The Legal 500

Within Capital markets: debt offerings, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day has strong debt capital markets expertise, including a significant offering in the high-yield arena. The firm’s flagship office is in Cleveland, and the capital markets practice is also active in New York, Chicago and Houston. It has a reputation for industry-specific strengths, including in the technology, broadcasting and energy areas. Global practice head Christopher Kelly is based in New York and, together with Michael Solecki in Cleveland, recently represented industrial services provider Harsco Coporation in a $250m senior notes offering. Other issuer highlights include Solecki’s advice to Developers Diversified Realty Corporation in an issuance of $350m convertible notes. Edward Winslow and Timothy Curry, located in Chicago and Palo Alto respectively, led in providing advice to SanDisk Corporation in a $1bn issuance of 4.450% senior convertible notes. Winslow also advised Lennox International in a $200m offering of 4.9% notes. Charles Haag and Troy Lewis in the Dallas office assisted Kaiser Aluminium Corporation on an issuance of $175m cash convertible senior notes. Robert Joseph in Chicago has a wealth of expertise in advising energy sector clients, recently advising Xcel Energy in a $550m public senior notes offering, and the client’s subsidiary the Public Service Company of Colorado in a $400m public offering of first mortgage bonds. On the manager side, Winslow advised JPMorgan Securities, BNP Paribas Securities and UBS Securities as representatives of PepsiCo’s $2.25bn senior notes offering, and assisted JPMorgan Securities and RBS Securities as dealer managers in a cash tender offer of PepsiCo’s $2bn senior notes.

Within Capital markets: equity offerings, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day is renowned for its experience assisting issuers in equity offerings, and its impressive client roster features Thomas Properties Group, Evercore Trust, Temasek Holdings, Xcel Energy and Aqua Bounty Technologies. Highlights of 2010 included advising rare earths producer and technology company Molycorp Minerals in its $407.9m IPO, a transaction led by practice leader Christopher Kelly in New York, Gregory Shumaker in Washington DC, and Michael Solecki in Cleveland. Robert Clarkson and Stephen Gillette in Palo Alto Valley advised Oclaro on its $82.8m public offering of common stock. The International Coal Group is another recent client. On the underwriter side, the team counts Jefferies & Company, Morgan Stanley and Macquarie Capital (USA) as clients. Charles Haag in Dallas and Timothy Melton in Chicago also have experience in equity-related offerings. Clients highly rate the co-operation between the firm’s domestic offices.

Within Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day acts for a range of high-yield issuer clients in New York, Cleveland, Chicago and Houston, and the firm maintains its focus in specific sectors, including software and technology. Global practice chair Christopher Kelly, together with John Hyland, both based in New York, advised new client FTI Consulting in its issuance of $400m Rule 144A/Reg. S senior notes. Michael Solecki in Cleveland also advised Ferro Corporation in a $250m public offering of 7.875% senior notes, and assisted Developers Diversified Realty Corporation in a public offering of $300m of 7.875% notes. Timothy Melton in Chicago is recommended, and represented USG Corporation in a $350m private placement of 8.375% senior notes. Kelly, with Vanessa Spiro and Chicago-based Edward Winslow, advised Jefferies & Company regarding an offering of $1bn Rule 144A/Reg. S 11.5% senior secured first-lien notes by Offshore Group Investment Limited, a subsidiary of Vantage Drilling. The team also assisted the bank as underwriter of a $50m ordinary shares public offering by Vantage Drilling. Robert Clarkson is also singled out.

