Paul Hastings Continues Expansion Of International IP Practice with Addition of Five Prominent Patent Litigation Lawyers in Washington, D.C.

September 26, 2006

Paul Hastings Continues Expansion Of International IP Practice with Addition of Five Prominent Patent Litigation Lawyers in Washington, D.C.

New York, NY (September 26, 2006) - Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP (Paul Hastings), a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that Larry Gotts and Michael Bednarek will be joining Paul Hastings as partners in the Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Gotts and Mr. Bednarek will join Paul Hastings from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP where Mr. Gotts was the leader of their National Intellectual Property Section. Joining Larry and Mike are Aslan Baghdadi, Mark Koehn and Elizabeth Roesel.

"We are strategically building our international IP platform to further enhance our ability to serve our global clients. Larry and Mike have a national reputation and client bases with international reach," said Jamie Wareham, Global Chair of the Litigation Department. "We are extremely pleased to add such talented lawyers. The team led by Larry and Mike, together with new teams led by Rob Masters, Joe O'Malley and Bruce Wexler put us at the forefront of Global IP Practices."

Mr.Gotts' practice concentrates on litigation and trial of intellectual property disputes. As a former patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, he spearheaded the creation and development of the intellectual property practice at Crowell & Moring and the patent practice at Shaw Pittman LLP, before its merger with Pillsbury Winthrop. He was named Washington's "Top IP Lawyer" in 2004 by the Washington Business Journal, and is highly rated in the 2006 independent rankings of Chambers and Partners in both DC and Northern Virginia, which describes Gotts as "the driving force" behind Pillsbury's succcess in the field.

Mr.Bednarek was a leader of Pillsbury's Financial Institutions Intellectual Property Practice. Also a former patent examiner at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Mr. Bednarek has been recognized as one of the "World's Leading Patent Law Experts" by Legal Media Group and Euromoney Publications. Bednarek's practice focuses on patent litigation and intellectual property counseling. He helps clients develop, manage and exploit intellectual property assets throughout the world in a wide range of fields including computer hardware and software, electronic commerce, business systems, telecommunications, mechanical and electrical products and semiconductor devices. He represents clients on matters before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the International Trade Commission and U.S. federal courts.

Mr. Bednarek also served as managing partner of Pillsbury's Taipei office and in 2006, was named a "Virginia Super Lawyer" by Law & Politics magazine and its parent company Key Professional Media, Inc., a legal publisher and independent researcher of legal industry surveys nationwide.

The Paul Hastings Litigation Department provides premier litigation services to clients facing complex legal issues in the U.S., Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia. With more than 260 lawyers in the Litigation Department, in addition to 180 litigators in the Employment Department, Paul Hastings is well positioned to handle all aspects of a client's litigation needs. Our sophisticated litigation practice covers every major practice including securities, intellectual property, class action and employment litigation, international arbitration, and white-collar crime. The Litigation Department has an impressive track record of winning large and difficult cases.

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.