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.

The international law firm Bryan Cave LLP welcomes Partners Chris Kupec, Rick Brown, Mark Vasco and Ben Sidbury to its Charlotte office. Kupec and Brown will practice with the firm’s Banking Group; Vasco will practice with the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group; and Sidbury will practice with the firm’s Intellectual Property Group.

Clayton Utz is advising ASX/TSX/NSX listed Extract Resources Limited (Extract) in connection with the $2.2 billion recommended unconditional cash offer by Taurus Mineral Limited, an entity owned by Chinese state-owned CGNPC Uranium Resources Co. and the China-Africa Development Fund.

Wiggin and Dana is pleased to announce the expansion of its Insurance Practice Group with the addition of partner Michael P. Thompson, who joins the firm from Edwards Wildman. Mr. Thompson will be resident in the firm’s Stamford office.

Wragge & Co’s Life Sciences team has completed two international deals in one week. In the first, the team advised the shareholders of Italian biopharmaceutical company Anabasis on the company’s acquisition by Dompé for an undisclosed sum. In the second, it advised Netherlands and Belgium-based biopharmaceutical company arGEN-X on its cross-border alliance with Ireland-headquartered Shire Pharmaceuticals.