The Legal 500

Within Municipal bankruptcy, Arent Fox LLP is a second tier firm,

On the creditor side, Arent Fox LLP’s ‘first-class’ restructuring team provides ‘excellent knowledge, an excellent response time and excellent advice’. David Dubrow specializes in municipal matters including the structuring of municipal bonds. Dubrow also acts to maximize recoveries for holders of defaulted bonds and represents creditors in municipal bankruptcy proceedings; he has represented parties in the Harrisburg, PA, and Central Falls, RI, Chapter 9 proceedings. The multidisciplinary restructuring team includes attorneys with expertise in healthcare issues, municipal finance and litigation. Clients include Wells Fargo Bank, Vanguard Funds and Ambac Assurance Corporation. Andrew Silfen heads the team.

Within Healthcare: service providers, tier 4

Arent Fox LLP ‘performs very well on specific areas of deep expertise like medical staff and healthcare provider operations’, and is praised for its ‘very in-depth knowledge’ of Medicaid issues. The firm’s main healthcare practice, in Washington DC, represents Broward Health on regulatory matters ranging from Stark and anti-kick compliance to False Claims act investigations. In New York, Michael Blass has ‘a great grasp of transactional structures as well as the details that support them’; and Connie Raffa is ‘knowledgeable and professional’. Blass is advising Maxim Healthcare Services on regulatory and licensing issues in relation to its nationwide restructuring, and Raffa obtained the successful withdrawal of an investigation into Medicaid billing practices by the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General for a provider client. In Los Angeles, Lowell Brown and Sarah Benator are ‘remarkable in both their substantive expertise and their responsiveness to client needs’.

Within Trademarks: non-contentious (full coverage), Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

Washington DC-based Arent Fox LLP has a ‘top-notch' reputation in the media and entertainment industry. The IP practice is co-chaired by the ‘fantastic' Anthony Lupo and litigator Michael Grow, both of whom are based in Washington DC. Lupo also serves as a strategic counselor to the firm's key clients from the entertainment, technology and fashion industries, such as Pixar, Apple and Lacoste. Grow routinely acts for Warner Brothers and Hollywood producer Saul Zaentz. Christina Carvalho, who leads the trademarks group, manages a number of international portfolios and serves as primary counsel for clients such as Mars. Other clients of the team include The Oprah Winfrey Network, Choice Hotels International, Diesel and Benetton.

Within Employee benefits and executive compensation, tier 5

Arent Fox LLP’s ‘excellent’ Washington DC-based team has a well-regarded employee benefits and, in particular, ERISA practice. The firm is very active in the correction of ‘problem’ benefit plans for companies. The head of the practice is the ‘highly competent’ William Charyk, who specializes in benefits, compensation, and real estate investment vehicles. Quana Jew is ‘extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of ERISA law’ and has the ‘ability to work with people on all different experience levels and adjust her explanations’. The firm is also active in the representation of tax-exempt organizations, and has been retained by a large church organization to advise on a range of ERISA and employee benefits matters.

Within ERISA litigation , Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘excellent’ Arent Fox LLP impressed in 2011. ‘The firm’s knowledge of ERISA and client services is exceptional’. Practice head Carol Connor Cohen is ‘very smart, very responsive’ and ‘is among the foremost ERISA experts in the country’, according to one client. Recent representative work highlights include a matter for Monsanto Company and its cash balance plan that involved four class actions involving seven corporate and plan defendants that were consolidated in the Southern District of Illinois. The Monsanto defendants prevailed on the largest claim in the case – age discrimination in the treatment of prior plan accrued benefits – on summary judgment. The decision in the District Court was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in 2010, and the United States Supreme Court then denied the plaintiffs’ petition for review in 2011. Nancy Heermans and Caroline Turner English are much admired; the former for her expertise in the interplay between employee benefits and bankruptcy, and the latter for her experience in class action lawsuits and cash balance plan litigation.

Within International trade, Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

Arent Fox LLP has seen an increase in customs-related mandates in recent years. With 15 partners, the ‘smart, professional and very experienced’ team is heavily involved in Latin American-US trade issues. It continues to advise key client Coca-Cola in anti-dumping proceedings concerning the import of orange juice from Brazil, and lemon juice from Argentina and Mexico. Partners from the Washington office regularly collaborate with their Los Angeles counterparts on bilateral trade issues and WTO disputes for the Government of Mexico. Export Administration Regulations (EAR) expert Kay Georgi assists 3M with import and export control compliance, and provides ‘thorough and in-depth’ ITAR advice to clients including Wackenhut Services International. John Gurley represent clients in trade litigation and investigations involving non-market economies, and the ‘very smart’ David Hamill continues to provide import and export compliance advice to Sara Lee. Matthew Clark has taken over from William Charyk as the firm’s new managing partner. Myles Getlan and Michael Burton are also recommended.

