ABI Commission to Reform Chapter 11 Witness Christopher Kiplok Available to Discuss Today's Testimony New York, May 15, 2013—Hughes Hubbard Corporate Reorganization & Bankruptcy Group partner Christopher K. Kiplok, who led the liquidations of Lehman Brothers Inc. and MF Global Inc., will be testifying this afternoon at the American Bankruptcy Institute’s Commission to Reform Chapter 11 hearing. Kiplok will discuss the impact of safe harbors on a debtor post-petition and he will suggest that the benefit of safe harbor protections should be tied to an obligation to inform the estate of the closeout of the transaction.
In his testimony, Kiplok notes that one of the goals of the safe harbor provisions “is to assist the financial markets by encouraging continued transactions during time of distress.” Currently, though, Kiplok points out that “in the event of a failure, particularly a financial firm failure, the safe harbors as currently drafted do little to assist the debtor in understanding the impact of counterparties who exercise their safe harbor rights.” He cites his experience leading the liquidations of the largest and eighth-largest bankruptcies (Lehman Brothers Inc. and MF Global Inc., respectively) “where several hundred counterparties availed themselves of safe harbor protections on instruments involving tens of billions of dollars.”
Based on his experience in the Lehman Brothers and MF Global bankruptcies, Kiplok makes several recommendations to the Commission. First, he recommends, “that the Commission consider tying a reporting requirement to the exercise of safe harbor rights….” He argues, “Such reporting requirements may help further the policy goals of the safe harbors both pre and post-petition, as speeding the return of estate property can only help expedite distributions and therefore return of capital to the marketplace.” In addition, Kiplok recommends that “within a period such as the bar date, financial product counterparties be required to provide the debtor, trustee or other liquidator information regarding their terminated transactions, together with summaries setting forth: (i) the trade information, closeout date and amount believed to be owed; (ii) any collateral or other property of the estate being held by the counterparty; (iii) the valuation statements and the methodology employed in calculating valuation; and (iv) the nature and amount of any setoff or other deduction or adjustment the counterparty intends to assert.”
The above quotations are just a few of the highlights from Kiplok’s written testimony. His complete written testimony is available on the ABI’s website at http://commission.abi.org/sites/default/files/statements/15may2013/2.pdf.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Represents Galaxy Brand Holdings in Purchase of Avia and NevadosNew York, May 14, 2013 — Hughes Hubbard announced today that the firm represented Galaxy Brand Holdings, Inc. in the purchase of Avia and Nevados from Brown Shoe Company, Inc. (NYSE: BWS) for $74 million.
The Hughes Hubbard team was led by Deputy Chair of Hughes Hubbard and Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Practice, Kenneth A. Lefkowitz and partner Avner Ben-Gera, with primary assistance from partner Spencer L. Harrison, counsel Wayne Josel and associate Michael Traube.
About Galaxy Brand Holdings, Inc.
Galaxy Brand Holdings, Inc. is a New York-based brand acquisitions and development firm recently founded by a team of industry veterans. The company was formed to acquire brands and other intellectual property in the apparel, footwear and accessory markets, which have broad, global, consumer appeal.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Represents Client Cablevision in Sale of Clearview CinemasNew York, April 29, 2013—Hughes Hubbard announced today that the firm represented Cablevision Systems Corporation in its sale of substantially all of the Clearview Cinemas theatres to Bow Tie Cinemas. The sale includes 41 Clearview Cinemas theatres and a total of 177 screens. Cablevision will continue to own New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre, but Bow Tie Cinemas will manage it on Cablevision’s behalf.
Hughes Hubbard’s team was led by Deputy Chair of Hughes Hubbard and Co-Chair of the firm’s Corporate Practice, Kenneth A. Lefkowitz, Corporate Counsel Daniel Litowitz and Associate Lindsay Orosz.
About Cablevision Systems CorporationCablevision Systems Corporation is one of the nation's leading media and telecommunications companies. In addition to delivering its Optimum-branded cable, Internet, and voice offerings throughout the New York area, the company owns and operates cable systems serving homes in four Western states. Cablevision’s local media properties include News 12 Networks, MSG Varsity and Newsday Media Group. Cablevision also owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. Additional information about Cablevision is available on the Web at www.cablevision.com.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Approves Lehman Brothers Inc. SettlementsNew York, April 16, 2013—U.S. Bankruptcy Judge James M. Peck of the Southern District of New York today approved three interrelated orders settling all intercompany claims between Lehman Brothers Inc. (LBI) and Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (LBIE), and LBI and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (LBHI). Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s bankruptcy group represented the LBI Trustee, James W. Giddens, chair of Hughes Hubbard’s Corporate Reorganization Group, in negotiating and resolving disputes with Lehman Brothers Holdings LBHI and LBIE. These settlements are among the largest in history and together resolve more than $100 billion in claims and dispositions of property.
“All retail customers of LBI were made whole in the first days of the liquidation, and with these agreements, we expect to satisfy the remaining valid affiliate, institutional and hedge fund customer claims,” said James W. Giddens, Trustee for liquidation of LBI under the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA). “The reduction of affiliate claims in this, the largest and most complex bankruptcy in history, is a milestone for customer protection. Distributions to the remaining customers will begin once the Court’s orders are final and the agreements are effective.”
The settlement agreements provide a final resolution of all legal and factual issues regarding intercompany relationships between LBI and LBHI and between LBI and LBIE, avoiding the need for costly litigation. The agreement between LBI and LBIE is also subject to an order by the English High Court.
The Hughes Hubbard team is led by partners James B. Kobak, Jr. and Christopher Kiplok. Hughes Hubbard partners Jason Benton, Steven Luger, Michael Salzman, Neil Oxford and David Wiltenburg, and former Hughes Hubbard partner Ken Lee of Levine Lee LLP, among others from the Hughes Hubbard Corporate Reorganization Group and the Litigation and Corporate Departments all played significant roles.
