The Legal 500

Within Asset finance and leasing, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s transportation finance team – which operates out of New York, California and Washington DC, with strong support from colleagues in London – has particular emphasis on aircraft and other aviation assets and excels at export credit and other cross-border financing. The practice’s diverse client base includes major banks, leasing companies, aerospace companies, airlines, investors, traders and manufacturers. The team handles finance and leasing, as well as acquisitions and dispositions affecting financed or leased asset portfolios, and a range of structured finance transactions and restructuring where the team has worked closely with the firm’s restructuring group on airline bankruptcies and reorganizations. Other experience for the team includes mandates relating to a variety of transport assets such as railroad rolling stock, ships, containers and fleets of land-based vehicles. Clients include BNP Paribas, JPMorgan, Virgin America and Turkish Airlines. Head of the finance group Michael Schumaecker has over 25 years’ experience representing airlines or international lenders on commercial and financing matters, and has advised on export credit agency financings totaling over $6bn. Payson Coleman is also recommended.

Within Environment: litigation, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

‘Highly skilled’ in environmental litigation and regulatory matters, the 10-partner team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP handles a wide variety of civil, administrative and criminal matters, representing individuals, companies and other entities in cases under all of the major federal environment states. The practice represents clients in a wide spectrum of manufacturing businesses, as well as companies in the pharmaceutical, chemical, research and development, and retail sector. It is currently representing Teck Metals in negotiating a transnational agreement with the EPA and US Department of Justice regarding significant claims for the cost of investigation and remediation activities along a 120-mile stretch of the Upper Columbia River/Lake Roosevelt Site, as well as alleged natural resource damages. The firm is also currently representing the Association of American Railroads and Union Pacific Railroad Company in a lawsuit that its clients filed in federal court against the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which would invalidate new rules regulating air emissions from locomotives and railroad operations in the Los Angeles Air Basin. Los Angeles-based Christopher McNevin leads the environmental practice.

Within Patent licensing and transactional , Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has an experienced team with strengths in sectors such as energy, financial services and technology. The practice is based across a number of US offices, with the highly experienced Jack Barufka heading the group from the McLean office. Barufka has expertise in strategic matters, prosecution and litigation, and focuses on electronics, mechanics, semiconductors and computers. Other recommended lawyers include James Gatto, also in McLean, and John Wetherell in San Diego, both of whom have more than 20 years experience in the field. Key clients include The Bank of New York Mellon Corp, Chevron, Intel, Invenda, Morgan Stanley, Nike, Stanley Black & Decker, Toshiba, Xerox and Yamaha Shinohara.

Within Patent litigation: full coverage, tier 5

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP ‘will do what it takes to get the job done’, and is able to handle large or smaller cases. Clients include Toshiba, Intel, Medtronic and Raytheon. Although focused on prosecution, Bryan Collins is well regarded for litigation and is ‘not only technically gifted but also a very creative patent attorney. He is invaluable in setting the strategies in litigation’. Both he and Jack Barufka led on two successes for Stanley Black & Decker, including Richardson v Stanley Works – a high-stakes lawsuit which threatened a long-established and popular product of the client’s. Experienced trial counsel William Atkins successfully defended Atlas Copco against a $250m lawsuit from a patent holder, and prevented Sirius XM Radio from being named as a respondent by the ITC in an infringement case filed by Spansion. James Gatto focuses on the internet and gaming sectors, while appellate group leader Claudia Wilson Frost represents clients such as AT&T.

Within Patent prosecution: utility and design patents , tier 4

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a ‘top-level’ full-service law firm with one of the oldest national IP practices in the country. It has offices across the US, with the very experienced Jack Barufka heading the practice from McLean in North Virginia. The group acts for a variety of clients in the areas of electronics, mechanical, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and biotech, advising on proactive and defensive strategies and handling more complex interference work. Active partners include James Gatto in North Virginia, whose specialism lies in the virtual worlds and video games industry, and John Wetherell, who heads the San Diego office. Evan Finkel and his team in Los Angeles also come highly recommended. The firm recently added to its McLean office with the hire of Patrick Doody from Goodwin Procter LLP; Moon Soo Lee from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP; and Raj Davé from dissolved boutique Darby & Darby. Chevron, Intel, Morgan Stanley, Activision Blizzard and Invenda are clients.