Within Corporate restructuring, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

A traditional debtor powerhouse, Jones Day has successfully diversified its practice over recent years in line with the ever evolving and sophisticated nature of the insolvency market. Led by New York-based Paul Leake, as well as now advising a number of distressed funds such as Patriarch Partners, Wilbur Ross and Aurora Resurgence, the firm has picked up some significant work for creditors, including the ad-hoc committee of bondholders on Chemtura’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Holding debt of over $740m, notably, the team successfully had its global settlement approved by the court in spite of opposition from the equity holders. Able to call upon the services of 24 dedicated insolvency partners in the US and aided by a strong international presence, the firm has the critical mass and geographical diversity to handle big-ticket debtor mandates regardless of location. Praised for its ‘responsiveness, superb knowledge of the bankruptcy process and very insightful strategy planning’, hot on the heels of its high-profile work for Chrysler, the group is representing automotive parts supplier Metaldyne on its Chapter 11 proceedings. Following on from the auction sale of substantial business units to a new company formed by secured creditors, a wind-down and liquidation of the assets that were not sold has now largely been completed. The practice also continues to be involved in a slew of work in its capacity as special counsel to Lehman Brothers in the US and Asia. It advised Lehman Brothers in an investigation relating to the sale of substantial assets to Barclays Capital. The ‘exceptional’ Corinne Ball has a tremendous reputation in the market and was a pivotal figure of both the Chrysler and Metaldyne work. Other notable practitioners include the ‘insightful, strategic, proactive and efficient’ Rick Wynne, the ‘terrific’ Heather Lennox and the ‘effective and knowledgeable’ Carl Black.

Within Structured finance , tier 6

Jones Day has ‘a wide breadth of experience, a high level of business knowledge, and provides sound advice on a timely basis’. Mark Sisitsky heads a group strongly recommended for derivatives and derivatives litigation. In early 2010, the firm fielded the multi-disciplinary credit derivatives team including Sitsiky, Joel Telpner, and Jay Tambe which prevailed in the first ever external review panel convened by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. The firm’s wider structured products offering has been enhanced by the recruitment of Scott Pierpont, who has broad experience of complex CLOs and asset-backed finance, from Mayer Brown. All lawyers named are based in New York. Practice group clients include Citigroup Global Markets, Kaiser Aluminum and Xcel Energy.

Within Environment: litigation, tier 4

Jones Day is ‘very client focused, timely and provide excellent expert advice and counsel’. Clients also say that it is a ‘go-to’ team, which is ‘excellent’. The firm’s contentious experience includes the defense of criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions, as well as litigation arising from private citizen suits, natural resource damage claims, superfund cost recovery claims, public nuisance, class action, individual toxic tort claims, and the pursuit of recovery for environmental claims under various corporate insurance policies. It successfully defended Midwest Generation in an action brought by the State of Illinois and the Department of Justice, alleging violations of the CAA and related regulations. It also defended Ethyl in a large environmental property damage case filed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), CERCLA, and common law, seeking recovery in excess of $38m for alleged PCB contamination at a property formerly owned by its client. Washington DC-based Kevin Holewinski leads the team. Chicago-based Charles Wehland has ‘excellent judgment’. San Diego-based Cynthia Cwik recently joined the team from Latham & Watkins LLP.

Within Insurance: advice to policyholders, tier 4

Jones Day provides ‘excellent service in all phases’ of coverage matters ranging from D&O and E&O liability, business interruption and CGL to product liability, political risk and environmental liability claims, with San Francisco-based Martin Myers and Steven Sigalow co-leading the insurance liability and recovery practice. Sigalow is leading the team in its representation of Southern Company in its pursuit of coverage for a $202m settlement with Mirant Corporation, involving a number of D&O carriers including ACE, XL and Energy Insurance Mutual (EIM); the matter is expected to move to arbitration, involving multiple proceedings across three jurisdictions. The firm also represented Huntsman, the global manufacturer and marketer of chemicals, in its coverage dispute arising out of property damage claims and business interruption losses accruing from a fire in 2006 at a petrochemical plant in Texas; Huntsman successfully recovered $475m from over 20 reinsurance companies. Jack Montgomery is ‘highly respected’ and ‘unfailingly polite and easy to work with’. The team was strengthened through the arrival of David Steuber and Tyrone Childress in Los Angeles, formerly at Howrey LLP.

