Nieuws
13 Jun 2006
DLA Piper continues Atlanta office expansion with addition of Franchise and Corporate team
Four partners lead latest group to join DLA Piper's Atlanta office
Persbericht
(ATLANTA) - DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP announced today that four partners have joined the firm's Atlanta office, extending DLA Piper's highly regarded Franchise and Distribution practice and further expanding the firm's Corporate and Securities practice in the Southeast region.
The four partners are Richard G. Greenstein, Michael E. Rubinger, Richard E. Johnson and Gerald C. Wells, all of whom have joined from Smith, Gambrell & Russell.
The announcement follows DLA Piper's recent entry into the Atlanta market, where the firm has added 16 attorneys since it first announced the opening of an Atlanta office on May 1. In late May, DLA Piper added Jeffrey Leavitt and Douglas Spear in Atlanta to lead the firm's Emerging Company and Venture Capital practice in the Southeast. DLA Piper plans to have 50 lawyers in its One Atlantic Center offices by the end of the year.
"We are committed to building a substantial presence in Atlanta that enables us to serve a broad range of sophisticated legal assignments in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast," said Mark E. Grantham, managing partner of DLA Piper's Atlanta office. "The addition of this group both expands and deepens our office's capabilities as we continue to pursue growth opportunities in the region aggressively."
Greenstein, who led Smith, Gambrell & Russell's franchise and distribution practice, noted DLA Piper's national prominence in this area and its expertise handling an extensive range of corporate matters as key factors in the group's decision to join the firm.
"Offering an expanded menu of corporate and transactional services to companies is a major opportunity for us in Atlanta," Greenstein said. "The firm's global platform and broad national presence will allow us to immediately expand our scope of services to clients."
DLA Piper's Franchise and Distribution Practice has been a national and international leader in franchise and distribution law since modern franchising began, helping to shape the field from its inception. The practice includes clients in more than 100 countries, spanning a wide range of industries including high-technology and life sciences to manufacturing, franchising, distribution and retail. In 2006, DLA Piper was named the Franchise Law Firm of the Year by Who's Who Legal Awards for the second consecutive year.
"Rich's team, which serves a significant number of clients in the Atlanta area, bolsters our presence in the Southeast - a region we expect to grow as companies continue to diversify their franchise and distribution needs and broaden operations globally," said Dennis E. Wieczorek, co-chair of DLA Piper's Franchise and Distribution practice.
About the Attorneys
Richard Greenstein focuses his franchise and distribution practice in the establishment, development and maintenance of domestic and international franchise programs. His experience includes the active representation of several public companies for which he serves as outside general counsel. He also represents private companies, including private equity firms, in various corporate matters.
Michael Rubinger concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital and real estate financing. His mergers and acquisitions experience includes representing clients in many industries. Among his clients are both buyers and sellers of private and public companies in asset sales, stock sales, mergers and spinoffs.
Richard Johnson concentrates his practice on franchising, technology law and intellectual property. Working closely with various publicly-traded companies, he specializes in transactional agreements including asset purchases, stock purchases, spinoffs and intellectual property transfers.
Gerald Wells focuses his practice on franchising, licensing, distribution, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate law. He counsels both startup and established companies throughout a diverse range of industries, handling various corporate and transactional issues including organizational and compliance matters, as well as contract negotiations.
About DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary
DLA Piper has 3,100 lawyers and 59 offices in 22 countries throughout the U.S., U.K., continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, and technology, media and communications.
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CONTACTS:
Mark Grantham, Atlanta Office Managing Partner, DLA Piper, 404.736.7801
Dennis E. Wieczorek, Co-Chair, Franchise and Distribution Group, DLA Piper, 312.368.4807
Richard G. Greenstein, Partner, Franchise and Distribution Group, DLA Piper, 404.736.7816
John Corey, Media Relations, GreenTarget Global Group, 312.252.4102