Gordon & Rees LLP is further expanding its national footprint with the addition of an office in Washington, D.C. and the hiring of Edmund Cooke, Jr., O’Kelly McWilliams III, and Jennifer Persico.  The opening was announced by Dion Cominos, firmwide managing partner.

Joel R. Nied has joined the law firm of LeClairRyan as a partner on the firm’s Venture Capital and Corporate Services Practice Area Teams. He will be resident in the firm’s Norfolk and Alexandria, Va. offices.

Brian S. Wheeler has joined the law firm of LeClairRyan as a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department. He will be resident in the firm’s Blacksburg and Roanoke, Va. offices.

Linklaters is advising Peugeot Citroën (PSA) on a broad-scale global strategic alliance with General Motors (GM), which consists in the creation of a purchasing joint venture, joint development of several vehicles through shared automotive platforms and the acquisition of a minority stake by GM in PSA.

Gilbert + Tobin has advised Exxaro Resources Limited, a South African-based mining company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE:EXX), on its $338 million cash takeover bid for ASX listed iron ore exploration and development company, African Iron Limited (ASX: AKI). African Iron’s key asset is its 92% interest in the Mayoko iron ore project in the Republic of Congo.

Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has added John Polley as a shareholder in its growing Minneapolis office. Polley, formerly of Faegre Baker Daniels, brings nearly 30 years of labor and employment law experience to Littler, with a primary focus in the areas of traditional labor law, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) litigation and counseling and workplace drug and alcohol testing.

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised General Motors (GM) on its global strategic alliance with PSA Peugeot Citroën.