NEW YORK, Feb. 8 2005 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network — Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP was named top issuer counsel and #2 manager counsel for U.S. debt, equity and equity- related activity in 2004 by Thomson Financial in its law firm league tables.
For the second consecutive year, Sidley held the #1 position as issuer adviser
for U.S. investment grade corporate debt, counseling on triple the number of
issues as the nearest ranked adviser. The firm was also named #1 one manager’s
counsel for U.S. preferred stock.
Sidley advised issuers on $255.6 billion in total proceeds, more than
double the previous year’s amount, on 457 transactions representing an 11.3%
market share. As the #2 underwriter’s counsel in the same category, Sidley
advised on nearly $224 billion in deal value from 496 offerings representing a
9.4% market share.
For U.S. investment grade corporate debt, as issuer counsel Sidley advised
on $61.8 billion in proceeds from 114 issues, representing an 11.3% market
share. For U.S. preferred shares, as manager counsel Sidley advised on $5.7
billion in proceeds on 42 issues, representing a 19.6% market share.
Of 28 securities offerings measurements tracked in the Thomson survey,
Sidley ranked in the top 5 in 14 of those categories. Notable rankings
include:
* #1 issuer counsel and #2 manager counsel for U.S. debt, equity and
equity-related securities
* #1 issuer counsel and #2 manager counsel for U.S. straight debt,
including mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities
* #1 issuer counsel and #3 manager counsel for U.S. straight debt,
excluding mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities
* #1 issuer counsel and #2 manager counsel for U.S. investment grade
corporate debt
* #1 manager counsel for U.S. preferred stock
* #2 issuer counsel for U.S. mortgage-backed securities
* #2 manager counsel for U.S. asset-backed securities
“The volume of securities underwritings and IPOs increased significantly
in 2004,” said Norman Slonaker, a senior corporate partner and member of the
firm’s management committee. “We are gratified that as our clients expand
their capital markets activities, they continue to turn to us as their
counsel.”
One of the world’s largest full-service law firms, Sidley Austin Brown &
Wood LLP has more than 1,550 lawyers practicing in 14 domestic and
international cities. Sidley was named the Number One-Ranked U.S. Law Firm
for Overall Client Service in 2002 and 2004 in surveys of Fortune 1000 general
counsel by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm.