Within Alternative/hedge funds Leading lawyers

Within Technology: data protection and privacy, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s practice, led by Deborah Thoren-Peden in Los Angeles, provides multinational clients with ‘timely, cost effective and practical advice’ on data privacy, data collection and information management, including cross-border issues, data breaches and compliance, focusing on the healthcare sector and specialist financial services providers. The team was strengthened by health information technology experts Gerry Hinkley and Allen Briskin in San Francisco from Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, and insurance litigator Rene Siemens in Los Angeles from Proskauer Rose LLP. Thoren-Peden is outside counsel to Blackhawk Network Services, the largest provider of third-party prepaid cards, advising on regulatory matters, notably compliance with state, federal and international laws and regulations, including new laws enacted in 2010 such as the CARD Act and the Dodd Frank Act. In New York, e-discovery expert Wayne Matus assisted Dun & Bradstreet to develop a comprehensive e-discovery plan. Along with Catherine Meyer, ‘a leader in the field of privacy nationally and internationally’, Matus is assisting Meridian Knowledge Solutions following a data breach by a computer hacker. Other clients include Netspend, Euronet, Best Buy and Carnival Corporation.

Within Technology: outsourcing, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a first tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s 15-partner outsourcing practice, led by global sourcing head James Alberg in Washington DC, offers integrated legal and consulting services to clients in the financial services, healthcare and retail sector. This unique service offering differentiates the firm from its rivals in the market, as does the size of the multi-disciplinary team, which has sufficient bandwidth to handle multiple big-ticket deals simultaneously. Work focuses on the customer side, guiding companies through the full outsourcing lifecycle, from strategy formulation and vendor analysis to negotiations and implementation. Joseph Kendall and John Barton led a team advising Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts on a $200m outsourcing transaction with IBM involving the responsibility for managing a large portion of the client’s mainframe, server, desktop and network infrastructure, as well as its software applications environment. The group is particularly strong in the financial services sector, with clients including Morgan Stanley, Discover Financial and Tesco Bank. Aaron Oser led a team representing American Express in business productivity online services (BPOS) contract negotiations. Global sourcing partner Michael Murphy in San Francisco, assisted Autodesk with the development of a sourcing strategy and a request for proposals for IT outsourcing and data center services. Robert Zahler maintains a superb market reputation. Other clients include Hertz, The Nielsen Company, Honeywell International, General Electric Company and Dun & Bradstreet.

Within Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s communications group handles broadcast, satellite and telecom work and is commended for its ‘strong industry knowledge of satellite communications, and consistently identifying important issues well in advance’. Broadcasting is a key focus area. The group provides regulatory support to large-scale transactions and handles FCC compliance matters, supported by the team’s litigation capabilities. Communications group head Clifford Harrington is representing longstanding client Sinclair Broadcast Group in challenges to FCC “eight voices” test and to FCC’s “Quadrennial Regulatory Review” decision and in retransmission dispute with Mediacom Communications Corporation. Bruce Jacobs, who ‘has a tremendous fund of knowledge in difficult areas of satellite and spectrum law’, is advising LightSquared secure FCC approval for improvements to its authorization to reuse its satellite spectrum to operate a nationwide 4G LTE terrestrial wireless network. John Hane assisted Skybox in obtaining NOAA and FCC authorization to launch and operate an innovative and cutting-edge earth imaging satellite system. Richard Zaragoza provides regulatory support in major transactions, notably assisting Mercury Capital and its affiliates with acquiring interests in radio station properties and advising Alta Communications on FCC-related issues and strategies for its broadcast investments, including acquisitions, sales and restructurings. The group also advises financial institutions and investment companies that operate in the communications space. Other key clients include the National Alliance of State Broadcasters Associations (NASBA) and Atalaya Capital Management. Litigator Bob Metzger, in Los Angeles, advises on issues such as video services offered by telecom companies, compliance of IP video product with state laws, and municipal attempts to regulate carrier deployment of landline and wireless facilities. He also assists with the development of regulatory strategies and dealings with local and state governments.

