Asia PR News

HONG KONG, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Jeffrey H. Chen hired to spearhead the firm’s Asian securitization and
structured finance practice

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP has received its operating license from the
Law Society of Hong Kong and will officially open its doors in the Landmark
Building of Hong Kong’s Central Business District on January 1, 2007.
Initially, the Hong Kong office will focus on securitization and structured
finance throughout Asia, but will soon provide a broad range of legal services
to local Asian companies seeking advice regarding the U.S. and Europe, and to
foreign companies operating in Asia.

"Our primary goal is to provide clients with a base in China to develop
integrated growth between the United States, Europe and Asia," said Ty Fahner,
Chairman, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw. "Additionally, the firm intends to assist
Chinese companies looking to grow internationally. It promises to be a
rewarding endeavor for the firm and its current and future global clients
alike."

Jeffrey H. Chen, formerly a partner with Jones Day in Hong Kong, has
joined Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw to grow the firm’s Asian capabilities. Mr.
Chen, a finance partner specializing in securitization, is recognized in the
2007 directories of IFLR 1000 and Chambers Global as a leading lawyer in his
field. He will work alongside senior London corporate partner, Stephen
Bottomley, who is relocating to Hong Kong.

"Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is one of the top securitization and structured
finance firms in the world," commented Chen. "The firm is at the front line
of every legal, regulatory and accounting development and reform in the
industry. The firm has established an impressive network of clients and
contacts in the United States and Europe and the arrival in Asia gives me an
unparalleled opportunity to integrate my practice with this leading structured
finance firm."

Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has pioneered securitization and structured
finance since the practice’s inception in the 1970s. The firm has dominated
the field in the U.S. and Europe where it has been a leading force in every
type of product innovation in developed markets and at the vanguard of
transactions in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa
and Latin America. Attorneys at the firm authored The Securitization of
Financial Assets, the leading treatise on asset securitization used by lawyers
worldwide, and created and sponsor the highly regarded website
http://www.securitization.net . The lawyers in the securitization group are
also experts in Basel II, Regulation AB and the Securities Offering Reform.

"We are prepared to bring the entirety of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw’s
unmatched securitization expertise to the Asian markets," commented Paul
Maher, London Senior Partner and Vice-Chairman elect. "Part of the firm’s
strategy is to ensure that we are able to surpass our clients expectations in
locations that are increasingly important to their business. We feel that
having two highly respected partners in Jeff and Stephen gives us the best
possible start."

The Hong Kong office expands the firm’s Asian footprint. For more than
eight years Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw’s Global Trade Practice has operated a
consulting office in Mainland China under the name MBP Consulting. The Global
Trade Practice, which includes several former trade negotiators and senior
U.S. Government policy officials, including former U.S. Secretary of Commerce
Mickey Kantor, has provided support to a diverse group of multinational
clients ranging from real estate, financial services and insurance to energy,
pharmaceuticals and mining. The group advises in a variety of areas in China
including developing market-entry strategies, identifying local partners for
joint ventures, identifying investment opportunities, securing regulatory
approvals, and developing and executing strategies to address market access
barriers.

"The Hong Kong office will significantly broaden the capabilities we’ll be
able to offer both our U.S. and European clients," said Peter Scher, head of
the Global Trade Group and chair of the firm’s China Task Force. "We look
forward to working closely with Jeff and Stephen to identify key areas for
growth throughout Asia."

The firm’s license takes effect on December 1, 2006, and the office
expects to be fully operational early in the first quarter of 2007.

About Jeffrey Chen and Stephen Bottomley:
Jeffrey H. Chen has experience throughout Asia and the U.S. working with
both local and multi-national companies, focusing on cross-border financing
structures of all kinds and on engineering various types of hybrid
instruments. He is also experienced in various local laws across Asian
jurisdictions and coordinates local law compliance issues such as netting and
collateral across the region. In recent years, Mr. Chen has advised on a
number of award-winning transactions out of South Korea, Taiwan and China.

Stephen Bottomley, a partner in the London office since 1988, advises on a
wide range of corporate matters, specializing in corporate finance, M&A and
venture capital work and in particular advising on London AIM admissions. He
has been acknowledged as a leader in his field by both the Chambers UK and The
UK Legal 500 directories as well as being recommended for corporate and M&A
work in the PLC Cross-border M&A Handbook 2006/7. Stephen will relocate to
Hong Kong to head up the new office in January 2007.

Notes to editors:

— Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is an international legal practice
delivering advice to leading companies, financial institutions and
multi-national businesses in 14 major cities worldwide, including
London, Chicago, New York, Washington, Frankfurt and Paris.

— The international reach of the firm is further enhanced through its
trade consulting office in Beijing, a correspondent relationship in
Mexico and an alliance with a leading Italian law firm giving access
to both Italian and Eastern European markets.

— The firm currently has over 500 partners and more than 1,400 lawyers
working together to focus its global legal provision around primary
industry and practice groups. Working collaboratively with clients
to understand the business environment in which they operate ensures
that they receive commercial legal solutions that help them achieve
their objectives and success in their businesses.

— The firm recently announced the creation of an ‘Office of the
Chairman’ to take effect from June 1, 2007, with the appointment of
James D. Holzhauer as the firm’s Chairman and partners Kenneth S.
Geller and Paul Maher as Vice-Chairmen.

— Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is a combination of two limited
liability partnerships, each named Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, one
incorporated in England and one established in Illinois, USA.

— For further information please visit: http://www.mayerbrownrowe.com
or http://www.mayerbrownrowe.com/london

SOURCE: Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP

CONTACT: Stephen Bottomley,
Partner, Corporate Group, London,
+44 (0)20 7782 8825, or
sbottomley@mayerbrownrowe.com or

Peter Scher,
Partner, Global Trade Group, Washington DC,
+1-202-263-3360, or
pscher@mayerbrownrowe.com or

Will Hulbert,
Head of Marketing Communications, London,
+44 (0)20 7782 8804, or
whulbert@mayerbrownrowe.com or

Aimee Jasculca,
Public Relations Manager, Chicago,
+1-312-701-8241, or
ajasculca@mayerbrownrowe.com

all of Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP

Web site: http://www.mayerbrownrowe.com
http://www.mayerbrownrowe.com/london
http://www.securitization.net