Within Overview,

New York-based Darby & Darby, one of the oldest IP boutiques in the US, was dissolved, with lawyers leaving to join general practice firms such as McDermott Will & Emery LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, while San Francisco’s Townsend and Townsend and Crew merged with Kilpatrick Stockton to form Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton at the start of 2011. Once one of the IP powerhouses, Howrey LLP dissolved in April 2011. Among the key high-profile partner moves, former IP co-chairs William Rooklidge and Alan Grimaldi went to Jones Day and Mayer Brown respectively, while Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP hired a number of West Coast-based lawyers, including former vice-chairman Henry Bunsow. Bert Reiser, a key lawyer in Section 337 cases, and Matthew Moore, went to Latham & Watkins LLP. Matthew Wolf and counsel Marc Cohn moved to Arnold & Porter LLP.

Within Patent litigation: full coverage, Jones Day is a second tier firm,

Led by Brian Poissant and Anthony Insogna, Jones Day provides ‘legally and technically sophisticated advice’ to telecoms and life sciences clients including Celgene, Visa and P&G. Calvin Griffith and Patrick Norton are both ‘excellent lawyers’ with ‘great client relation skills’. Griffith in particular is recommended for complex patent litigation. Both attorneys were involved in successfully representing DePuy Spine as one of two defendants in a patent interference claim brought by Stryker Spine. Poissant was part of the team that secured a $29.4m damages win for Marine Polymer Technologies against HemCon Medical Technologies, while Federal Circuit group head Gregory Castanias led on appeal victories for The DirecTV Group and Fenwal/Baxter Healthcare. The firm also represented Vizio and AmTran Technology before the ITC. Daniel Malone is recommended. Randall Kay from DLA Piper LLP, Patrick Elsevier from Alston & Bird LLP, Mark Finkelstein from Latham & Watkins LLP and Astrid Spain from McDermott Will & Emery LLP all joined the California-based practice in 2010.

Within ERISA litigation , Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day’s practice head Evan Miller and Steven Sacher are the firm’s ERISA litigation big hitters. The group has been busy, and recent representative highlights include representing Paris-based energy company TOTAL, SA and its US-sponsored pension plan in putative class action under ERISA. The firm is also representing Xerox Corporation and several officers in a putative class action alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and asserting a claim for benefits in connection with changes in the benefit structure in a retiree health care plan. The firm is also currently acting for retail company Macy’s Inc, its board of directors, and certain senior executives in a putative class action under ERISA. In this case, the plaintiffs claim that the defendants violated fiduciary duties under ERISA in connection with notice to retirees of pension amounts.

Within Labor and employment litigation, Jones Day is a first tier firm,

With acknowledged expertise in both traditional labor and employment law, Jones Day has an extremely impressive spread of talented litigators across the US, and fully deserves its national reputation for excellence in this field. The firm currently represents Bloomberg in a class action case brought by the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and by six individual plaintiff-intervenors, and recently obtained summary judgment on behalf of IBM as to the claims of a plaintiff seeking to represent a statewide class of California IT workers. Also of note, the firm is defending AstraZeneca in several pharmaceutical industry class actions in which plaintiffs contend that the company misclassified pharmaceutical sales representatives as exempt from state-law overtime requirements. In addition, in another leading case, in 2010 the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri ruled in favor of the firm’s client McDonald’s Corporation, denying the plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in a putative state-wide wage-and-hour class action. Other representative clients include Hilton Worldwide, US Steel Corporation, CBS Corporation (formerly Viacom) and Abbott Laboratories. The ‘very bright’ Lawrence DiNardo is a ‘great lawyer’ and is the global head of practice. He has tried more than 35 cases to verdict before juries around the US and handled an equal number of cases before federal and state appellate courts. Glen Nager chairs the firm’s issues and appeal practice and has experience of appearing before the Supreme Court, as well as other appeals in employment law. Curt Kirschner is recommended for his ‘ability to communicate, writing skills and responsiveness’. Michael Gray is passionate about his work and is a leader in the area of electronic discovery. Mathew Lampe speaks throughout the country on employment-related topics, including class action defense and wage and hour compliance. Ronald Johnson is recommended for his experience relating to the transportation sector. He has argued dozens of federal appellate matters for railroads, including a case before the US Supreme Court on behalf of the railroad industry. The firm recently welcomed two new partners, Rick Bergstrom in San Diego from Morrison & Foerster LLP and Railway Labor Act expert Donald Munro in Washington DC, who was previously at Goodwin Procter LLP.