Within Antitrust, tier 7

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s 20-lawyer antitrust and competition practice operates predominantly from Washington DC and West Coast offices, and focuses on class action litigation, investigations, merger transactions, and advice and counseling. Roxane Polidora specializes in class action lawsuits and also advises on the federal Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act, and is ‘a respected expert in antitrust and Californian unfair competition law’ who is ‘particularly good at strategic thinking and following through in complex litigation matters’. Polidora’s recent work includes representing plaintiff GE Healthcare in a favorable resolution after two years of intense litigation against a competitor, in which the defendant brought antitrust counterclaims relating to monopolization. The highly recommended Jacob Sorensen, based in San Francisco, who ‘works extremely diligently, vigorously and in a highly professional manner’, has a diverse complex litigation practice that includes substantial experience with international cartel investigations and follow-on litigation. Also recommended is Michael Kass, who represented Dynegy in In Re Wholesale Natural Gas Antitrust Litigation in which plaintiffs alleged billions of dollars in damages as a result of alleged price fixing and market manipulation activities in the natural gas market.

Within M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m), Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has market-leading strengths in the energy, financial services, real estate and technology sectors. Clients find the practice ‘outstanding in every regard. It is attentive without running up the bills, it has good bench strength in the relevant subject areas, and avoids hand wringing and ambiguous advice whenever possible’. For some clients, both Los Angeles and Silicon Valley-based partner Jorge del Calvo and Allison Leopold Tilley ‘exemplify all of the above’. The firm recently represented Axiom Microdevices in its acquisition by Skyworks Solutions, acted for Opexa Therapeutics in the $50m sale of its Stem Cell program to Novartis, and represented Atheros Communications in its $244m purchase of Intellion Corporation. The practice also assisted Clearwater Paper Corporation in its $502m acquisition of Cellu Tissue. In Washington DC, Robert Robbins ‘is one of the smartest attorneys I have ever dealt with. He has excellent business judgment and is always available. Robbins is an extension of our team and is always looking for ways to get deals done’. Silicon Valley counsel Noelle Matteson is ‘an outstanding contributor in the M&A context’. San Francisco-based partner Nathaniel Cartmell III is the firm-wide section leader.

Within Venture capital and emerging companies, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

The ‘exceptional’ Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is ‘responsive’, ‘proactive’ and provides a ‘first class service’. Having deep roots in the San Francisco and Bay Area, the firm is ‘in-tune’ with the needs of fast-growing tech businesses and is ‘knowledgeable’, ‘effective’ and ‘cost effective’. Much credit for the firm’s leading credentials should go to eminent technology specialist Jorge Del Calvo, who heads the venture capital practice. Clients include Genius.com, Tilera, Coulomb Technologies and IDG Ventures. The firm recently represented Genius.com on its Series D financing and Tinera on its Series C financing. The firm has also represented IDG Ventures on a sequence of deals. Over the years, the firm has worked on a number of IPOs on behalf of growth enterprises. It is particularly well-known for its work in the semiconducor, biotech, internet and communications sectors. Other key partners include Tom Thomas in Palo Alto, Northern Virginia partner Craig Chason, Ronald Fleming, who is ‘very strong on legal elements as relates to business issues’ and ‘very effective in helping us achieve favorable terms’ in New York, San Diego’s David Snyder and Christian Salaman, who is ‘young and energetic’ and ‘has the skills and knowledge of a much more experienced attorney’.