About Hughes Hubbard Hughes
Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard's Bankruptcy Team Reaches Major Agreement With JPMorganNew York, March 20, 2013 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s bankruptcy group represented the MF Global Inc. Trustee, James W. Giddens, chair of the Hughes Hubbard Corporate Reorganization Group, in negotiation of a comprehensive settlement agreement with JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., which will result in over $546 million being made available for the former customers and creditors of the failed dealer broker. The sweeping deal, if approved, will enable Giddens to recover most of the money that disappeared when the brokerage failed in October 2011, becoming the eighth-largest bankruptcy in U.S. history. It also marks the end of an exhaustive investigation into JPMorgan’s potential liability to MF Global in the bank’s role as a main custodian of customer property. Under the terms of the agreement, JP Morgan will pay $100 million to be made available for distribution to former MF Global customers. The bank will also release its retained interest in $417 million in funds that were previously returned to Giddens. And JPMorgan will return a final $29 million in funds held by the bank to secure potential obligations under certain credit agreements.
The Hughes Hubbard team representing Giddens in this matter are partners James B. Kobak Jr., Christopher Kiplok, Jeffrey Coleman and associates Dustin Smith and Gabrielle Glemann.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” – the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard’s Bankruptcy Group Leads on Two of the Largest Settlements in HistoryMarch 1, 2013 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed’s bankruptcy group represented the Lehman Brothers Inc. (“LBI”) Trustee, James W. Giddens, chair of the Hughes Hubbard Corporate Reorganization Group, in negotiating and resolving disputes with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (“LBHI”), and Lehman Brothers International (Europe) (“LBIE”). The two agreements are among the largest settlements in history, and, if approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, together resolve more than $100 billion in claims.
The resolutions resulted from years of arduous negotiations and commencement of litigation involving unprecedented legal issues and factual complexity involving the intercompany relationships among Lehman’s three principal worldwide businesses. The relationship between LBI and LBIE is widely recognized as the most complicated aspect of the entire worldwide Lehman collapse and among the single most challenging insolvency issues ever faced in a bankruptcy.
The Hughes Hubbard team is led by partners James B. Kobak Jr. and Christopher Kiplok. Hughes Hubbard partners Jason Benton, Steven Luger and Michael Salzman, and former Hughes Hubbard partner Ken Lee of Levine Lee LLP, among others from the HHR corporate reorganization, litigation and corporate departments all played significant roles. Click here to view the SIPC press release and here to view the Lehman press release.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Strengthens Aviation Practice with Additions of Jeffrey Tenen and Israel Sanchez in MiamiMiami, February 4, 2013—Hughes Hubbard announced today that Jeffrey S. Tenen has joined its Aviation Practice as a partner and Israel I. Sanchez has joined the group as counsel in the firm’s Miami office. Both lawyers were previously shareholders at Greenberg Traurig, P.A. The addition of the aviation duo follows the expansion of the Litigation Department in Miami with partner Rafael Cruz-Alvarez, who joined the office in January.
Tenen and Sanchez focus their practices on aviation industry matters. Tenen represents domestic and foreign air carriers, leasing companies and lenders on such matters as aircraft acquisitions, sales, leasing and financings (including export credit, manufacturer supported financings, mortgage financings and cross-border financing transactions), spares and engine financings and leases, aircraft operating lease transactions, progress payment financings, international development bank facilities, receivables and aircraft securitizations, fuel and currency hedging, comprehensive code share and marketing alliances, cargo handling agreements, computer reservation systems and similar agreements, commodity and service procurement agreements, airline mergers and acquisitions, regulatory matters before the Federal Aviation Administration and related corporate and commercial matters affecting airlines and leasing companies.
Sanchez has extensive experience in structuring, drafting and negotiating financing and leasing transactions (including tax-based leveraged and cross border leasing, synthetic leases and operating leases), workouts, restructuring and bankruptcy matters on behalf of banks, financial institutions, lessors, lessees, owner trustees, guarantors, manufacturers and transactions for purchasers and sellers of equipment (including commercial, regional, corporate and cargo aircraft, aircraft engines, spare parts and trucks). He also has deep knowledge in all aspects of financing and leasing of business jet aircraft and fractional interest ownership programs.
“Jeff and Israel are talented aviation lawyers with experience and skills that will benefit our clients,” said Aviation Practice Group Chair John K. Hoyns.
“We’re delighted to welcome Jeff and Israel to the Miami office,” added Nick Swerdloff, Office Managing Partner of Hughes Hubbard’s Miami office. “Their work for aviation industry clients in Latin America complements the kinds of matters our Latin America practice lawyers have been managing from Hughes Hubbard’s Miami office.”
“Israel and I are excited to join Hughes Hubbard’s dynamic aviation industry team,” said Tenen. “The firm’s practice strengths in corporate finance and Latin America will be great assets to our clients.”
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Elevates Three Attorneys to Partnership and Elects Two to CounselNew York, January 30, 2013—Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announced today that Savvas A. Foukas, Eric S. Parnes and Michael D. Tiger have been promoted to partner, effective as of January 1, 2013. Separately, Kenneth M. Katz and Jessica S. Studness have been elected counsel of the firm. Foukas and Tiger are litigators in the firm’s New York office and Parnes is a litigator in the Washington, D.C. office. Katz and Studness are both members of the Litigation Department in the firm’s New York office.
“Savvas, Eric and Mike are extraordinary litigators with consummate analytical skills and an unyielding focus on delivering excellence in all they do on behalf of our clients,” said Candace K. Beinecke, Chair of Hughes Hubbard. “Each is also a leader in his own right at Hughes Hubbard and in the wider legal community. We are delighted to welcome them to the partnership.”
Foukas has served in leading roles in major business cases, including complex and high-profile securities litigation and regulatory matters. After serving as a summer associate in Hughes Hubbard’s New York office, Foukas joined the firm in 2001 after graduating from Columbia University Law School where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He graduated from George Washington University, cum laude.
Parnes is well-respected for his extensive experience and insights concerning healthcare and pharmaceutical industries-related issues in addition to his skills as an appellate advocate and in internal investigations and regulatory matters. Parnes was a summer associate in 2001 and has been with Hughes Hubbard’s Washington office since graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, cum laude, in 2002. In law school, Parnes was Articles Editor of the Georgetown Law Journal. He graduated from the University of Maryland College Park.
Tiger has deep experience litigating complex, multi-jurisdictional matters in courts around the country. He has developed a particular strength in cutting-edge product liability matters. He has represented clients in “bet the company” pharmaceutical, environmental and financial litigations. Tiger served as a summer associate in Hughes Hubbard’s New York office, and began his career at the firm in 2001 following his graduation from Columbia Law School in 2001, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and Managing Editor of the school’s Journal of Law and Social Problems. He graduated, with distinction, from Cornell University.
