LATHAM & WATKINS

Newly-launched Houston office enhances the firm’s energy industry practice in the US and globally

Houston, March 8, 2010… Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce the addition of a group of partners with highly-regarded energy industry practices. Based in the firm’s recently-established office in Houston, Texas, the attorneys bring transactional and corporate expertise that bolsters the firm’s strategy to continue building a leading international energy industry practice.

The attorney group comprises eight partners, joining from three different firms, who possess a distinctive combination of market experience, industry knowledge and legal acumen. In adding these talents to the firm’s prominent global energy practice, Latham & Watkins’ Houston office will concentrate on serving clients in the energy sector, particularly oil and gas companies, encompassing work in practice areas such as capital markets, M&A, private equity transactions and joint ventures, fund formation, debt finance, tax, and general company representation for energy companies as well as financial institutions, investment funds, and other industry players.

The group includes: corporate partners Michael Dillard and Michael Chambers from Akin Gump LLP; corporate partners Michael P. Darden and Sean Wheeler from Baker Botts LLP; and corporate partners William Finnegan, Charles Carpenter and Brett Braden, and tax partner Timothy Fenn from Vinson & Elkins LLP. Carpenter and Fenn will maintain offices in both Houston and New York.

Robert M. Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins, said: “This is an exciting development in the history of our firm and represents a significant growth area for our practice. Our presence in Houston, a widely recognized global energy hub, fits well with our continued focus on sophisticated energy sector work.”

The partner group has advised on an array of notable matters, including IPOs and other capital markets transactions involving publicly-traded partnerships (MLPs) and corporate issuers, M&A and private equity transactions, asset acquisitions and divestitures, and joint ventures and other matters involving upstream and midstream oil and gas companies, refining and petrochemical companies, liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects, oil field service companies, and other participants in the energy sector.

The group enhances Latham’s prominent global energy practice built on the breadth and depth of its capabilities spanning project finance, M&A, capital markets, energy regulatory, renewable energy, and environmental counsel – representing companies such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Iberdrola, and Marubeni, and financial institutions and investment funds including Energy Capital Partners, Global Infrastructure Partners, Macquarie Capital and Riverstone Holdings LLC, among others.

Peter Kerman, Global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Corporate Department, said: “The global economy will continue to rely on oil, gas, and power to fuel growth — and energy companies will continue to raise capital, develop projects, purchase and sell assets, and otherwise consolidate their operations for years to come. These are often complex transactions, with ongoing corporate representations, that play to Latham & Watkins’ strengths as a global law firms with the broad capabilities to advise clients across the board with industry-leading expertise.”

Marc Jaffe, Vice Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Corporate Department, added: “Latham’s established presence in the Middle East and our capabilities in the key financial and regulatory centers of the world, together with our Houston office, provide the firm and our clients with coverage in all the key regions necessary to have a leading US domestic and international energy practice.”

“We look forward to supporting the further development of Latham & Watkins’ global energy practice, both in Houston and in concert with our colleagues and clients throughout the world,” said Finnegan.

“We were attracted by the firm’s entrepreneurial management, team ethic and blue-chip client roster — all of which have firmly established Latham & Watkins as an elite global law firm,” said Wheeler, who serves as Local Chair of the Corporate Department for the Houston office.

Dillard, who serves as the Office Managing Partner for the Houston office, added: “Latham & Watkins has an outstanding reputation for its energy practice, and this bold launch in Houston builds on the firm’s proven ability to successfully enter new markets.”

About Latham & Watkins

Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with approximately 2,000 attorneys in 29 offices, including Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com.

Notes to Editor

1 Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with affiliated limited liability partnerships conducting the practice in the United Kingdom, France and Italy and affiliated partnerships conducting the practice in Hong Kong and Japan.

Christoph Schlüter

Public Relations Manager

LATHAM & WATKINS LLP

Reuterweg 20

60323 Frankfurt am Main

Germany

Direct Dial: +49.69.6062.6520

Fax: +49.69.6062.6700

Email: christoph.schlueter@lw.com

www.lw.com