Within Leading trial lawyers Leading trial lawyers

Within Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory, Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

Arent Fox LLP’s Stephanie Joyce represented membership organization Computer & Communications Industry Association with advocacy at the FCC supporting net neutrality rules and opposing the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile USA, and counseled VoIP provider Intelepeer on regulatory compliance matters and FCC policy proceedings. Jeffrey Rummel secured a FCC waiver on behalf of Thales Communications, providing greater flexibility for defense manufacturers relating to the manufacture of Guard Band-capable radios that will operate as part of 700 MHz public safety communication systems.

Within Telecoms and broadcast: transactional, Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

Arent Fox LLP’s 12-lawyer practice represents smaller carriers and start-ups in negotiations with content providers and disputes with the large telecoms operators and incumbents. Litigation accounts for around 60% of the practice and recent cases focused on mobile content and internet access and net neutrality. In Washington DC, Ross Buntrock represented Northern Valley Communications in appealing an FCC decision regarding rules which allow local exchange carriers to be compensated for termination of traffic to conference bridges. Michael Hazzard, ‘a true leader who has a solid business sense and a deep passion for his work’, represented new client Twilio, a cloud communications company that allows software developers to make and receive calls and send and receive text messages using its web service. Alan Fishel represented LightSquared against owners and users of the GPS system challenging its operating model, and acted for Internet2 in obtaining significant government grants under the “Broadband Technology Opportunities Program”. Other clients include Hypercube Telecom, Infrasource and new client Nomad Digital a UK-based provider of wireless internet services on trains.

Within M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m), tier 4

With a client base that ranges from mid-market private businesses to Fortune 500 companies, the ‘extremely timely and pro-active’ Washington DC-based firm Arent Fox LLP is well-versed in transactions with regional, national and international scope, the bulk of the group’s transactional work involving deals in the $25-$500m range. Clients are drawn from industry sectors including technology, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, consumer products, lodging and hospitality, healthcare and government contracts. The practice represented Sunbridge Capital, a private investment-management firm, in its strategic alliance with Comstock Homebuilding, advised Rubicon Partners and HS Real Company on the acquisition of Calumet, an international manufacturer and retailer of professional photographic equipment, and acted for PHC in connection with its approximately $65m acquisition by Acadia Healthcare Company. The team also represented VSE Corporation in acquiring Wheeler Bros for approximately $220m. DC-based corporate head Jay Halpern, Richard Gale, Jeffrey Jordan and Carter Strong are key contacts. Jordan is ‘very responsive, pro-active and cares about the client’.

Within Construction (including construction litigation), tier 4

The core attorneys in Arent Fox LLP’s construction practice have worked together for over 15 years. The group provides a broad range of traditional services to the construction and design industries, including front-end project documentation, litigation and contract administration. The New York-based practice has particular expertise in transactions, construction industry M&A, and green building. The practice’s Early Response Initiative is also worthy of note; it is designed to offer a pre-emptive, multi-disciplinary program to protect clients from market consequences and large losses as a result of manmade or natural disasters. The practice is led by James Frankel, who has 30 years of experience in a wide range of areas including risk transfer, dispute resolution, failure and collapse, and technological issues, and Eugene Scheiman, who specialises in litigation, ADR and business advisory services. The firm continues to represent the City of New York in various proceedings relating to the collapse of 7 World Trade Center on September 11 2001, and has had $1bn in claims dismissed.

Within Real estate, Arent Fox LLP is a third tier firm,

Arent Fox LLP impresses with its ‘amazing’ industry knowledge and ‘ability to quickly and efficiently handle an extremely complicated transaction’. Keith Styles and Kimberly Wachen co-chair the 40-partner practice, divided between Washington DC and New York. Mark Katz in Washington DC chairs the firm, and handles joint ventures, transactional work and finance matters for Goldman Sachs and Marathon Asset Management. The firm’s longstanding relationship with Marriott International is indicative of its leisure and hospitality expertise; Wachen and Joseph Fries advised on the recent development and financing of Marriott’s largest worldwide resort in Florida, as well as other resorts across the US and the West Indies. David Dubrow, in New York, continues to lead a team representing Fannie Mae, the government-sponsored Federal National Mortgage Association, in the Obama administration’s $25bn housing stabilization project. He also recently represented the client in the refinancing and restructuring of over $1bn of loans relating to senior living facilities. Jacqueline Weiss co-heads the leasing practice from the New York office; she is ‘smart and deal savvy, and understands her clients’.