Fasken Martineau, a leading international business law and litigation firm, announced today that the firm was instrumental in securing a $1.25-billion (U.S.) settlement on behalf of First Quantum Minerals (FQM) after it was excluded from its operations by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Perkins Coie has added Andrew Shipley as Partner and John Henault as Of Counsel in the Government Contracts practice in Washington, D.C. Shipley joins from Northrop Grumman Corporation where he was an Assistant General Counsel, and Henault joins from Cooley LLP where he was a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation group.

Gordon & Rees is pleased to announce the opening of a new office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, making it the firm’s seventh office in the eastern United States.  The office will be led by the new Pittsburgh Office Managing Partner, commercial litigator Manoj Jegasothy, who was previously with Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney where he served as Co-Chair of the Litigation Group in the Pittsburgh office, and includes partners John Ebken, Marc Thirkell, and Jeffrey Wilson as well as David Morgan, William Blick and Joshua Marks.  The seven-attorney team brings to the firm a blend of complex litigation experience in areas such as commercial disputes, health care, employment, insurance, construction, antitrust, and consumer products.  The office will open on April 2, 2012.

Earlier this month, Goodwin Procter client ZOLL Medical announced that it entered into a definitive merger agreement with Asahi Kasei, under which Asahi will acquire ZOLL for approximately $2.21 billion. ZOLL is a manufacturer of resuscitation and critical care device and related software solutions. Asahi Kasei is Japan’s leading diversified chemical manufacturer with businesses in the healthcare, chemicals and fibers, homes and construction materials and electronics sectors.