Arnold & Porter LLP and Howard Rice Nemerovski Canady Falk & Rabkin PC today announced the combination of their two firms, which is expected to be completed by January 1, 2012. The combination substantially expands Arnold & Porter’s West Coast presence and provides Howard Rice’s clients with national and international capabilities and a broader range of services. Upon completion of the combination, Arnold & Porter will have more than 800 attorneys in the US and Europe. The combined firm will offer clients top tier litigation and regulatory capabilities, including in the areas of antitrust, banking, healthcare, environmental, intellectual property, and fully integrated transactional services, all addressing California, national, and international matters.

Sidley Austin LLP announced today that it has added Ayaz Shaikh as a partner in the firm’s project finance practice in Washington, D.C. Mr. Shaikh has a broad U.S. and international practice involving the representation of project sponsors, developers, investors, lenders, government ministries, contractors and other participants in the development, construction, financing, acquisition or sale of energy and infrastructure projects. His experience includes projects in the oil & gas, power (conventional and renewable), petrochemical, mining, road, rail, steel, paper, telecom, satellite, sports arena, hotel and real estate sectors. He will work closely with the firm’s offices in Asia, Australia and Europe.

We are pleased to announce that Andrew Renton has joined Bird & Bird’s International Energy & Utilities Sector Group as partner. Andrew comes to us from Dundas & Wilson, where he headed their energy sector group and infrastructure practice area.

Joshua Cohen joins Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP as a partner.  Most recently, he was a principal and chaired the Litigation Group at Morgan Miller Blair, where he practiced in the Business and Technology Group.

Goodwin Procter recently represented Atlantic Power Corporation in its acquisition of Capital Power Income, a Canadian publicly traded partnership, for over $1 billion.  Atlantic Power is an independent power producer, with power projects located in major markets across the United States.