(April 29, 2005, Philadelphia, PA) − Ajay Raju, a partner in Reed Smith LLP’s Business & Finance Department in Philadelphia, was honored on April 26 with a 40 Under 40 Award from the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Accepting his award at the April 26 banquet at the Sheraton Society Hill Hotel, Mr. Raju said he was honored to be recognized for his ongoing efforts in the Philadelphia business community. “Eastern religions teach us that everything you do comes back to you in time. Seeing the many friends and supporters who sacrificed their evening to celebrate my success confirmed for me that I have racked up an enviable stock of great karma,” Mr. Raju said.

“Ajay is one of Reed Smith's rising stars and it is great to see him get this kind of recognition,” noted Philadelphia office managing partner, Robert A. Nicholas.  “I fully expect that the future holds many more such well-deserved honors for him.”

Mr. Raju counsels clients on a wide variety of business and real estate matters, including mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, technology-based transactions, joint ventures and strategic alliances. He has received similar “40 Under 40” awards from other prestigious organizations, including The Legal Intelligencer, Realcomm, and the India Media Council. Mr. Raju, a Sarah A. Schull Scholar of Temple University School of Law, is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

As the largest law firm in Pennsylvania, Reed Smith continues to provide clients with a wide array of legal services, representing many of the region's leading companies in all areas of business law including mergers and acquisitions, financings, securities, and tax planning. The firm also boasts a national litigation practice, focusing on medical product liability defense, asbestos, claims defense, technology disputes, employment matters, and financial services class action defense.

*****************************

Reed Smith LLP, a top-25 international law firm with 1,000 lawyers located in offices throughout the United States and Europe, represents Fortune 100 as well as mid-market and emerging companies. Clients include financial services firms, life sciences companies, health care providers, technology companies and entrepreneurs, power generators and suppliers, manufacturers, universities, non-profit organizations, real estate developers, and municipalities throughout the United States and in 40 countries. For more information, visit www.reedsmith.com.