Dallas, October 6, 2004 LAWFUEL – Best law news, attorney, legal, law firm news– Piper Rudnick LLP partners Ann Hurwitz and Michael Santa Maria have once again been named to the list of Texas Super Lawyers 2004, the law firm reports.
The Texas Super Lawyers are selected as the result of an extensive process of polling, screening, and research. This year, the process began in February, when 66,000 Texas lawyers statewide were asked to vote for the best lawyers they had personally observed in action. Ultimately, only about 5 percent of attorneys in the Texas Bar are declared Super Lawyers.
Both Ms. Hurwitz and Mr. Santa Maria were cited as Super Lawyers in 2003. They are each partners in the firm’s Franchise and Distribution practice group, and Ms. Hurwitz is managing partner of the firm’s Dallas office.
“It is delightful to see Ann and Mike return to this prestigious list,” said Lee I. Miller, co-chair of Piper Rudnick. “They are outstanding attorneys who play a key role in our outstanding Franchise and Distribution practice group.”
Piper Rudnick’s Franchise and Distribution group was recently cited as the leading franchise law practice in the world in the fourth edition of An International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers, published by Who’s Who Legal.
The Texas Super Lawyers 2004 listings are a joint project of the publications Law & Politics and Texas Monthly. The results appear in the October issue of Texas Monthly.
About the attorneys
Ann Hurwitz, managing partner of Piper Rudnick’s Dallas office, regularly counsels clients on the structuring and operation of franchise programs. Ms. Hurwitz has devoted particular attention to the operational, relationship, and regulatory issues arising from various aspects of franchising. She also frequently speaks to business and professional groups on franchising topics.
Ms. Hurwitz is cited in An International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America
Michael E. Santa Maria, a partner in the Franchise and Distribution practice group, concentrates his practice in international business transactions with an emphasis on international franchising and distribution. He helps clients develop international development strategies, assisting in the tax analysis and structural implementation of all matters outside of the United States. He has also helped clients in a host of different types of direct investment transactions, particularly in Latin America. His practice also includes the representation of several Internet companies and Internet incubators.
Mr. Santa Maria was raised in Mexico City, is fluent in Spanish, and works in a seamless manner in most Latin American jurisdictions. He is a frequent speaker on international matters. Before entering private practice, he worked as a financial analyst in leveraged buyouts in the transportation industry and as a registered investment advisor.
Mr. Santa Maria is a member of the Piper Rudnick Diversity, Pro Bono, and Hiring Committees. He was recently named general counsel of the North Texas Food Bank, a nonprofit center for food distribution that serves over 400 member agencies in 13 counties in North Texas.
About Piper Rudnick LLP
Piper Rudnick is a business law firm of about 975 lawyers with U.S. offices in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Edison, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Reston, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., and a European office in Paris..
In 2004, Chambers USA named 40 of the firm’s lawyers (up from 28 in 2003) among America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, including two who received the rare “Exceptional” rating and one “Senior Statesman,” particularly in the areas of real estate, corporate, litigation, and labor and employment.
The firm’s practice is focused on:
Litigation, including national business and securities, product liability and toxic torts, intellectual property, antitrust, labor and class action litigation, and a white-collar group featuring a former Watergate prosecutor. This group includes eight members of the American College of Trial Lawyers (one of whom also served as president), two former United States Attorneys and a former federal judge.
Real Estate, comprising one of the largest and most diverse practices in the United States, with a focus on transactional, finance and securities capabilities for owners and investors in all property sectors. In 2004, Chambers and Partners, the Practical Law Company, and Who’s Who Legal in separate independent surveys of clients and competitors all ranked the Real Estate group as the undisputed leading real estate practice in the nation. The group includes the President-elect and a former President of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, as well as 16 other members of the College.
Business and Technology, including corporate and securities, corporate governance, franchise and distribution, intellectual property, media, information technology, taxation, bankruptcy, biosciences, IPOs, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, and other major transactions for companies of all sizes.
Government Affairs, including the nationally known federal affairs and legislation group formerly with Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson and Hand; a government controversies practice headed by the former general counsel of a leading telecommunications company; and prominent regulatory practices in government contracts, environmental, e-commerce and privacy, tax legislation, antitrust and communications. This group includes former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey.
The firm also has significant international capabilities in trade regulation, dispute resolution, and cross-border transactions, complemented by our strategic alliance with The Cohen Group, an international strategic business advisory firm headed by former U.S. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander General Joseph Ralston, and former U.K. Defense Minister and NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson.
