(August 1, 2011, New York & San Francisco) - Reed Smith LLP today announced the addition of four partners from DLA Piper to its worldwide Capital Markets Practice and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice in its Corporate & Securities Group. Yvan-Claude Pierre, William Haddad and Daniel Goldberg will be resident in the firm's New York office, and Garth Osterman in its San Francisco office. Mr. Osterman was a partner at Reed Smith from 2006 to 2007.
"As we see markets recover worldwide, this top-tier group significantly bolsters our growing capital-markets presence and capability on both the East and West Coasts," said Gregory B. Jordan, Reed Smith's Global Managing Partner. "With their focus on domestic and global markets, their skills also will complement those of our teams currently in place in Hong Kong, mainland China and Europe. We believe this new group will truly benefit from our existing platform and infrastructure in serving the firm's clients."
Mr. Pierre heads up the four-member team of lawyers whose practices have several common features, including a full range of securities offerings, with a particular focus on international listings, and M&A matters in the United States, Europe, China, India, Australia, Brazil and Israel. The team represents privately held and publicly traded companies, investment banks, financial institutions, private equity sponsors and venture capital firms, and emerging and public growth companies, with a strong emphasis on global companies.
"Anyone looking at Reed Smith's growth trajectory over the past decade can see that it is an exceptionally well-managed firm clearly on the fast track to further global expansion and success," said Mr. Pierre. "Its accomplishments are evidence that client relationships receive the attention and support they require. The firm's collegial environment, intense client-service focus, tremendous talent and depth of experience in key practice areas, and its international platform with a significant presence and leading capital markets practice in Asia, were key drivers in bringing us to Reed Smith."
A leading capital markets and M&A practitioner in New York, Mr. Pierre has been involved in more than 100 capital markets transactions and is a frequent speaker at global capital markets events. In 2007, he was named by The Network Journal as one of the "40-Under-Forty" rising African-American stars in the United States.
Mr. Pierre earned his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law in 1996 with a certification in Taxation Law. Before entering law school, Mr. Pierre worked in the financial investments groups at TIAA-CREF and Morgan Stanley, and as an accountant on the financial audit staff of Ernst & Young LLP in New York. While attending law school, he worked in the private client group at Merrill Lynch & Co. After graduating from law school, he joined Thacher Proffitt & Wood from 1996 to 2000, and then moved to Fulbright & Jaworski from 2000 to 2008, where he became a partner. He joined DLA in June 2008.
"Yvan-Claude and this team share Reed Smith's uncompromising commitment to client service and bring a wealth of capital markets experience to our existing team, which serves clients around the globe, including in key Asian markets where Reed Smith has a strong presence," said Paul J. Jaskot, Chair of Reed Smith's U.S. Corporate & Securities Group. "Having this team at Reed Smith will allow our U.S. offices to expand their global capital markets coverage, and strengthen the collaboration with our teams in London and Hong Kong, where we are a leading corporate resource."
In addition to the practice interests shared with other members of the team, Mr. Haddad's practice focuses on special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) and initial and follow-on public offerings. His expertise also includes private investments in public equity (PIPEs); other private placements of securities, including Regulation S offerings; shelf-takedowns; Rule 144A debt offerings; going-private transactions; mergers & acquisitions; and private equity investments. Additionally, he advises public companies on disclosure and corporate governance issues, shareholder relations, and regulatory compliance.
Mr. Haddad earned his J.D. from Fordham University Law School in 1994, and has a B.S. in Economics from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Haddad had been with DLA since 2000 and became a partner in 2004. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the Board of Directors of the Wharton Club of New York.
Mr. Goldberg provides a unique expertise in the area of at-the-market offerings (ATMs), shelf-takedowns and registered directs (RDs). His practice includes public company representation, initial and follow-on public offerings, mergers & acquisitions, Regulation S offerings, 144A debt offerings, PIPEs, rights offerings, going-private transactions, and private equity and venture capital formation and investments.
He earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law in 1995, and has a B.S. in Accounting from the Sy Syms School of Business of Yeshiva University. Mr. Goldberg had been with DLA since 2000, having become a partner in 2005. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Mr. Osterman also brings a number of unique components to Reed Smith's capital markets and mergers & acquisitions practices. In addition to those he shares with the other members of the team, Mr. Osterman has significant experience with complex global M&A transactions requiring multijurisdictional expertise. His experience also includes serving lenders and developers as lead counsel in project finance transactions. Among his clients are hedge funds, private equity funds and companies of all sizes engaged in U.S. and cross-border mergers, acquisitions and leveraged buyouts. Mr. Osterman recently acted as lead counsel and transaction manager for Trident Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRID) in the acquisition by Trident of the television systems and set-top box business lines of NXP Semiconductors (headquartered in Europe), as well as Trident's acquisition of selected product lines from Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG (SIX Swiss Exchange: MASN). Mr. Osterman also has represented hedge funds and private equity funds in their acquisitions and investments in Eastern Europe.
He earned his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and has a B.A. from the University of Washington. After graduating from law school, he joined the San Francisco office of Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May. Mr. Osterman was an associate when that firm merged with Reed Smith in 2003. He became a partner at Reed Smith in 2006, leaving to join DLA in 2007.
"This is a homecoming for Garth, and we could not be more pleased to have him back at the firm," said David Thompson, office managing partner in San Francisco. "The firm has changed in a significant way with the addition of three offices in Asia since Garth left, so he has old friends and new colleagues to work with and now has an expanded platform that will benefit his practice and all Reed Smith clients."
Reed Smith's U.S. capital markets practice is able to leverage the firm's broad global platform in order to represent clients in listings in the United States and around the world. The firm recently added U.S.-qualified capital markets specialist Scott Cameron to Reed Smith's Europe and Middle East Corporate Group, resident in its London office.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com
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