Katz is a member of the firm’s Litigation Department in its New York office. His principal focus is on securities, accountants’ liability, and financial services litigation. Katz started with Hughes Hubbard in 2001 as a summer associate. He rejoined the firm after graduation in 2002 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude, where he was an associate editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Katz graduated from the University of Virginia, with distinction.
Studness is also a member of the firm’s Litigation Department in New York. She has widespread experience in product liability defense, with a particular emphasis on regulatory issues affecting pharmaceutical companies. Studness joined Hughes Hubbard in 2003. She graduated in 2001 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was Professional Authorities Editor for the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law. Studness is a graduate of Cornell University.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Grows International Trade Practice with Addition of Partner Matthew NicelyWashington, January 23, 2013—Hughes Hubbard announced today that Matthew R. Nicely has joined its International Trade Department as a partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Nicely was most recently a partner and head of the International Trade & Customs practice group at Thompson Hine LLP.
Nicely has been practicing international trade law for more than 20 years and has been integrally involved in many of the high-profile trade cases of the past two decades. He advises clients on the risks and opportunities presented by U.S. trade regulations as well as various international trade agreements. He has represented multiple industries in trade remedy proceedings (antidumping and countervailing duties, global and China safeguards) before administrative agencies, in appeals to U.S. courts, and in WTO dispute settlement. Nicely also counsels clients on compliance with day-to-day regulation of goods, services, and cross-border investments, including customs, export controls, economic sanctions, anti-boycott, and anti-bribery laws.
“Matt is well-respected by the International Trade Bar. He has the broad international trade knowledge and deep experience with antidumping and countervailing duties cases that our clients will value,” said International Trade Department Chair F. Amanda DeBusk.
“Hughes Hubbard is a leader in the field of international trade,” said Nicely. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues and our clients around the world.”
Nicely is admitted to the Bar of the District Columbia and an adjunct professor at American University’s Washington College of Law.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard’s Litigation Department Welcomes Rafael Cruz-Alvarez as a Partner in the Firm’s Miami OfficeMiami, January 2, 2013—Hughes Hubbard announced today that Rafael Cruz-Alvarez has joined its Litigation Department as a partner in the firm’s Miami office. Cruz-Alvarez was most recently a partner at Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP in its Miami office.
Cruz-Alvarez is an experienced product liability defense lawyer. He has defended cases involving a wide range of products involving pharmaceuticals, fungicides, and other products, including the Engle progeny smoking and health cases filed throughout the state of Florida. Cruz-Alvarez has served as lead counsel for Lorillard Tobacco Company and Philip Morris USA in scores of such smoking and health cases. Cruz-Alvarez has also served as counsel for numerous drug manufacturers in significant pharmaceutical liability claims. His representative cases in the pharmaceutical sector include Redux / Pondimin (Fen-Phen) diet drug claims and Accutane claims filed throughout the state of Florida, including those in the Accutane MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
“Rafael is a versatile litigator who has handled hundreds of product liability cases for leading manufacturers, and will be of enormous value to our product liability and general litigation clients,” said William R. Maguire, Chair of Hughes Hubbard’s Litigation Department.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Rafael to Hughes Hubbard’s Miami office,” added Nicolas Swerdloff, Office Managing Partner of Hughes Hubbard’s Miami office. “Personally, I look forward to working with him closely on the Hughes Hubbard team serving Lorillard Tobacco Company as national coordinating counsel, including the thousands of cases here in Florida. He will also add additional depth to our already strong international litigation practice in Miami.”
“I am delighted to join one of the most respected litigation teams in the world,” Cruz-Alvarez said. “From sophisticated, high-stakes product liability litigations to leading-edge toxic tort matters, Hughes Hubbard is renowned for its prowess in court. I look forward to putting the firm’s resources to work for my clients.”
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second consecutive year in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Clients Lorillard Tobacco Company and Hollingsworth & Vose Win Cigarette Filter CaseNew York, October 10, 2012—Hughes Hubbard announced today that clients Lorillard Tobacco Company and Hollingsworth & Vose Co. (“H&V”) won a lawsuit brought in California state court by plaintiffs’ counsel, The Lanier Law Firm, on behalf of a California man who claimed that his mesothelioma was caused by asbestos released from the filter in original Kent cigarettes, which were manufactured for a limited time in the 1950s (Dimitris O. Couscouris et al v. Hatch Grinding Wheels et al). At trial, Lorillard was represented by Ricardo Cedillo of Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza, and Rick Shackelford of Greenberg Traurig. James Berger of Hughes Hubbard and Timothy Johnston of Nutter, McClennen & Fish represented H&V at trial.
Plaintiffs Dimitris O. Couscouris and Magdalena Couscouris filed their case in Superior Court in Los Angeles and obtained a preferential trial date. At trial, eight product liability claims went to the jury against Lorillard and four claims went to the jury against H&V. Plaintiffs requested $769,529 in economic damages, plus unspecified non-economic damages and damages for loss of consortium. The plaintiffs also asked the jury to determine whether they were entitled to punitive damages against Lorillard.
Dimitris Couscouris was diagnosed with mesothelioma in early 2011, and sued Lorillard, H&V and several other companies in December 2011. Lorillard and H&V were the only remaining defendants at trial.
Trial began on September 4, 2012 and ended October 4. After deliberating just under three hours, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict, rejecting plaintiffs’ claims and finding that Dimitris Couscouris had failed to prove that he smoked original Kent cigarettes.
“This was a hard-fought case against an experienced and aggressive law firm in a difficult jurisdiction,” said John Reilly, Associate General Counsel, Litigation with Lorillard. “We are pleased that the jury correctly and fairly evaluated the evidence and sided with the defense.”
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked Number one for the second year in a row in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Co-Chief of Hughes Hubbard's Arbitration and ADR Practice, John M. Townsend, Appointed to LCIA CourtNew York, October 2, 2012—Hughes Hubbard announced today that John M. Townsend, partner and co-chair of the firm’s Arbitration and ADR Practice, has been appointed to serve on the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) Court.
In addition to Townsend, the LCIA also appointed Royal Dutch Shell’s legal director Peter Rees QC to the court. In an interview with Global Arbitration Review, the LCIA’s director general Adrian Winstanley noted, “It is great to have the addition of these two stars of arbitration to the already stellar lineup on the court.”
