O'Melveny Announces Significant Expansion of East Coast M&A Practice

O'MELVENY & MYERS LLP ANNOUNCES SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF FIRM'S MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS PRACTICE

Highly regarded M&A team joins New York office

NEW YORK, February 1, 2005 - O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced today that Spencer D. Klein, formerly the head of McDermott, Will & Emery's mergers & acquisitions practice, along with fellow former McDermott partners Gregory D. Puff and Paul S. Scrivano have joined O'Melveny & Myers' New York office Mr. Klein will co-head the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practice and will lead the firm's Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice.

At the same time, the firm also announced that Michael J. Kennedy, formerly the head of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's mergers & acquisitions practice, along with fellow former Wilson Sonsini partners Steve L. Camahort and Michael S. Dorf have joined O'Melveny & Myers' San Francisco office.

Messrs. Klein, Puff, Kennedy, Camahort and Dorf also previously practiced at Shearman & Sterling, while Mr. Scrivano practiced at Cravath, Swaine & Moore.

Arthur B. Culvahouse, Jr., Chair of O'Melveny & Myers, said, "Beginning with our merger with O'Sullivan LLP two and a half years ago, continuing with our more recent investments in Silicon Valley and London, and with today's announcement - O'Melveny & Myers continues to strengthen its position as a premier advisor on mergers & acquisitions and private equity transactions." Culvahouse continued, "We are excited that these outstanding attorneys have joined our firm. Not only is the strengthening of our mergers & acquisitions practice a key priority of our firm's strategic plan, but as mergers & acquisitions continue to become more global, dynamic and complex, we are pleased to have some of the most well respected and highly regarded attorneys serve our clients."

Spencer D. Klein added, "We could not be more pleased to be joining O'Melveny & Myers. The firm's commitment to excellence, leadership and citizenship and to the further growth of the Mergers & Acquisitions practice will be tremendous assets for our clients. We look forward to serving some of the world's premier companies from this strong platform across the United States, Asia and London."

Brad Okun, head of O'Melveny & Myers' New York office, said, "The addition of Spencer and his team provides us with a unique opportunity to expand the breadth and depth of the mergers & acquisitions practice in New York. This latest addition is not only a testimony to the quality and service that O'Melveny & Myers has brought to the New York marketplace, but also indicative of our continued growing global strength in mergers & acquisitions."

John Suydam, co-head of O'Melveny & Myers' Transactions Department, said, "O'Melveny & Myers is truly among the elite few firms with preeminent mergers & acquisitions capabilities on both coasts. This strategic initiative is a perfect compliment to our strong Private Equity practice, which in 2004 was ranked #1 by Private Equity Analyst for having closed more private equity and venture capital transactions than any other US law firm." Mr. Suydam will co-head the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practice with Mr. Klein.

About the New York Partners

Spencer D. Klein, formerly the head of McDermott, Will & Emery's mergers & acquisitions practice, has been involved in approximately 100 successfully closed mergers, tender and exchange offers, stock and asset acquisitions and divestitures, and joint ventures. He has extensive experience in contested merger and acquisition transactions, proxy contests and takeover defense counseling. Prior to joining McDermott, Mr. Klein was a partner at Shearman & Sterling.

Gregory D. Puff has been involved in a wide array of public and private transactions, including both U.S. and cross-border tender and exchange offers, mergers, stock and asset purchases, and joint ventures. He regularly represents several medium and large multinational corporations and global investment and commercial banking firms in their merger & acquisition transactions around the world. Mr. Puff previously practiced in London, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, as well as in New York.

Paul S. Scrivano has extensive experience in structuring, negotiating and executing large, complex mergers, tender and exchange offers, proxy contests, stock and asset acquisitions, joint ventures and private equity transactions, including significant hostile and cross-border transactions. He also regularly represents investment banks in merger and acquisition transactions.

About the Firm

O'Melveny & Myers LLP is a values-driven law firm guided by the principles of excellence, leadership and citizenship. With the breadth, depth and foresight to serve clients competing in a global economy, our attorneys devise innovative approaches to resolve problems and achieve business goals. Established in 1885, the firm maintains 14 offices around the world, with more than 900 attorneys. O'Melveny & Myers' capabilities span virtually every area of legal practice, including Antitrust/Competition; Capital Markets; Corporate Finance; Entertainment and Media; Global Enforcement and Criminal Defense; Intellectual Property and Technology; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Project Development and Real Estate; Restructuring and Insolvency; Securities; Tax; and Trade and International Law. 

To learn more about O'Melveny & Myers LLP, please visit: www.omm.com.