Within Labor-management relations, Jones Day is a first tier firm,

Jones Day handles significant traditional labor matters including major advice and litigation matters for BNSF Railway, American Commercial Lines, General Motors, Cooper Tire and Rubber Company, Century Aluminum and Sutter Health, as well as a wide variety of matters for other clients including CBS Corporation, Applied Medical Distribution and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Specifically, the firm recently secured a victory for Verizon Delaware Inc in an arbitration with the CWA, in which the Union alleged that Verizon violated the parties’ CBA by assigning the data portion of a FiOS “triple play” installation to technicians outside of the bargaining unit employed by Verizon Connected Solutions Inc. In another highlight case, General Motors Corporation (GM) retained the firm to provide advice regarding its labor-related negotiations with the United States Department of the Treasury and the United Auto Workers for a pre-bankruptcy Master Sale and Purchase Agreement that would result in a new post-sale GM. The firm advised GM on issues related to the transfer of employees and their benefits to the post-sale entity, as well as related collective bargaining and bankruptcy obligations. The firm also recently assisted the Minneapolis Star Tribune by providing strategic labor relations advice and collective bargaining assistance in connection with its bankruptcy proceedings, and assisted Sutter Health and its affiliated hospitals with strategic advice related to some of the most important and contentious labor negotiations in the health care industry. New York-based Willis Goldsmith, who is highly regarded for arguing Chamber of Commerce, et al v Brown before the US Supreme Court, is recommended. So too is Andrew Kramer; he has been directly involved in how companies and unions reshape their health care plans, with particular emphasis on retiree health care benefits. Kramer has been one of the lead negotiators and advisers on this issue for a number of major companies in several different industries, and has been at the forefront in establishing VEBAs in the automotive and rubber industries. Richard Shaw has substantial experience in advising clients on their obligations under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act and other laws relating to reductions in force.

Within Workplace and employment counseling, Jones Day is a second tier firm,

The counseling philosophy at Jones Day is that the experience and expertise of its lawyers is most effectively used by clients to avoid or minimize the risk of litigation through counseling. The firm’s lawyers provide valuable input on a national and international level on all phases of the design, implementation, and administration of compensation and benefits programs and agreements. The role of its lawyers as employment law counselors is extensive and the issues they have advised on have been varied: assessment of risks and options attendant to terminations; implementation of nondiscriminatory reductions-in-force and plant closings; investigation of sexual harassment, theft and other misconduct; compliance with complex new litigation laws; development of employment policies and procedures designed to minimize potential litigation exposure. The firm has provided Verizon Business, Verizon Communications, Verizon Wireless, McDonald’s Corporation, Morton’s Restaurant Group and International Business Machines Corporation employment and labor law counseling on a national level. Head of the firm’s labor and employment practice Lawrence DiNardo is recommended. So too is litigator Michael Gray, who also advises clients on preventive measures, including reviewing employment policies, counseling on disciplinary actions and investigations, negotiating severance and release agreements for executive terminations, and conducting employment practices reviews. Dan Carter has advised on workforce restructuring, reductions in force, outsourcing, business relocations, plant closings, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures in both union and non-union settings. Andrew Kramer provides counseling and advice on the development of employment and labor relations strategies for a broad group of employers across many industry lines. Terri Chase’s practice involves extensive day-to-day counseling on a host of employment matters, including wage and hour compliance, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, employment discrimination and harassment claims, reductions in force, restrictive covenants, employment contracts, severance agreements, and personnel policies and procedures. Rick Bergstrom also has an extensive workplace and employment counseling practice.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: aerospace/aviation, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day’s clients include component manufacturers such as Dow Corning, Lycoming Engines (and parent company Textron), Parker Hannifin, and carrier Swissair. Recently quiet on the litigation front, its aviation lawyers have focused on regulatory and finance work. Past work examples have included acting for Parker Hannifin, representing the company as a co-defendant in claims arising from the crash of Flash Airlines Flight 604, a Bowing 737-300 aircraft that crashed into the Red Sea off the Eqyptian coastline in January 2004. It has also represented Parker Hannifin in wrongful death suits relating to a Cessna crash in Argentina, and a Beech aircraft crash in Oregon. The team is based primarily out of Pittsburgh and Dallas, but is boosted by additional resources in London and Paris. Recommended attorneys include John Goetz and Dana Baiocco in Pittsburgh, Robert Walker in Cleveland, alongside Dallas-based Thomas Fennell and Michael Rice.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: consumer products (including tobacco), Jones Day is a first tier firm,

