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Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Weil Enhances Internationally Recognized Corporate Practice

M&A Partners Richard Climan, Keith Flaum, Jane Ross and James Griffin and IP Partner John Brockland Join Weil’s Silicon Valley Office

(May 8, 2012, Weil News)


International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that Richard E. Climan, Keith A. Flaum, Jane Ross, John P. Brockland and James R. Griffin have joined Weil’s Silicon Valley office as partners in the Firm’s more than 600 lawyer Corporate Department.

Highly regarded both in Silicon Valley and globally, Mr. Climan, Mr. Flaum, Ms. Ross and Mr. Brockland have worked closely together for nearly 15 years, first at Cooley LLP and more recently at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP. Over that period, the team has handled some of the most significant transactions in the technology and life sciences sectors, working with clients such as Adobe, Applied Materials, Dell, eBay, Gilead Sciences, Oracle, Synopsys and Zynga.

“The addition of these five extremely talented lawyers will enhance our global M&A and IP capabilities,” said Executive Partner Barry M. Wolf. “Our focus has been to build on the core strengths of the firm through expansion in key geographic regions. We know that the addition of these exceptional lawyers will benefit Weil’s clients not only in Silicon Valley, but across all global markets.”

“Their stellar professional reputations and deep commitment to client service will complement greatly our already strong Silicon Valley office, particularly in the technology sector,” said Michael J. Aiello, Head of Weil’s Corporate Department. “In addition, they are a natural fit for our Firm, and we are all very excited that they have decided to join us.”

Mr. Climan, Mr. Flaum, Ms. Ross, and Mr. Griffin have joined Weil’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice. Mr. Brockland has joined the Firm’s Technology & Intellectual Property Transactions practice.

Silicon Valley Office Managing Partner, Craig W. Adas, said, "We have first-hand knowledge of this group, having known them personally and professionally for many years. We are excited that they will be joining our team in Silicon Valley."

“We carefully considered all of our options and chose Weil for its global footprint, its culture, the remarkably high quality of its practitioners and, most of all, its tradition of outstanding client service,” said Mr. Climan. “In addition, Weil has world-class expertise in areas critical to our practice, such as antitrust, tax, employment and M&A-related litigation. Weil is a place where we know we can continue to deliver excellence to clients.”

Mr. Flaum said, “Our decision to move to Weil was one that was made thoughtfully, and we are very happy to be joining a firm with a long history of innovation and commitment to legal excellence. Our clients are our top priority. At Weil, we know that we have found a place where we can offer them the highest quality service, while working in collaboration with extremely accomplished lawyers. The cultural fit with Weil is perfect for us.”

One of the nation’s top M&A lawyers, Mr. Climan has been recognized on the National Law Journal’s list of the 100 most influential lawyers in America and the International Who’s Who of Merger and Acquisition Lawyers’ list of the ten most highly regarded M&A lawyers in the world. Earlier this year, he headed the legal team that handled Illumina’s successful defense against Roche’s approximately $6 billion hostile takeover bid, and he was the lead M&A lawyer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their more than $2 billion sale, the largest ever for a professional sports team. In addition, he has advised Dell in its recent string of large acquisitions, including its acquisition of Compellent Technologies for nearly $1 billion. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, Mr. Climan speaks regularly on M&A topics, and is the Chair of the Securities Regulation Institute (presented annually by Northwestern School of Law in Southern California).

Mr. Flaum’s accolades include being named one of The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year” and one of California Lawyer magazine’s “California Lawyers of the Year.” He is one of only five corporate/M&A lawyers in Northern California to achieve a top-tier ranking in Chambers USA, a distinction he shares with Mr. Climan. He recently handled eBay’s $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commerce and Applied Materials’ $4.9 billion acquisition of Varian Semiconductor. Mr. Flaum attended University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Davis School of Law.

Ms. Ross has received numerous awards for her excellent lawyering, including recognition on Law360’s list of top female dealmakers and California Lawyer magazine’s “California Lawyers of the Year.” In 2011, the Daily Journal named her (along with Messrs. Climan and Flaum) among the 100 top lawyers in the State of California. Ms. Ross attended McGill University for both her undergraduate and law degrees.

Mr. Brockland has extensive experience handling a broad variety of transactions, including joint development, licensing, distribution and reseller agreements, as well as outsourcing arrangements, open-source licensing models and the intellectual property aspects of M&A and financing transactions. Mr. Brockland is a graduate of Trinity University and University of Chicago Law School.

Mr. Griffin has experience advising both private and publicly held companies in a wide variety of transactions and is an active member of the American Bar Association’s Merger and Acquisitions Committee. He attended Azusa Pacific University and Pepperdine University School of Law.

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