Paul Hastings Boosts Global Finance & Restructuring Practice With Addition Of Sandra Esquiva-Hesse To Paris Office

September 14, 2006

Paul Hastings Boosts Global Finance & Restructuring Practice With Addition Of Sandra Esquiva-Hesse To Paris Office

Paris, FR (September 14, 2006) - Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP (Paul Hastings), a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that Sandra Esquiva-Hesse, previously with Clifford Chance Europe LLP, will join the firm's Corporate Department as partner, resident in the Paris office. Sandra's practice focuses on leveraged financings including LBOs, cross-border and asset finance transactions; structured finance transactions including securitization, deconsolidating structured financings, subordinated and super-subordinated financings, DIP financings, and public/private financings.

"Paul Hastings is focused on expanding its top-tier international finance and restructuring practice group, a key practice area of the Firm, throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia," said John Hilson, Finance and Restructuring Practice Group Chair. "Adding top talent is key to our success. Sandra's arrival will allow us to broaden our ability to advise on all types of complex finance transactions around the globe."

Sandra received her law degree from the University of Paris I - Pantheon-Sorbonne and an LLM from Columbia University, School of Law. Sandra then worked for Sherman and Sterling in New York from 1998-2002. She is admitted to the Paris Bar and the New York Bar. Her most recent work includes negotiating syndicated credit facilities of significant sizes (up to Euro 4.5 billion) for cross-border transactions; structured finance transactions achieving deconsolidation according to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) accounting principles; securitization transactions with FCC or off-shore Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV); and other transactions including tax, prudential and other corporate enhancement.

Paul Hastings Corporate Department: Teams of Paul Hastings' corporate attorneys provide clients with the sophisticated, cross-border legal and business expertise they need to finance and operate companies. The firm's Securities and Capital Markets, M&A, Lending, Project Finance, Private Equity, Investment Management and Securitization practices are nationally and internationally ranked. Paul Hastings' attorneys are experienced in every aspect of modern transactional practice in virtually every industry and service sector. Clients include major financial institutions, domestic, international, public and private companies.

Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP, founded in 1951, is a leading international law firm with over 1,000 attorneys in 17 offices. The firm serves a diverse client base including many of the top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies, supports clients in all of their legal needs and offers deep capabilities in Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Corporate/M+A, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Project Finance, Investment Management, Real Estate, Labor and Employment and Tax Advisory Services. For additional information, please visit our website at www.paulhastings.com..