Within Construction (including construction litigation), tier 4

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP substantially strengthened its construction offering in 2011, through the absorption of a group of lawyers from the dissolved Howrey LLP. Among the arrivals were the ‘exceptional’ John Heisse in San Francisco (former co-chair of construction at Howrey LLP) and the ‘very strong’ David Dekker in Washington DC. The team handles both contentious and non-contentious matters, representing owners, developers, engineers, general contractors, investors, design professionals, financial institutions and vendors, domestically and abroad. In disputes, the lawyers’ experience covers mediation, arbitration and litigation at all stages of the construction process. On the transactional side, the firm has advised on many of the country’s major construction projects, including San Francisco’s state-of-the-art baseball stadium. For advice on construction agreements, Scott Barat is the key contact, based in the firm’s McClean office.

Within Land use/zoning , Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

Full-service firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP handles land use work in California. The team has been representing longstanding client Edward Homes since the 1980s. In addition to this and other advisory mandates, the firm also deals with land use litigation and is known for its expertise in environmental impact analysis.

Within Real estate, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is a third tier firm,

John Engel heads Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s practice, which grew following the arrival of five new attorneys – including Marc Shapiro and Jill Block – from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. The department works closely with other practice groups to ensure a full service. Marjorie Fisher recently led a multidisciplinary team on a client’s acquisition of 150 gas stations in Washington DC. Robert Herr and Rachel Horsch represented Shorenstein Properties on a number of significant transactions totaling $1bn, including the sale of its CityCenter portfolio to CB Richard Ellis Investors. Herr and Horsch also represented the same client on its acquisition from Tishman Speyer of the 210,000 sq ft Santa Clara Towers in Silicon Valley. James Rishwain and William Waller are advising Fifth Street, a partnership between CalPERS and CommonWealth Partners, on its plans to invest $1bn in urban office real estate projects globally. Wendelin White and Diane Shapiro Richer recently advised a client on its $61m sale of a 244-unit apartment block in Washington DC. Lee Carter has a niche practice in the field of military housing. The team also has joint venture, leasing, foreclosure and PPP experience.

Within Domestic tax: West Coast, tier 4

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s West Coast tax practice is represented in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego and Silicon Valley. The ‘incredibly responsive, very smart, and relentless’ Julie Divola heads the San Francisco tax department, which represented Clearwater Paper in connection with its $500m December 2010 acquisition of specialty paper product producer Cellu Tissue Holdings. ‘Technically excellent’ William Bonano, also resident in San Francisco, includes cross-border transfer pricing within his wide practice.

Within Employee benefits and executive compensation, tier 4

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s New York-based Susan Serota, an experienced and knowledgeable expert across the executive compensation and benefits field, leads the practice group. The 10-partner team, which is represented in East and West Coast offices, advises on matters including qualified retirement plans, fiduciary issues, health and welfare plans and mergers and acquisitions such as Clearwater Paper’s acquisition of Cellu Tissue Holdings. Recommended lawyers include Peter Hunt in New York, whose recent experience includes designing stock option plans and other equity-based compensation plans for traditional and emerging technology companies. Representative clients of the group include Chevron, Schering-Plough and Mead Johnson Nutrition.

Within Tax controversy, tier 5

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s Washington DC-based Eileen O’Connor, a former Tax Division assistant attorney general, leads the firm’s federal tax controversy team, and ‘cerebral, polished, extremely knowledgeable’ Jeffrey Vesely heads the firm’s SALT controversy group from San Francisco. Both groups are ‘exceedingly responsive and creative, and always bring their best team to the table’. Highly rated lawyers specializing in federal tax include William Bonano in San Francisco, whose practice includes transfer pricing and whose ‘litigation and appeals experience make him the ideal advisor’. In recent SALT litigation, Annie Huang and Jeffrey Vesely successfully represented HSBC subsidiary Beneficial New Jersey in a lead case challenging New Jersey’s recently enacted interest add back law. Practice clients include Cardinal Health, Chevron, Cisco Systems and Xerox.