At Jones Day, the ‘overall level of service is unsurpassed’ and the team ‘knows how to think about, prepare, and try cases; it always has ample depth for any contingency’. The firm has been representing Mattel in connection with federal, state and foreign lawsuits and regulatory actions arising out of voluntary recalls of certain Chinese-manufactured, lead-containing Mattel and Fisher-Price toys. The state court cases were consolidated as a federal MDL in the Central District of California and the practice was able to negotiate pretrial settlements with more than 40 state attorneys general, while the parties reached a negotiated global resolution of the MDL claims. The practice has also been advising Mattel on other issues relating to the recalls, including regulatory matters internationally and domestically. It is also defending Novo Industries and Plastibec in a case involving asphyxiation. Other clients include Colt, Sherwin-Williams and its subsidiary Mautz Paint. Clients recommend Michael Rice in Houston, Thomas Fennell in Dallas, Peter Biersteker in Washington DC, Theodore Grossman in Cleveland, Stephanie Parker in Atlanta and Elizabeth Kessler in Columbus. All of the recommended lawyers possess ‘the ability to see a case from beginning to end’ and provide ‘an outstanding service’.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: pharmaceuticals and medical devices, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day provides a ‘quality service’ at ‘affordable and reasonable’ rates. Recent mandates include defending Santarus against claims that it fraudulently misrepresented and suppressed material medical and scientific information about a phospho-soda product. The firm is also national coordinating counsel for LabCorp’s professional negligence litigation related to its pap smear and drug screening testing. It also acted for Mentor, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, in a product liability lawsuit involving ObTape, a surgically implanted mesh sling used for treatment of stress urinary incontinence. The team as a whole is commended for its ‘promptness’ and ‘wonderful business acumen’, with Theodore Grossman in Cleveland singled out as ‘the consummate litigator, who is always gracious but steadfast for his clients’. Paul Pohl in Pittsburgh heads the product liability practice and is highly recommended, along with the ‘thorough and dependable’ John Lewis in Cleveland and the ‘very competent’ Carol Hogan in Chicago.

Within Product liability and mass tort defense: toxic tort, Jones Day is a first tier firm,

Jones Day obtains ‘good results’ and has a sizeable practice in the toxic tort space, where its extensive geographical reach is of benefit. Toxic tort has been an increasingly busy area for the firm, partly because of a growing number of cases relating to global warming issues, and it is adept handling cases brought by private citizens and public officials. It is defending Xcel Energy in a public and private nuisance lawsuit filed by the governing bodies of a village in Alaska, alleging that emissions of greenhouse gases from the defendant’s power plants are destroying the village. Other recent highlights include representing Sherwin-Williams as national counsel in all litigation relating to its lead paints and pigments and representing IBM in litigation alleging contamination of structures near its former manufacturing facility in Endicott, New York, via the medium of vapor intrusion from groundwater. For Motorola, it is defending against claims that exposure to chemicals at its former semiconductor facilities in Arizona and Texas caused prenatal injuries to babies. The highly rated Paul Pohl heads the practice from Pittsburgh. Other recommended attorneys include Charles Moellenberg, also in Pittsburgh, along with Thomas Fennell in Dallas, Carol Hogan in Chicago, Sharyl Reisman in New York and Houston partners Nancy MacKimm and Michael Rice.

