New York, NY – March 6, 2006 – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke LLP announced today that Richard S. Bobrow, former Global Chief Executive Officer of Ernst & Young, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Bobrow will be responsible for the overall operations of the Firm, formulating and executing strategy and serving as an ex-officio member of the Management Committee. He will succeed Aniello A. Bianco, who is retiring from the Firm at the end of 2006 after 18 years as Chadbourne’s Managing Director.
As Global CEO of Ernst & Young, Mr. Bobrow was actively involved on a worldwide basis in initiatives that resulted in the firm’s achieving significant and profitable growth, including the successful combination and integration of Asian and European member firms of Andersen Worldwide.
“We intend to take full advantage of the exceptional industry leadership, depth of experience and strategic insight Rick brings to Chadbourne,” said Charles K. O’Neill, Managing Partner. “His dedication and proven leadership skills will make him a strong Chief Operating Officer. We are fortunate to have a person with Rick’s track record in this role.”
Mr. Bobrow, 52, joined Ernst & Young in 1976 after earning degrees in Business Administration and Accounting from the University of Kansas, and was admitted to the partnership in 1984. After serving in a number of positions throughout his tenure, he was named Americas CEO in 2000. Among his accomplishments in that position was leading the development and implementation of Ernst & Young’s minority diversity strategy with notable success in improving minority retention and morale. Mr. Bobrow became Global CEO in 2002; he retired from that position in 2004 to pursue other interests.
“Rick has demonstrated the ability to build a highly energetic and intelligent leadership team that excelled in improving Ernst & Young’s finance, operations, human resource and strategy functions,” said Mr. Bianco, who will continue as a full-time advisor to the Management Committee through the end of the year. “I am proud to pass the baton to Rick, a gifted and experienced executive who will help lead Chadbourne to the next level of profitability and prominence within the legal community. I view this as an incredibly successful conclusion to our succession planning program, and I look forward to working with Rick during this transitional period.”
Mr. Bianco began his career at Arthur Young & Co., a predecessor to Ernst & Young, in 1961 and he became a partner there in 1971. His distinguished career in management and finance has included serving as Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and a member of the board of directors of Rothschild Inc., while also serving as Executive Vice President and principal of its subsidiary, Rothschild Ventures Inc. From 1981 through 1984, Mr. Bianco was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Polygram Corporation. He joined Chadbourne in 1988 as Managing Director. He is currently the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Pace University. “All of us at Chadbourne want to express our profound gratitude to Neil for his inspirational and strategic contributions to Chadbourne over the years. We will miss him,” said Mr. O’Neill.
About Chadbourne & Parke LLP
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, private equity, corporate finance, energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters. Major geographical areas of concentration include Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, and Latin America. The Firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kyiv, Almaty, Warsaw (through a Polish partnership), Beijing, and a multinational partnership, Chadbourne & Parke, in London. For additional information, visit www.chadbourne.com.
