Davis Polk & Wardwell today announced that former US Securities and Exchange Commissioner Annette Nazareth has joined the firm as a partner in its Washington, DC office. Ms. Nazareth will practice in the firm’s Financial Institutions Group, advising clients across a broad range of complex regulatory matters and transactions. She also will work closely with Davis Polk’s SEC enforcement practice, counseling non-financial sector corporations that are subject to government regulatory and enforcement actions.
Ms. Nazareth has been a key financial services policymaker for more than a decade. She joined the SEC Staff in 1998 as a Senior Counsel to Chairman Arthur Levitt and then served as Interim Director of the Division of Investment Management and, beginning in 1999, as Director of the Division of Market Regulation (now the Division of Trading and Markets), a position in which she oversaw the regulation of broker-dealers, exchanges, clearing agencies, transfer agents and securities information processors. In 2005, Ms. Nazareth was appointed an SEC Commissioner by President Bush. As a Commissioner, Ms. Nazareth worked on numerous groundbreaking initiatives, including execution quality disclosure rules, implementation of equities decimal pricing, short sale reforms, implementation of a voluntary regime for consolidated supervision of broker-dealer holding companies and modernization of the national market system rules. Ms. Nazareth also served as the Commission’s representative on the Financial Stability Forum from 1999 to 2008.
Since leaving the SEC in January of this year, Ms. Nazareth has served as the Rapporteur for the Group of 30 (G30) report entitled, “The Structure of Financial Supervision—Approaches and Challenges in a Global Marketplace,” which will be released on October 6. The G30 is an international body composed of the world’s leading public and private sector experts on financial regulatory systems. Earlier in her career, Ms. Nazareth held a number of senior legal positions at several investment banks. She was a Davis Polk associate from 1981 to 1986.
“We are delighted to welcome Annette, one of the nation’s foremost experts on financial regulation, back to the firm,” said John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk & Wardwell. “In light of the recent unprecedented events within the financial services industry, as well as the broad, bipartisan consensus that the US financial regulatory system is in dire need of overhaul, Annette’s arrival is particularly important. She greatly bolsters our already significant financial regulatory practice as we work to help our clients navigate this most tumultuous economic environment.”
“I am so pleased to be joining Davis Polk & Wardwell at this momentous time in the financial markets. I can think of no firm that has a more talented group of lawyers or a more illustrious client base. Davis Polk & Wardwell provides the perfect platform to respond to the needs of the financial community in this volatile period,” said Ms. Nazareth.
Davis Polk regularly advises the world’s leading financial institutions across a broad range of corporate, regulatory and litigation issues. Several current significant representations include the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the $85 billion financing package for AIG; Freddie Mac in the US government’s take over and conservatorship of the company and its commitment to provide Freddie Mac with up to $100 billion in direct financial assistance; and Citi in matters pertaining to Lehman’s bankruptcy filing, including serving as one of the principal architects of the $77 billion bank liquidity facility.
Ms. Nazareth joins several other Davis Polk lawyers who have returned to the firm after a period of government service. Other recent examples include Charles Duggan, who served as Associate White House Counsel; Joseph Hall, who was the SEC’s Managing Executive for Policy under Chairman William H. Donaldson; Scott Muller, who served as General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Jennifer Newstead, whose positions included General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, Associate White House Counsel, and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice.
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.
For more information, please contact:
Kevin Cavanaugh
Ph - 212-450-6811
kevin.cavanaugh@dpw.com
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