Within Supreme Court and appellate, Jones Day is a second tier firm,

Jones Day’s ‘excellent’ issues and appeals practice is headed by Glen Nager and is staffed by top-quality lawyers across the US, with the appellate side of the practice especially well regarded. Recently it successfully represented JPMorgan Chase Bank in a federal breach of contract case against the US government, in which the Court upheld a $356m damages award to the client that could potentially increase by another $200m. The firm also obtained three favorable decisions in the 2009 term of the US Supreme Court. Representing Free Enterprise Fund and Beckstead and Watts LLP in Free Enterprise Fund v Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the firm convinced the Court to invalidate a key provision of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In American Needle, Inc v National Football League, the Court ruled in favor of the firm’s client American Needle by ruling that the NFL’s conduct is subject to scrutiny under antitrust laws. In Weyhrauch v United States, the team won a ruling in favor of Bruce Weyhrauch, a former Alaska state representative accused of federal fraud. Donald Ayer, Michael Carvin, Craig Stewart and Edwin Fountain are recommended.

Within Technology: data protection and privacy, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day’s global interdisciplinary practice is recognized for its ‘depth of knowledge and excellent business advice’. Recent mandates include working with Smart Grid to protect customer data, advising health information exchanges and other organizations on the implications of the HITECH Act and the FTC’s Red Flag rules around identity theft protocols and data protection and privacy issues connected with cloud computing. ‘Outstanding’ practice head Kevin Lyles, in Columbus, and his team assisted Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company with the development of an identity theft prevention program in compliance with the Red Flag Rules and advised Xcel Energy on customer and employee data protection and privacy and security concerning Smart Meter programs. Other clients include Yale-New Haven Health Services. Mauricio Paez in New York, whose longstanding clients include Nokia, is singled out for praise.

Within Technology: outsourcing, Jones Day is a second tier firm,

Jones Day’s Dallas-based practice has a long history of acting for providers, and applies this knowledge and insight to customer side work. The team handle big-ticket and mid-market deals covering ITO and BPO, facilities, logistics and inventory management for banks, retail businesses, telecoms providers and utilities in the US and internationally, frequently advising the firm’s existing client base on complex transactions. Jason Krieser and Shawn Helms in Dallas and ‘outstanding privacy lawyer’ Mauricio Paez in New York represented Sprint Nextel Corporation in its acquisition of next generation wireless infrastructure equipment to upgrade Sprint’s nationwide wireless network. The transaction involved the purchase of equipment and implementation services from Samsung, Alcatel-Lucent and Ericsson as well as the purchase of multi-modal base stations capable of supporting advanced 3G and 4G technologies. Paez and Krieser represented Xcel Energy in outsourcing arrangements involving maintenance and capital project work at nuclear plants. Other instructions included advising Neiman Marcus Group on the outsourcing of its benefits administration. A prestigious client list includes Nokia Siemens Networks, Diversey, Pier 1 Imports, Blockbuster and Bunge.

Within Technology: transactions, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

Jones Day’s integrated technology transactions group combines specialist IP expertise with M&A prowess. With leading partners in Silicon Valley, San Diego, and Los Angeles working closely with the New York office, the group is recognized as a leading player in the technology space. Thomas Briggs in San Diego and Warren Nachlis in New York, have market-leading practices underpinned by specialist industry experience. 2010 saw increased activity in the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals sector, where the group acted on joint ventures, fund formations and acquisitions, notably representing Sanofi in a $398m exclusive global collaboration and licensing agreement with US biopharmaceutical company Ascenta Therapeutics. Big-ticket technology deals included advising Attachmate Corporation on its $2.2bn acquisition of Novell, which included a $450m sale of IP assets to a consortium led by Microsoft Corporation. Other clients include Abbott Labs, Bunge, Celgene, Gennum, SanDisk, SAP and VIZIO.