Townsend is a litigation partner in the Washington office of Hughes Hubbard and is co-chair of the Arbitration and ADR Practice Group. His practice focuses on complex disputes, particularly international disputes, both in court and before arbitral tribunals, and acting as an arbitrator. Most recently, Townsend led the Hughes Hubbard team that represented Canada in an LCIA arbitration captioned The United States of America v. Canada, in which all claims against Canada were dismissed. Townsend served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) from 2007 to 2010, and was appointed by President Bush to a six-year term as one of the American members of the Panel of Arbitrators of the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in 2008.
The LCIA is one of the leading international institutions for commercial dispute resolution. Its organization, operation, outlook and services are worldwide, in the fields of arbitration, mediation and other forms of ADR.
About Hughes HubbardHughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite”—the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes.
Hughes Hubbard Helps Benihana Go Private for $295MNew York, August 21, 2012—Hughes Hubbard announced today that it advised the leading operator of Japanese-themed and sushi restaurants in the United States, Benihana Inc., in its agreement to be acquired by funds advised by the Private Equity Group of Angelo, Gordon & Co. for approximately $295 million in cash, which closed today.
The deal, announced May 22, 2012, marks the culmination of a journey that began in July 2010, when Benihana first explored strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company. Under the terms of the transaction, Angelo Gordon paid $16.30 in cash for each share of Benihana, a premium of approximately 41 percent over the stock’s trading levels before the announcement of the company's new strategic alternatives process on March 13, 2012.
Ken Lefkowitz and Ellen Friedenberg led the Hughes Hubbard team with assistance from Michael Traube, Kathleen O’Donnell, Gary Simon, Jerry Harrison, Erin DeCecchis, Chuck Samuelson, Steve Greene, Stephen Luger, Andy Braiterman, Ethan Litwin, Wayne Josel, Alison Peyser, Arinze Ike, Alex Anderson, Chris Wild, Marina Ufaeva, Ross Lipman, Kyle Leingang and Gloria Nusbacher.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” — the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes.
Hughes Hubbard Again Tops List of ‘All-Around Best’New York, July 12, 2012 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announced today that it was honored for the second year in a row as the top firm in the United States according to The American Lawyer’s A-List, what the magazine describes as its list of “firms that represent the all-around best.”
According to The American Lawyer, “the factors that go into the tenth edition of this annual ranking—revenue per lawyer, pro bono, associate satisfaction, and diversity—aim to identify firms that represent the all-around best. While financial strength is important (and reflected in the RPL factor), we also want to applaud firms that are committed to serving the less fortunate, and to creating a diverse and healthy work environment.” The magazine has described the firms on its A-List as “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” and “the profession’s top tier.”
Hughes Hubbard Chair Candace Beinecke said, “Our two years as number one on the A-list rankings reflect critical aspects of our firm. Above all, topping the A-List reflects our ability to continue to earn our clients’ trust to handle their most significant matters. We are extremely grateful. It also reflects our associates' engagement and satisfaction with their training and quality of work.” With regard to the A-List metrics of diversity and pro bono, Beinecke stated, “Our diversity makes our business stronger and enhances our lives in and out of the office, while pro bono work nourishes our deep roots in the community by providing opportunities to work with clients who wouldn't otherwise have access to our services. These factors are important to us and to our clients.”
2012 marks Hughes Hubbard’s eighth year on The American Lawyer’s A-List. The firm earned the top spot on the list in 2011 and 2012.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” — the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. John Fellas Appointed Co-Chair of Hughes Hubbard's Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution PracticeNew York, July 2, 2012 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announced today that New York-based partner John Fellas has been appointed co-chair of the firm’s Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) practice group. Fellas will co-chair the award-winning practice with Washington, D.C.-based partner John Townsend and Paris-based partner José Rosell.
“The promotion of John Fellas to co-chair of Hughes Hubbard’s Arbitration and ADR practice group constitutes a recognition of the high profile that John has achieved outside of the firm and of the leadership that he has been providing for some time within our arbitration practice,” said Townsend.
“Our practice has grown because many of the world’s leading enterprises turn to us to handle their most critical matters, including commercial arbitration and investment arbitration,” added Rosell. “The addition of John Fellas as co-chair alongside John Townsend and me reflects the growth of a practice group that has been recognized by Chambers and similar publications as one of the foremost arbitration practices in the world.”
“My partners and I are privileged to work with clients on their most sophisticated international arbitrations,” Fellas said. “I am honored by this appointment and look forward to serving alongside John and José as co-chair of one of the world’s most esteemed practices in our field.”
Hughes Hubbard’s Arbitration and ADR practice group is recognized as one of the foremost arbitration practices in the world, with more than 50 lawyers serving as arbitrator or counsel in numerous international arbitrations conducted in all parts of the world. Hughes Hubbard has conducted arbitrations under virtually every set of major international commercial arbitration rules of most of the leading institutions covering a wide range of industries and types of disputes, and the practice’s lawyers participate actively in the activities of many of those institutions. The firm’s Arbitration and ADR practice also represents sovereign states and private sector clients in a wide range of public international law matters, including international arbitration. The practice has twice received Chambers USA’s Award for Excellence—the publication’s highest award—in International Arbitration, and has been short-listed for this award every year since its inception.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 for the second year in a row in 2012 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” — the firm’s eighth year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Accomplished Litigator Named Partner by Hughes HubbardNew York and Miami, April 10, 2012 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announces that Aviva Wernick, a commercial litigator in the firm’s Miami office, has been named partner. Ms. Wernick began her legal career in Hughes Hubbard’s New York office. After spending two years at a major Tel Aviv law firm and becoming a member of the Israel Bar, she relocated to Hughes Hubbard’s Miami office.
According to Nick Swerdloff, managing partner of the firm’s Miami office, “Aviva is a very talented litigator who has been an integral part of the firm’s national litigation practice for many years. She has played a pivotal role in achieving favorable results in complex litigation matters, and is a significant and welcome addition to the partnership.” He noted that Ms. Wernick’s broad range of litigation and arbitration experience includes product liability and mass toxic tort, director and officer liability, consumer fraud class actions and complex commercial disputes.
