valley companies and established Davis Polk global clients across a broad range of industries in complex patent and other IP disputes.
“Our firm has made a strong commitment to expanding our capacity in IP and patent litigation in order to address the rapidly growing needs of our clients in this area,” said John R. Ettinger, Davis Polk & Wardwell’s managing partner. “Tony is a seasoned and exceptionally talented partner and is an important addition to this strategic practice.”
“Davis Polk is building a leadership IP litigation practice,” said Anthony Fenwick. “I am excited by the opportunity to join Davis Polk and help my new partners to build upon what has quickly become a successful and dynamic practice.”
Davis Polk & Wardwell is pleased to announce that Luigi L. De Ghenghi, Ray Ibrahim, Rachel Kleinberg, Kyoko Takahashi Lin, Jennifer G. Newstead, Neal A. Potischman, Paul Spagnoletti and Marc O. Williams have been elected partners of the firm as of July 1, 2006. Davis Polk now has 151 partners in its offices in New York, Menlo Park, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong and Tokyo.
Mr. De Ghenghi is a corporate lawyer concentrating in advising financial institutions on securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions, bank and securities regulatory matters, cross-border collateral transactions, and clearance and settlement issues. He recently advised the underwriters in connection with China Construction Bank’s $9.2 billion initial global equity offering. He has also advised on numerous securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions in Italy, including the recent €2.1 billion initial public offering by Saras.
Mr. Ibrahim is a corporate lawyer focusing on financial products and derivative transactions, including over-the-counter derivative transactions, mandatory and optional convertible securities, and various types of structured products. He has recently advised on the innovative equity-linked financing structure by The Interpublic Group of Companies; convertible securities offerings by King Pharmaceuticals and Pier 1 (including related call spread transaction); the mandatory convertible securities offering by Entergy; and numerous equity-linked, credit-linked and commodity-linked offerings by Morgan Stanley and ABN AMRO.
Ms. Kleinberg is a tax lawyer in the Menlo Park office. Her practice focuses on advice to corporate and private equity fund clients on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spinoffs and other major corporate transactions. She also has significant experience in the areas of corporate finance and derivatives. Recently, she has represented Oracle in its acquisition of Siebel Systems; KLA-Tencor in its pending acquisition of ADE; Stockbridge Real Estate Fund in the formation of its newest fund and its acquisition of the Hollywood Park racetrack; Affymetrix in its acquisition of ParAllele; Comcast in its strategic relationship with Motorola; ARM Holdings in its acquisition of Artisan Components; and E*TRADE in its offering of equity units.
Ms. Lin is a corporate lawyer advising clients on executive compensation, equity-based incentives, deferred compensation, severance plans, pension plans and other employee benefit arrangements, with particular emphasis on issues arising in merger and acquisition transactions, initial public offerings, and new and joint ventures. She also advises on employment and consulting arrangements, the applicability of securities and tax laws to executives and employers, and on general employment-related matters. Among the clients she has recently represented are Citigroup, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, ISH Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies, MCI, Morgan Stanley, Olympus Corporation, Shire Pharmaceuticals and Texas Instruments.
Ms. Newstead is a litigator who has handled a variety of regulatory, enforcement, civil and advisory matters in both the public and private sectors. Her regulatory and advisory matters have involved financial reporting, antitrust, money laundering, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and trade sanctions compliance issues, and she has participated in a number of confidential internal investigations on behalf of clients facing potential regulatory and criminal exposure. She regularly advises companies and financial institutions on the implementation of effective fiscal compliance programs. Her litigated matters have involved professional liability, securities, antitrust and product liability issues in federal and state courts. Before rejoining Davis Polk in 2005, Ms. Newstead served as the General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, in the White House Counsel’s Office and at the Department of Justice. In those roles, she oversaw litigation and participated in the development of regulatory and legislative initiatives in areas including Sarbanes-Oxley and related corporate governance matters, money laundering and other financial crimes, health care and tort reform.