Within Antitrust, Jones Day is a first tier firm,

Described by many as a ‘go-to firm for antitrust advice’ and ‘a powerhouse in antitrust’, Jones Day’s full-service antitrust practice demonstrates an ability to ‘balance the big picture with getting the immediate tasks executed’. Practice leader Phil Proger heads a team in Washington DC which includes Joe Sims and Kathy Fenton – both ‘excellent lawyers providing top-quality legal counsel’ – and Toby Singer, ‘who is second to none’ and ‘knows how to field a team’. Additionally, Fiona Schaeffer joined the New York office from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in August 2010. The team’s recent merger mandates include its representation of American Airlines regarding its long-sought expansion of the oneworld alliance with British Airways and Iberia, which authorities concluded would benefit consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Other work included acting for InnoLux Display on obtaining clearance for a $5.3bn three-way merger with Chi Mei Optoelectronics and TPO Displays, the largest technology-related transaction in Taiwan’s history. In litigation, the team obtained a significant ruling from the US Supreme Court in favor of client American Needle holding that NFL teams are not entitled to be treated as a single entity, thus exposing an agreement among NFL parties to scrutiny under antitrust laws. This ruling has potential wider implications for collaborative businesses in other industry sectors. Other litigation clients include Chevron and Apple.

Within M&A: large deals ($1bn-5bn), Jones Day is a first tier firm,

Jones Day’s M&A practice continues to grow. Craig Mordock joined the Irvine office from the Orange County office of Bingham McCutchen LLP, and Khoa Do and Micheal Reagan arrived in the firm’s Silicon Valley office from DLA Piper. Tim Curry also joined in Silicon Valley from O’Melveny & Myers LLP, and Ken Funahashi arrived in the San Diego Office from Baker & McKenzie. Key recent matters include advising the special committee of the board of directors of Spectrum Brands in connection with its $3.3bn combination with Russell Hobbs, acting for Pershing Square Capital Management in its $1.1bn investment in General Growth Properties, as part of the company’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan, and assisting Continental Airlines in its $8.5bn merger with United Airlines. The practice also represented Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan in connection with an unsolicited takeover proposal from BHP Billiton, the total value of BHP’s proposal being $43.1bn, including approximately $3.7bn of assumed debt. Worldwide M&A head Robert Profusek, Cleveland M&A head Lyle Ganske and firm-wide corporate governance head Lizanne Thomas are recommended.

Within Private equity buyouts, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

When it comes to sheer volume of private equity deals, year-on-year, Jones Day stands alone. With a natural predisposition to the middle-market arena, the firm can rightly claim to have more deal experience than virtually every competitor in this sector. It also has exceptional global coverage, with 35 partners and 38 other lawyers comprising the worldwide private equity practice. Clients regard the firm’s service as ‘second to none’, and highlight the team’s ability to ‘understand the business aspects of a transaction’. Clients also highlight the ‘depth’ of the team, which enables a ‘very quick turnaround’ on advice. One client goes as far as to say that ‘no multinational firm can beat its value proposition’. In 2010, the team experienced a high-level of sale activity on behalf of private equity funds. It represented Kirtland Capital Partners on the sale of portfolio company PVC Container Corporation to Castle Harlan. Key clients include Blue Point Capital Partners, RoundTable Healthcare Partners, The Riverside Company, Kirtland Capital Partners, Morgenthaler Partners and High Road Capital Partners. Healthcare has been an area of particularly robust activity during the economic downturn. Cleveland, New York and Dallas are the firm’s principle centres of private equity expertise, although the Chicago office is making considerable progress, despite the recent departure of Walter Holzer to Kirkland & Ellis LLP. The firm also has strong representation in Europe and Asia. Cleveland-based global group head Chuck Hardin is a ‘very good counselor’, provides ‘pragmatic advice’ and ‘marshals the resources of the firm very well’. New York’s Robert Kennedy, Michael Weinberg in Dallas, and Cleveland-based Denise Carkhuff are all highly rated.