Firm chair Candace Beinecke said, “I am thrilled that the firm has elected Aviva Wernick as a partner. She has worked with a number of the firm’s significant clients on important litigation matters with great success.”
Ms. Wernick received her B.A. magna cum laude from Yeshiva University and her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she was Editor of the Review of Law and Social Change.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in 2011 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” — the firm’s seventh year on the list. Hughes Hubbard’s litigation group handles numerous major cases, most recently a $4.8 billion trial victory in the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Inc. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. DeBusk Named to State Department Advisory Committee on Sanctions PolicyWashington, D.C., February 15, 2012 — Amanda DeBusk, partner and chair of the International Trade Department at Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, has been appointed to the State Department Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy: Sanctions Subcommittee.
The private sector subcommittee, led by distinguished Georgetown Law Professor Barry E. Carter, includes representatives from GE, Bechtel, Citigroup, Boeing, BAE Systems and other major companies and trade associations. The subcommittee advises top State Department officials on sanctions policies. It meets approximately every three months in Washington, D.C.
“I am deeply honored to be appointed to this position,” DeBusk said. “The work that the Subcommittee is doing on Iranian sanctions is very important to national security. We are working to provide advice on effective sanctions strategy, laws and regulations in a very complex global environment. I look forward to working with Professor Carter and other members of the Subcommittee to provide sound advice to the State Department decision-makers.”
DeBusk is chair of Hughes Hubbard’s International Trade Department, which was recently recognized by Chambers as one of the leading international trade departments in the country. DeBusk concentrates on export controls and sanctions, trade remedies, customs, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and market access. Her sanctions expertise is rooted in her background as former Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Commerce Department, where she handled civil and criminal enforcement matters and voluntary disclosures, including sanctions enforcement. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 in the U.S. on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite.” The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Adds 10 Lawyers in ParisNew York and Paris, Jan. 31, 2012 — Hughes Hubbard announced today that it has added 10 lawyers to its Paris office. Three new partners – Sena Agbayissah, Alain Vincent and Stefan Naumann – along with seven associates will be joining Hughes Hubbard from the Paris office of SNR Denton. Their arrival enhances Hughes Hubbard’s ability to provide high-quality banking and finance, corporate, M&A, competition and intellectual property legal services in Europe and will allow Hughes Hubbard to offer to its clients a complete transactional and litigation platform.
Sena Agbayissah is a former managing partner of SNR Denton’s Paris office, who headed the Paris banking and finance practice. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers Legal and his experience includes financing (structured, project, asset, trade, acquisition finance, etc.) derivatives, capital market and the restructuring of financial institutions.
Alain L. Vincent holds law degrees from the University of Paris and New York University Law School and was a founding partner of the Paris firm Sales, Vincent & Associes. He focuses on M&A, joint ventures, corporate and commercial law and competition law.
Stefan Naumann headed the technology, media and telecommunications practice at his former firm. He handles litigation, arbitration and advisory work with respect to patents, trademarks, copyrights, and image and design rights. As noted in the current edition of Chambers Europe, Stefan Naumann is particularly renowned for his activity in the motion picture industry. He is a graduate of Harvard University, Berkeley Law School and Paris University and is admitted to practice in both France and California.
Hughes Hubbard has been in Paris since 1966 and was one of the first U.S. firms to establish an office there. The firm’s Paris office has achieved recognition – most notably by Chambers – for its dispute resolution practice, covering both international arbitration and business litigation. The office already represents a number of leading banks and industrial companies. The arrival of the new team will enlarge and create synergies with corporate, banking and finance litigation and labor law groups, in Paris and the United States, as well as with the firm’s anti-corruption and compliance practice group, which has its European base in the Paris office.
Hughes Hubbard’s managing partner, Ted Mayer, said the firm has been looking for the right opportunity to expand its Paris office with high quality laterals. “We are committed to having a top quality full-service Paris office to serve our extensive base of international clients. Sena, Alain and Stefan fit perfectly with our existing practices and our plans for the future. We are excited that a group of such exceptional quality is joining the firm, and also with the opportunities that their extensive client relationships bring to our Paris office and the firm in general. We are confident that they will take their practice to an even higher level at Hughes Hubbard,” he said.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2011 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” – the firm’s seventh year on the list. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Headquartered in New York, with offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, Jersey City, Kansas City, Paris and Tokyo, the firm provides comprehensive legal advice and transactional expertise to clients around the world. Hughes Hubbard Opens Office in Kansas CityNew York, Jan. 4, 2012 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed opened an office in Kansas City, Missouri this week to enhance the firm’s U.S. litigation practice with additional experienced advocates, including trial counsel, and a significant presence in the Midwest. The new office opens with a full litigation capacity – five partners as well as 35 counsel, associates and analysts.
William L. Allinder, who is managing partner of the office, joins Hughes Hubbard from his own law firm after having previously been a partner at Kansas City-based Shook, Hardy & Bacon. Three of the partners – Jamie M. Clark, Gay L. Tedder and David M. Woods – join Hughes Hubbard directly from Shook Hardy.
The office will initially focus on the litigation needs of tobacco manufacturer Lorillard Tobacco Company. Hughes Hubbard, which has been handling tobacco cases for Lorillard since 2010, was recently named national counsel in the company’s tobacco litigation, and the firm’s work has expanded substantially.
“Lorillard is consolidating its legal work in Kansas City with Hughes Hubbard & Reed and is in fact expanding its ongoing relationship with the firm,” Lorillard spokesman Gregg Perry said in a statement. “HHR is widely recognized for its product liability defense work, and Lorillard believes having access to the expanded legal expertise HHR will bring to Kansas City fits well with our long-term strategy of defending every lawsuit. We expect no change in our defense strategy with HHR as our national counsel. Lorillard anticipates this transition will go smoothly and will be completed by mid-2012.”
Lorillard first engaged Hughes Hubbard in 2010 to join the team defending thousands of suits brought in Florida.
Allinder is a nationally known product liability defense lawyer who has long served as senior litigation adviser to Lorillard in tobacco litigation and has substantial other complex product litigation experience.
Clark is also a long-time adviser to Lorillard and has experience in litigation particularly complex scientific issues in products liability litigation. She also has experience in transactions and corporate finance issues.
Tedder is a trial attorney with over 20 years of experience, including products liability litigation. A former assistant U.S. attorney, she has served as national trial counsel for Fortune 500 companies in complex products liability litigation, including litigation brought by the state attorneys general against tobacco manufacturers.
