NEW YORK, May 3, 2005— LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced today that George T. Yates, III, has joined the firm’s Paris office as a partner in its corporate practice group. Yates is a former partner at Coudert Brothers in Paris and a well-known expert in corporate law matters in France and the United States.
Yates has 30 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions with a particular focus on cross-border transactions. He also has extensive experience in joint ventures, distribution and licensing. He joined Coudert in Paris in 1974, resided in the firm’s New York office from 1975 to 1983, and served as managing partner of the firm’s offices in San Francisco (1983 to 1991) and most recently in Paris. Yates is a U.S. national who is admitted to practice in New York, California, Paris, Brussels (B List), and the United Kingdom, as a registered foreign lawyer. In 2002 France awarded him the Legion of Honor in recognition of his legal services in transactions between France and the United States.
Commenting on Yates’ arrival, Ralph Baxter, Orrick’s chairman and CEO, said, “George is a highly regarded lawyer with extensive international experience who exemplifies the type of lawyer Orrick is actively seeking out as we continue our global expansion. He is a great find for us, and we are happy to welcome him to the firm.”
“As a U.S. national admitted to practice in multiple U.S. and European jurisdictions, George will be a valuable resource for both U.S. and European clients,” said David Syed, Orrick’s managing partner for Europe. “For U.S. clients, he offers keen insight into complex European legislation, particularly EU and French law; for European clients, he offers a wealth of experience handling intra-European transactions and U.S. business matters.”
Raphaële Courtier, partner in charge of Orrick’s Paris office, said, “George’s focus on EU and French law adds depth to our strong corporate practice in Paris. As a U.S.-qualified lawyer, he complements that practice, as well. George is the right fit both in terms of Orrick’s European growth strategy and in terms of its culture and core values.”
“Orrick’s rapidly expanding international presence combined with its first rate reputation in the U.S. marketplace will enable me to continue expanding my international practice while offering clients greater depth in U.S. legal services,” said Yates. “I am very enthusiastic about the benefits this move promises my clients, and I look forward to contributing to Orrick’s continued success in Europe and beyond.”
The addition of Yates is part of a firm-wide initiative to expand Orrick’s corporate practice, an area in which the firm has made significant strides. In February and March of this year, the firm added nine corporate partners in Silicon Valley from Heller Ehrman’s Venture Law Group. Last year, Orrick added prominent corporate lawyers in Paris, New York, and San Francisco, as well as Tokyo, where eight new corporate lawyers increased that office’s team by more than 40 percent.
About Orrick’s Paris Office
Orrick’s Paris office is highly respected in the French and international markets for work on major cross border and domestic transactions involving structured finance, leasing, asset finance, corporate, and tax. With more than 40 French, English, and U.S. qualified lawyers, Orrick’s Paris office provides legal services to large international and French corporations, commercial and investment banks, and a wide range of other financial services providers. Orrick Paris was recently ranked fifth by revenue per lawyer in Decideurs Strategie Finance Droit’s Top 100 Business Law Firms Rankings.
About Orrick
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is an international law firm with approximately 700 lawyers in North America, Europe, and Asia. The firm focuses on litigation, complex and novel finance transactions, and innovative corporate transactions. Orrick clients include Fortune 100 companies, major industrial and financial corporations, commercial and investment banks, high-growth companies, governmental entities, start-ups, and individuals. The firm’s 14 offices are located in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Orange County, Pacific Northwest, London, Paris, Milan, Rome, Tokyo, and Taipei.
