Corporate Partner Louis Lehot Expands Sheppard Mullin's Silicon Valley Presence

MENLO PARK, CA--(Marketwire - August 20, 2009) - Louis Lehot has joined the Silicon Valley office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as a partner in the firm's Corporate practice group. Lehot joins Sheppard Mullin from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in Palo Alto.

Lehot's Silicon Valley practice is focused on advising technology companies and their financial sponsors and investment banks in M&A transactions, capital raising transactions, strategic and commercial transactions, as well as corporate governance and securities law compliance matters.

Lehot's recent M&A experience includes advising SiRF Technology in its public stock-for-stock merger with CSR plc, and recent capital markets deal credits include advising the underwriters in Oracle Corporation's $4.5 billion debt financing, in Micron Technology's concurrent public common stock and convertible note offerings and in GLG Partners' convertible note offering. His clients have included technology names such as AOL, Seagate Technology and SiRF Technology, investment banks including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, UBS and Wachovia, as well as leading Bay Area-based financial sponsors.

"Louis is a rising star in the deal world and an excellent fit firmwide with both our Corporate practice group and technology practice, as well as our Silicon Valley office. His Wall Street law firm expertise coupled with his Silicon Valley experience will be of great value to our clients," said Guy Halgren, chairman of the firm.

Commented Lehot, "Sheppard Mullin offers a large statewide footprint for a technology company practice in Silicon Valley. Additionally, the firm's New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanghai offices and leading digital entertainment, media, energy and high technology practices provide a full-service and international platform to support our clients. I am thrilled to be joining the firm and look forward to growing the Silicon Valley corporate and transactional practice with partner Riaz Karamali."

"Louis' strong corporate and transactional advisory knowledge and expertise is an excellent addition to our growing office's capabilities. His solid relationships with Silicon Valley corporate and financial decision-makers will provide an immediate boost to our transactional capabilities in both of our Bay Area locations: San Francisco and Menlo Park," said Marc Sockol, managing partner of Sheppard Mullin's Silicon Valley office.

Lehot received a J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School in 2000 and a B.S.F.S., cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1994.

Also today, Ken Yood joined Sheppard Mullin's Corporate practice group as a partner in the Los Angeles/Century City office on the firm's Healthcare team from Fulbright & Jaworski in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Brian Weimer joined Sheppard Mullin's Washington, D.C. office and Todd Bissett joined the firm's Shanghai office as partners in the Corporate practice group. Weimer joined from Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C. and Bissett joined from O'Melveny & Myers in Beijing.

Sheppard Mullin's Corporate practice group includes more than 100 attorneys firmwide.

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard Mullin is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with more than 560 attorneys in 11 offices located throughout California and in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanghai. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles/Century City, Los Angeles/Downtown, Orange County, San Diego/Del Mar, San Diego/Downtown, San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Silicon Valley. Founded in 1927 on the principle that the firm would succeed only if its attorneys delivered prompt, high quality and cost-effective legal services, Sheppard Mullin provides legal counsel to U.S. and international clients. Companies turn to Sheppard Mullin to handle a full range of corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions. In the U.S., the firm's clients include more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Louis Lehot (650) 815-2640 Ralph Richardson (213) 617-5542