Woods is a trial attorney with experience in all aspects of large-scale, multi-defendant products liability litigation. He has represented clients in high-profile state and federal litigation throughout the country.
Hughes Hubbard has long had ties to the Kansas City area. For years, the firm represented Hallmark Cards Inc., the largest corporation in Kansas City, as well as certain Hall family interests and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The office also includes Hughes Hubbard partner John F. Wood, a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri in Kansas City, where he led the largest corporate fraud investigation and prosecution in the history of the district. Wood is former chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deputy associate U. S. attorney general, White House staffer, U.S. Supreme Court clerk and staffer for U.S. Sen. John C. Danforth. Wood, who focuses on litigation, internal corporate investigations and corporate compliance, will also continue to practice out of the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
“Servicing Lorillard is our main priority,” said Ted Mayer, the managing partner of Hughes Hubbard. “But we also are expanding our trial capacity across the board. In fact, we recently added lateral litigation partners in our L.A. and Paris offices, and we are adding litigators in Miami as well.”
Hughes Hubbard made a similar move in 2003, opening an office in Jersey City, N.J. to be closer to its pharmaceutical clients.
Hughes Hubbard has one of the most renowned products liability practices in the U.S. The firm handled the groundbreaking $5 billion settlement of the Vioxx case, in which the firm was national coordinating counsel and continues to have a prominent role in defending Merck both in the U.S. and worldwide. The firm was also lead counsel in the Ford Pinto litigation case in the 1970s and has served as national counsel in the following areas: asbestos, blood products, chemicals, gas products, dietary supplements, DES and other pharmaceuticals and treated wood.
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in 2011 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” – the firm’s seventh year on the list. Hughes Hubbard’s litigation group handles numerous major cases, most recently a $4.8 billion trial victory in the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Inc. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. David Stern Joins Hughes Hubbard in L.A.New York and Los Angeles, November 30, 2011 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed announced today that David Stern, a litigation partner with considerable first chair trial experience, has joined the firm in its Los Angeles office. He was previously a partner at Winston & Strawn in L.A. Stern represents Fortune 500 clients in a wide range of complex commercial litigation matters including class action, antitrust, intellectual property, employment, and media and entertainment matters. In addition, he has significant experience litigating securities, real estate and unfair competition matters. “We are delighted to welcome David to the firm. David has established an excellent reputation as an accomplished, highly regarded and successful trial lawyer. He will be a strong and important addition to our trial practice,” said Rita Haeusler, head of Hughes Hubbard’s Los Angeles office. “Hughes Hubbard is known for its outstanding litigation practice,” said Stern. “I am looking forward to working with the group and continuing to build the firm’s litigation practice in California.” Stern received a B.A. summa cum laude from St. John’s University in 1988 and a J.D. in 1992 from the University of Minnesota Law School where he was note and comment editor of the Minnesota Journal of International Economic Law & Policy. He is admitted to the Bar in California, D.C. and Minnesota. About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2011 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” — the firm’s seventh year on the list. Hughes Hubbard’s litigation group handles numerous major cases, most recently a $4.8 billion trial victory in the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Inc. The firm was founded in 1888 by the renowned jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Headquartered in New York with offices in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, Jersey City, Paris and Tokyo, the firm provides comprehensive legal advice and transactional expertise to clients around the world. Hughes Hubbard To Counsel Trustee In Liquidation Of MF Global Inc., The U.S. Broker-DealerNew York, Nov. 1, 2011— A federal court has granted an application by the Securities Investor Protection Corp. (SIPC) to appoint James W. Giddens as trustee for the liquidation of MF Global Inc., and the international law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed as counsel to Mr. Giddens, a partner in that firm. MF Global, Inc. is the broker-dealer unit of MF Global Holdings Ltd., which collapsed and entered Chapter 11 protection yesterday. By law, its broker-dealer unit is not allowed to file for bankruptcy under Title 11, and SIPC moved to begin an orderly liquidation under the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA). SIPC maintains a reserve fund authorized by Congress to help securities customers of a failed brokerage firm. Neither Giddens nor Hughes Hubbard is involved in the Chapter 11 proceeding of the parent company, MF Global Holdings Ltd. SIPC filed an application Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for a declaration that the customers of MF Global Inc. are in need of the protections available under the SIPA. The trustee is charged with giving notice of the proceeding and mailing claim forms to the customers and other creditors of the firm. Information about the case also will be made available on the Web at http://www.mfglobaltrustee.com. The case has been referred to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Hughes Hubbard partners James B. Kobak, Jr. and Christopher K. Kiplok and will head the law firm’s services to the Trustee, as they are doing in the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Inc., Lehman’s brokerage unit, the largest such action ever. Hughes Hubbard is an international law firm based in New York. The firm is rated #1 in The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite.” Hughes Hubbard Among First to Win the Corporate Counsel Women of Color’s Inaugural Diversity AwardNew York, Sept. 23, 2011— Hughes Hubbard & Reed is one of the first recipients ever to be honored by the Corporate Counsel Women of Color (“CCWC”) with its prestigious new award —the “Diversity Award of Excellence.” The award will be presented at CCWC’s 7th Annual Career Strategies Conference on October 5–7 in Beverly Hills, Calif. CCWC is an international organization comprised of women-of-color-attorneys who work primarily for Fortune 1000 and Forbes 2000 companies. The organization is honoring Hughes Hubbard for outstanding achievement in its commitment to diversity and the advancement of women attorneys of color.
Diversity has long been a priority at Hughes Hubbard and a key component of the firm’s culture. This legacy began with founder Charles Evans Hughes, who campaigned vigorously for women’s suffrage in his run for the U.S. presidency in 1916. The firm broke ranks with its Wall Street counterparts in 1942 by hiring the first female associate at a time when other firms weren’t even interviewing women. In 1969, Hughes Hubbard promoted Amalya L. Kearse —now a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — to be the first African-American female partner in a major Wall Street law firm. The firm again made history in 1999 when it elected Candace Beinecke to be the first woman to chair a major New York law firm.
Beatrice Hamza Bassey, a partner in the firm’s litigation practice and Chair of the firm’s diversity committee, will receive the award for the firm.
