Simpson Thacher Represents Underwriters Led by Goldman Sachs in First Niagara Financial Group’s $1.13 Billion Common Stock, Preferred Stock and Subordinated Notes Offerings

Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Firm represented the underwriters in connection with three registered public offerings by First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. (the “Company”): (i) 56,911,764 shares of common stock, underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P., BofA Merrill Lynch, and Keefe, Bruyette & Woods; (ii) 14,000,000 shares of Fixed-to-Floating Rate Perpetual Non-cumulative Preferred Stock, Series B, at a liquidation preference of $25 per share, underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., BofA Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Securities, Citigroup and Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P.; and (iii) $300 million aggregate principal amount of 7.25% Subordinated Notes due 2021, underwritten by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Sandler O’Neill + Partners, L.P. and BofA Merrill Lynch.

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Tags:  Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | New York

Freshfields Advises New China Life Insurance Company Ltd. on Its US$1.9bn IPO and the Only A+H Share Listing in 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011
International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised New China Life Insurance Company Ltd. (NCI) on its US$1.9 billion global offering of shares and simultaneous A + H listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges. With today’s listing, NCI became the only company to have A + H shares listed simultaneously this year.

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Tags:  Freshfields LLP | Beijing

Littler Opens 53rd Office in the Mountain State

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation’s largest employment and labor law firm representing management, has opened its 53rd office located in Morgantown, West Virginia, ranked last year by Forbes magazine as the #10 best small city in the nation to conduct business. Shareholder Nick Linn, a West Virginia native, has relocated from Littler’s Dallas office to return home to lead the firm’s efforts in the state. Linn, with more than 24 years of experience practicing employment law, will serve as office managing shareholder.

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Tags:  Littler Mendelson P.C.

Leading Energy/Environment and Real Estate/Land Use Law Firms to Combine Practices

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Van Ness Feldman, A Professional Corporation (Van Ness Feldman) and GordonDerr LLP (GordonDerr) today announced that the law firms are combining their practices under the name Van Ness Feldman, A Professional Corporation.  The combined firm will help a broad, national range of clients successfully navigate the complexities of developing natural resource, energy, infrastructure, and sustainable real estate projects.  The firms expect the combination to be effective by the end of the first quarter of 2012.  For a transitional period, Van Ness Feldman’s Seattle office will operate under the name Van Ness Feldman GordonDerr.

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