Mr. Potischman is a litigator representing individuals and institutions in a variety of civil, criminal and regulatory matters. Recent representations include a consumer products company in internal investigations and reviews of compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-money laundering statutes; Wall Street investment banks in commercial disputes; leading audit firms in connection with both securities litigation and investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission; and a major pharmaceutical company in litigation related to product marketing.
Mr. Spagnoletti is a litigator concentrating in securities enforcement, antitrust and securities litigation, and professional liability matters. In addition to his representation of numerous corporations in confidential grand jury proceedings and internal investigations, he recently has represented Marsh & McLennan Companies in connection with the New York State Attorney General’s investigation into the insurance industry; JPMorgan Chase in a federal antitrust class action relating to the use of complex derivatives transactions in the gold industry; and several major law and accounting firms in connection with malpractice claims and securities enforcement proceedings across the United States.
Mr. Williams is a corporate lawyer concentrating in mergers & acquisitions. He advises both corporate clients and private equity firms on public and private transactions, and has recently advised Texas Instruments on the sale of its Sensors & Controls business to Bain Capital, Argosy Gaming in its merger with Penn National, Quadrangle Group in its acquisition (with CVC) of NTELOS and DLJ Merchant Banking Partners in its acquisition (with Blackstone Group and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners) of HealthMarkets (formerly UICI).
Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that Matthew B. Lehr is joining the firm as a partner in the Menlo Park office. Mr. Lehr will head the firm’s intellectual property litigation practice, focusing primarily on complex patent litigation matters. He joins Davis Polk from Latham & Watkins, where he was a partner and the co-chair of the Silicon Valley Litigation Department.
Davis Polk’s IP litigation practice will draw on the resources and expertise of the firm’s preeminent Litigation Department and its existing IP transactional and advisory practice to represent technology companies, as well as companies across a broad range of industries, in disputes and litigation involving the infringement or enforcement of patents, as well as trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.
Mr. Lehr has extensive experience in patent and technology cases involving such areas as biotechnology, medical devices, computer architecture, chemical products, pharmaceuticals, plasma physics, electrical devices, computer networking and software and consumer products. He has served as lead counsel in numerous bench and jury trials and has represented clients in complex cases involving trade secrets and commercial litigation, as well as Lanham Act and antitrust actions in courts across the U.S. Mr. Lehr holds a JD from the University of Pittsburgh, an MA from Johns Hopkins University and a BA from Loyola College. He is admitted to practice in California, New York and Delaware.
“We are delighted that Matt, a nationally recognized IP litigator, is joining our partnership to lead and help build a practice group that is strategically important to an increasing number of our clients,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk & Wardwell. “We carefully considered how best to incorporate IP litigation capabilities into our Litigation Department and our rapidly expanding Menlo Park practice. Matt’s standing as a leader in his field and his extensive experience representing world-class companies in high-stakes matters makes him an ideal fit for our firm and our new practice area.”
“The breadth and quality of Davis Polk’s litigation and corporate practices are unsurpassed,” said Mr. Lehr. “I am thrilled by the opportunity to work with my new partners in adding world-class IP litigation capabilities to the extraordinary portfolio of legal services that the firm provides to its clients.”
About Davis Polk & Wardwell Davis Polk & Wardwell has more than 600 lawyers, including 144 partners, practicing in offices in New York, Menlo Park, CA, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Long a leading adviser to technology companies, Davis Polk established its Menlo Park office in 1999 as a base for the firm’s Global Technology Group. The office, which now is home to approximately 50 lawyers, including 12 partners, combines the firm’s traditional strengths in transactional, advisory and litigation work with its in-depth understanding of the unique attributes of technology companies and transactions. A number of our lawyers in Menlo Park have degrees and business experience in advanced technology, including information science and life sciences, and several have held executive positions at companies in these sectors. Our Menlo Park-based lawyers work with technology companies, venture capital firms and investment banks on a broad range of complex M&A, joint venture, corporate finance and derivative transactions. They also have extensive experience with matters involving litigation, intellectual property, corporate governance, tax law and securities compliance.
For more information, please contact:
Kevin Cavanaugh
Ph - 212-450-6811
kevin.cavanaugh@dpw.com
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