“We are very pleased to be receiving this award from such an important organization in the profession,” she said. “At Hughes Hubbard, diversity is in our DNA. It’s not simply a policy; it’s a mindset. And we believe this is why we continue to win acknowledgements as an industry leader. We believe diversity encourages innovative perspectives, enhances our collaborative efforts and makes us more effective in interacting with our clients and identifying their needs.”
About Hughes Hubbard
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is ranked #1 in the U.S. in 2011 on The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s legal elite” —the firm’s seventh year on the list. The international law firm was founded in 1888 by the legendary jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Hughes Hubbard Names Three New PartnersNew York, N.Y., March 15, 2011 — Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP has elected as partners litigators Jason Benton and Hagit Elul in its New York office and Corporate Finance lawyer Mark Denham in its Miami office.
New Partners
Jason Benton is a skilled litigator with experience, including trial work, in a wide variety of practice areas. He has been with Hughes Hubbard since he graduated from law school in 2000. His experience includes complex litigation in areas ranging from mass tort to copyright and music licensing to cutting-edge legal areas such as Internet defamation. Recent cases include defense of an international maritime classification society against the claims of a sovereign state arising out of the sinking of an oil tanker and a trial on behalf of nuclear utility companies against the U.S. Government based on the Government’s failure to remove spent nuclear fuel. Mr. Benton received his B.A. from Colgate University in 1991 and his J.D. in 2000 from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor of the Columbia Law Review, a Stone Scholar, a Kent Scholar and won the James A. Elkins Prize in Civil Procedure.
Mark Denham joined Hughes Hubbard as counsel in 2009. He formerly served as inhouse counsel for a Latin America finance business within General Electric Capital
Corporation. He focuses on a wide variety of finance transactions, including bank financings, aircraft finance, acquisition finance, trade finance, project finance and other financial products, debt restructurings, and the purchase and sale of distressed debt portfolios. Most of his transactions are cross-border and many involve Brazil, where Hughes Hubbard has long had a strong practice. Mr. Denham, who is fluent in Portuguese, is a member of the firm’s Latin America practice as well as its financial services group. He received his B.S. from Liberty University where he graduated magna cum laude in 1990 and his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1994 where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review.
Hagit Elul is an experienced and accomplished litigator and international arbitration practitioner. Clients for which she has handled significant matters include an Indian
energy company in an ICDR arbitration, an Indian software company in an acquisition dispute, major pharmaceutical companies in licensing disputes, professional services networks, and international companies in construction disputes. She has also handled investment treaty claims and provided advice to investors about claims for expropriation. Ms. Elul writes and speaks widely on the subject of arbitration. In addition to her arbitration work, Ms. Elul has long shown impressive talent as a litigator. In 2004, when she was a mid-level associate, she argued and won a pro bono case before the Ninth Circuit, in which the Court unanimously ruled that children conceived posthumously are entitled to Social Security survivors’ benefits. Just this year, Ms. Elul received the 2010 New York State Bar Association President’s Pro Bono service award in recognition of her pro bono appellate practice, including her service on the Second Circuit Pro Bono Panel. Ms. Elul graduated cum laude from the University of California at Berkeley in 1994, and received her J.D. from Columbia Law School, also with academic honors, in 1999. Prior to Joining Hughes Hubbard, she clerked for the Honorable Martha Vazquez of the United States District Court in New Mexico.
Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP is a New York-based international law firm. The firm is ranked #1 in New York and #2 nationally in The American Lawyer’s A-List of what the magazine calls “the top firms among the nation’s elite.” The firm also consistently earns top rankings for its pro bono work and in diversity. Hughes Hubbard was founded in 1888 by legendary jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. International Trade Practice Group Joins Hughes HubbardNew York, N.Y., February 3, 2011 — Joanne Osendarp, an authority on international trade law who has for many years represented Canada in what The Economist called the “biggest trade battle on the planet,” has joined Hughes Hubbard as a partner. Formerly, Ms. Osendarp was a partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where she co-chaired the international trade and arbitration group. She joins Hughes Hubbard as a member of its highly-rated International Trade Department. John Ryan, formerly counsel at Weil, Gotshal, has also joined Hughes Hubbard as counsel in the International Trade Department.
Ms. Osendarp has distinguished herself in international legal circles as the Government of Canada’s principal U.S. based lawyer in Canada’s high-profile, ongoing softwood lumber dispute with the United States. Canada is the United States’ largest trading partner, and softwood lumber exports have been the longest-running point of friction between the two countries.
As Canada’s lawyer, Ms. Osendarp has led Canada’s legal team in numerous negotiations and dispute resolution proceedings, heading up internal and outside counsel teams. Most recently she has been lead counsel in a number of LCIA arbitrations arising out of the Softwood Lumber Agreement 2006. She was also co-lead in the multiple investigations, administrative reviews; and related NAFTA, WTO and Court of International Trade appeals connected to the “Lumber IV” softwood lumber dispute.
Chambers has called Ms. Osendarp a “brilliant” lawyer who “knows the material inside and out when she works on a case.” In its most recent edition, Chambers USA noted her “exhaustive understanding of both international law and trade law.”
“Joanne is considered a leader and gifted strategist by lawyers who have worked with her,” said Amanda DeBusk, chair of Hughes Hubbard’s International Trade Department. “Adding Joanne and John to the existing trade group at Hughes Hubbard makes us one of the largest international trade practices.”
Mr. Ryan has represented multinational corporations and the Government of Canada before the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Court of International Trade, NAFTA and WTO panels. Most recently, he represented the major Mexican producers in the U.S. antidumping investigation of copper tubing and is currently representing Canada in the ongoing LCIA arbitrations between Canada and the United States.
Hughes Hubbard’s International Trade Department specializes in international trade regulation and litigation, including U.S. export controls and sanctions, trade remedies, trade and customs laws, NAFTA, the WTO and bilateral and regional free trade agreements.
One of the reasons that Ms. Osendarp and Mr. Ryan chose to join Hughes Hubbard was to combine their international trade expertise and experience with Hughes Hubbard’s commanding position in the field of international arbitration. John Townsend, the co-chair of Hughes Hubbard’s Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Practice Group, will head up the arbitration team working with Ms. Osendarp and Mr. Ryan on the arbitration aspects of future disputes.
