Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP Adds Real Estate and Litigation Partners in Los Angeles Office

10 November 2005

California real estate lawyers Paul R. Walker and Bruce W. Fraser, and litigator Elizabeth W. Walker have joined Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP as partners in the firm's Los Angeles office. "The addition of this special team of lawyers to our West Coast real estate practice significantly enhances the depth of our firm's capabilities," noted Virginia Aronson, the global head of Sidley's Real Estate Group and a member of the firm's Management Committee. "Paul and Bruce add another dimension to our strong Los Angeles office, as we share a number of key clients. Elizabeth is a talented addition to our successful litigation practice in Los Angeles." Paul Walker has been involved in many of the major real estate transactions in Southern California in recent years. He represents domestic and foreign lenders, liquidating banks and opportunity funds, and major real estate developers. Mr. Walker concentrates on real estate lending, workouts, capital markets real estate-related transactions, acquisitions and dispositions, creditors' rights, development and leasing, and is recognized in Best Lawyers in America 2006. Mr. Walker received his LL.B. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1969 and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1966. Bruce Fraser also focuses principally in the areas of real estate finance and workouts. He has extensive experience in designing and implementing real estate lending programs, in the acquisition and workout of portfolios of troubled real estate loans, and in other real estate investment transactions such as joint ventures, securitizations, conduit, structured and mezzanine financing. Mr. Fraser received his J.D. from Harvard University Law School, cum laude, in 1981, and an A.B. from Columbia University, summa cum laude, in 1978. Elizabeth Walker's principal area of practice is civil litigation, in particular real estate, commercial and securities litigation. She has defended companies, officers and directors, underwriters, broker-dealers and accounting firms in federal securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation arising out of public offerings and mergers and acquisitions. She has extensive experience in bench and jury trials as well as arbitrations and has represented clients in federal and state antitrust litigation. She has successfully defended numerous financial institutions and/or funds in lender liability, unfair competition and fraud actions involving claims ranging from $20 million to more than $100 million. Ms. Walker received her J.D. in 1983, cum laude, from the University of San Diego Law School, and her B.A. in 1977 from the University of Oregon. "We have long respected the team at Sidley," said Mr. Walker. "We have numerous important clients in common, several of which actively encouraged us to join Sidley to better serve their needs. We are excited to be here, and to become a part of this highly respected high-end real estate finance practices, both nationally and in Southern California." Sidley's Los Angeles real estate practice group now comprises 23 lawyers. The Los Angeles office represents Fortune 500 corporations, government agencies, entrepreneurial businesses and associations, as well as significant Los Angeles, California and global clients. The office's Corporate and Finance Group emphasizes capital markets, specialized finance, private equity and corporate counseling, practices for which Sidley has received the highest ranking in peer-reviewed surveys. In 2004, American Lawyer designated Sidley as having the overall No. 1 Corporate Practice nationally. A nationally regarded leader in commercial real estate transactions with over 100 lawyers practicing in this area, Sidley is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with more than 1,550 lawyers practicing in 14 U.S. 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 executives by BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm. Sidley received the 2005 Catalyst Award in recognition of the firm's initiative to recruit, retain and advance diverse talent.

Source: PR Newswire

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