Within Venture capital and emerging companies, tier 4

Jones Day has made considerable progress in the venture capital and emerging companies space over the last ten years. Much of the growth has been in California, where the firm further enhanced its presence by hiring Tim Curry from O’Melveny & Myers LLP in 2010. Silicon Valley is its principle location for venture capital and emerging companies work, while San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta, Cleveland and Dallas also play anchor roles. The department is also backed by the firm’s large IP practice. Indeed, clients highlight the broad suite of services that the firm is able to supply, provided in a ‘practical’ and ‘cost effective’ manner. The team also ‘lacks the arrogance of many of its peers’. Key industry areas include software, internet, gaming, clean energy and life sciences. Standout partners include Dallas partner Stephen Fluckiger, Palo Alto’s Tim Curry, Robert Clarkson and renewable energy specialist Todd Johnson, and department head John Saada in Cleveland. Clients include Explorys, Primus Capital Fund, JumpStart, Adam Street Partners, and Maverick Capital for which Stephen Fluckiger advised on a series of deals in 2010.

Within Construction (including construction litigation), Jones Day is a first tier firm,

The ‘top-notch and very knowledgeable’ lawyers at Jones Day are located in major financial hubs worldwide, while also providing terrific geographical coverage of the US, with construction lawyers based in California, New York, Washington DC, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania. In 2011, the firm took on a sizeable team of construction lawyers from Howrey LLP, including leading litigators Stephen O’Neal and David Buoncristiani in San Francisco and Andrew Ness in Washington DC. The newly expanded team provides ‘outstanding’ services in project financing, transactional matters, and disputes for an impressive list of public and private clients. While the firm has been engaged in many energy infrastructure and hospital developments of late, it has also been handling a significant amount of ongoing commercial construction matters, notably representing Madison Square Garden in a large-scale renovation to its legendary multi-purpose indoor arena in Manhattan. The firm also acted for the client in its previous reconstruction two decades ago. In the field of dispute resolution, the group brings together extensive trial experience, in both state and federal courts. It handles all types of construction disputes and claims from defective specifications and cumulative/delay impact claims to termination disputes, and violations of the state and federal False Claims Acts. The practice also has substantial experience in international arbitrations. Recent work includes defending a Sempra Energy affiliate, the owner of a recently completed liquefied natural gas regasification facility in Louisiana, in arbitration proceedings with joint venture EPC contractor Aker-Kvaerner/IHI, after it filed claims in both California and Texas for more than $200m in alleged damages for changes in regulations, delay and lost productivity. Key contacts at the firm include Daniel McMillan in Los Angeles and Roy Powell in Pittsburgh, who co-chair the global construction group; both are ‘excellent “go-to” lawyers’ who ‘work tirelessly to meet the needs of their clients’.

Within Real estate, Jones Day is a third tier firm,

The ‘sharp’ and ‘adept’ Robert Lee and David Lowery co-chair the 28-partner practice at Jones Day, which ‘inspires confidence in clients’, consistently ‘delivers a superior service’, and provides ‘prompt, useful and on-target advice’. The team represents lenders, borrowers, owners, funds and developers and operates across the firm’s Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC offices. Recent arrival Richard White is an expert on CMBS and special servicer work. Robert Gibney, David Paulson, Steve Koppel (‘true depth of industry knowledge’), Aviva Yakren (‘superb’) and the highly regarded Brian Sedlak are representing Wells Fargo on over 40 restructuring and workout transactions totaling over $1bn. The ‘experienced, calm and insightful’ Kent Richey provides ‘very clear and concise advice’, and recently advised the management team of GreenOak Real Estate on forming a new real estate fund. Another significant deal for the team was its representation of Citibank on a transaction where it credit-enhanced two bond proceed-financed loans made by the New York City Housing Association to two LLCs for 21 public housing developments, consisting of 20,000 apartments. Other key transactions included representing Trammell Crow Residential on over $900m of development financing for various projects; Madison Square Garden on its $1bn redevelopment; and Meadowlands Development on leasing of its $3bn New Jersey retail and entertainment complex. Lee and Michael Haas also advised Clairvue Capital Partners on forming a $250m fund. Other clients include JPMorgan Chase, Simon Property Group and Wachovia. James Francque is also recommended.