Candace Beinecke, the chair of Hughes Hubbard, said, “We are thrilled that Joanne and John are joining forces with our top notch international trade and international arbitration practices. We welcome the addition of this group to our highly successful and growing practice groups.”
Ms. Osendarp’s and Mr. Ryan’s arrival will add a new dimension to the government experience of the trade practice. Ms. Osendarp previously worked for the Government of Canada as senior counsel to the Departments of Justice and Foreign Affairs and International Trade. While with the Government of Canada, she was lead counsel for all institutional issues relating to NAFTA generally, including subsidies and dumping actions, safeguards, and section 301 actions. She also negotiated and drafted the Softwood Lumber Agreement 1996, the Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement, the Internal Trade Agreement and was counsel to Canada for the negotiation of the NAFTA. Ms. Osendarp received her B.A. and M.A. from York University in Toronto and her L.L.B. from the University of Ottawa.
Mr. Ryan formerly served as a senior official with the U.S. International Trade Commission. While there, he advised the Commission on all matters relating to import relief laws, drafted recommended changes in tariffs and quotas to the President and prepared economic studies of international trade as requested by Congress. Mr. Ryan received his B.A. with distinction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his M.A. in economics from George Washington University, and his J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center.
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked #2 nationally on The American Lawyer’s A-List of the “top firms among the nation’s legal elite.” The firm was founded in 1888 by eminent jurist and statesman Charles Evans Hughes. Experienced International Lawyer and Paris Managing Partner Joins Hughes HubbardParis and New York, October 1, 2010 — Alfred Hoogveld, head of the Paris office of Dutch law firm Loyens & Loeff, has joined Hughes Hubbard as a partner. Mr. Hoogveld, a Dutch national and a member of both the Paris and the Netherlands bars, has broad experience in international legal matters ranging from cross-border corporate transactions to arbitration and litigation. He focuses on serving French clients doing business internationally as well as foreign investment in France, particularly by Dutch and Scandinavian clients.
“Alfred is a wonderful fit for us, and I welcome him to this firm,” said José Rosell, the head of Hughes Hubbard’s Paris office and co-chair of the firm’s International Arbitration Practice. “He is one of the few corporate lawyers in Paris who speaks Dutch, which will help us serve our growing Benelux practice in Paris. His experience in the arbitration field also fits well with our strengths.” Hughes Hubbard is known for its arbitration practice and is consistently ranked as one of the pre-eminent practices in this area. Jan Joosten, a New York partner born in the Netherlands, joined José in welcoming Mr. Hoogveld. “Alfred’s joining us will definitely add to our abilities to serve our Dutch clients,” he said.
Mr. Hoogveld has been active for many years in mergers & acquisitions in France, in particular in the field of facility management, agro-food businesses, distribution and logistics. In addition to his corporate practice, Mr. Hoogveld has served as counsel or arbitrator in ICC, UNCITRAL, LCIA, NAI and ad hoc arbitrations. He recently served as sole arbitrator, co-arbitrator or chairman of arbitral tribunals in disputes concerning an energy plant in Kazakhstan, a railway construction project in France, telecom infrastructures in Eastern Europe and various road and dam construction projects in Africa. He also handled, as counsel, a joint-venture dispute between two major French and Mexican construction companies.
Mr. Hoogveld graduated from the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands where he received a Master of Law degree and the University of Paris II in France where he received a degree in European Law (CUECE). At the start of his career in France he worked as international counsel in a major French contracting firm in the field of energy infrastructures in the Middle and Far East regions as well as in Africa. He is fluent in Dutch, French, English, German and Italian.
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP is an international law firm ranked #1 in New York and #2 in the U.S. on The American Lawyer’s A-List of the “top firms among the nation’s legal elite.” The American Lawyer also ranked the firm #4 in “Top Growth Firms” among the nation’s 200 largest firms over 10 years. Hughes Hubbard’s Chair Announces New Managing Partner to Succeed Chuck Scherer, Retiring After a Long and Highly Successful TenureNew York, NY, August 18, 2010 — Hughes Hubbard Chair Candace K. Beinecke announced today that Charles H. Scherer will retire as the firm’s Managing Partner of more than 20 years, effective January 1, 2011. Theodore V.H. Mayer, a long-time member of the firm’s Executive Committee who currently co-heads the firm’s Litigation Group, will be the firm’s new Managing Partner. Day-to-day management duties will be handled by the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Gerard F. Cruse, who has more than 20 years of experience in law firm management and joined Hughes Hubbard from Apollo Global Management where he had been Global Director. Mr. Mayer will continue to maintain his active litigation practice.
Ms. Beinecke also named two Deputy Chairs — Mr. Mayer and Kenneth A. Lefkowitz — to advise on strategic and practice-management issues. Mr. Lefkowitz co-heads the firm’s Corporate and M&A groups and also is a long-time member of the Executive Committee.
“Chuck is a true renaissance man in business,” Ms. Beinecke said of Mr. Scherer. “He’s brilliant in the law, finance and management. He’s guided us through more than 15 straight years of record profits and we’ve been fortunate to have his talents.”
Mr. Scherer, who joined the firm from UPenn Law School in 1970, was made a partner in 1980 but left five years later to become General Counsel and Secretary of the Fortune 500 company Collins & Aikman. In 1987, he became Chief Financial Officer of the company, which later merged. Mr. Scherer returned to Hughes Hubbard as Managing Partner in 1989.
“We have a successful tradition of team leadership,” Ms. Beinecke added, “and that will make the transition easier. Having top practitioners like Ted and Ken as advisers, with their deep, hands-on litigation and corporate experience, will provide us with a valuable perspective on strategic practice issues.”
Mr. Mayer has been a member of the firm’s Executive Committee for 14 years and cohead of its Litigation Department since 2007. His practice is focused on the defense of complex litigation. Among many other such matters, he has headed the firm’s defense of Merck in the Vioxx litigation. Compliance Details javascript:commonShowModalDialog('{SiteUrl}/_layouts/itemexpiration.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}', 'center:1;dialogHeight:500px;dialogWidth:500px;resizable:yes;status:no;location:no;menubar:no;help:no', function GotoPageAfterClose(pageid){if(pageid == 'hold') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/hold.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'audit') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/Reporting.aspx?Category=Auditing&backtype=item&ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'config') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/expirationconfig.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;}}, null); return false; 0x0 0x1 ContentType 0x01 898 |
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