Global law firm White & Case LLP today announced the election of 21 new partners, effective January 1, 2009.

"Our new partners are leaders who have demonstrated their dedication to our clients and the Firm," said Chairman Hugh Verrier. "They represent the diversity of our global business and give us much confidence for our future."

Consistent with White & Case's recent reorganization, each new partner is joining one of 16 global practices. By pooling its partners and other talent across Global Practices and within Regional Sections, the Firm seeks to reinforce its global footprint and leverage its network to enhance the services and value it provides to its clients worldwide.

Listed by the regions in which they are based, the new partners are:

Americas

   * Hazem Derhalli is based in New York and has been named a partner in our global Energy, Infrastructure Project and Asset Finance practice. He is a New York-qualified asset finance and project finance lawyer who focuses on utility and transportation-related facility and equipment finance, as well as oil and gas-related project finance.
   * Fernando de la Hoz has been named a partner in our Latin America practice. Based in São Paulo following his relocation there from Miami in 2006, he is a Florida-qualified securities and M&A lawyer who works on cross-border transactions with Brazilian corporates and financial institutions.
   * Jeremy Naylor has been named a partner in our global M&A/Corporate practice. Based in New York, Jeremy is a New York-qualified transactional tax lawyer, specializing in investment fund formation and partnerships.
   * Martin Toto is based in New York and has been named a partner in our global Competition practice. Qualified in New York and New Jersey, he is an antitrust lawyer who specializes in criminal investigations and litigation, civil litigation and antitrust aspects of mergers and acquisitions.


Europe, Middle East and Africa

   * Mark Castillo-Bernaus is based in London and has been named a partner in our global Energy, Infrastructure Project and Asset Finance practice. He is an English-qualified project finance lawyer who has a broad range of experience representing lenders and sponsors on large, complex project financings.
   * Franck De Vita has been named a partner in our global M&A/Corporate practice. Based in Paris, he is a French-qualified M&A and securities lawyer who advises private equity funds and companies in both public company and private M&A transactions. He is experienced in leveraged buy-outs, venture capital transactions and restructurings.
   * Detlev Gabel has been named a partner in our Germany practice. A German-qualified corporate lawyer, he is based in Frankfurt and focuses on IT and outsourcing transactions, privacy and data protection.
   * Dennis Heuer has been named a partner in Germany. Based in Frankfurt, he is a German-qualified finance lawyer who specializes in structured finance, securitization and distressed debt, with a focus on asset-backed securitization – specifically, lease receivables, consumer and auto loans and insurance policies.
   * Andrew Macklin is based in London and has been named a partner in our global M&A/Corporate practice. An English-qualified M&A lawyer, his practice focuses on complex cross-border M&A transactions.
   * Maya Melnikas has been named a partner in our Central and Eastern Europe practice. Based in Moscow, she is a California-qualified bank finance and securitization lawyer, who also practices in financial services and real estate M&A.
   * Eric Muller is based in Paris and has been named a partner in our global M&A/Corporate practice. A French-qualified M&A and corporate lawyer, he advises French and global companies in their listed and non-listed acquisitions, joint ventures and reorganizations.
   * Stefan Odeurs has been named a partner in our global M&A/Corporate practice. Based in Brussels, he is a Belgian-qualified M&A and corporate lawyer who represents Belgian and global companies in M&A, private equity and other corporate transactions.
   * Petr Panek is based in Prague and has been named a partner in Central and Eastern Europe. He is a Czech- and New York-qualified lawyer, specializing in M&A, corporate, real estate, reorganizations and fund formation transactions.
   * Tanja Törnkvist has been named a partner in our global Banking and Capital Markets practice. Based in Helsinki, she is a Finnish-qualified corporate and finance lawyer with broad experience supporting Scandinavian clients in financings, capital markets transactions, and mergers and acquisitions.
   * Christophe von Krause is based in Paris and has been named a partner in our global Disputes practice. A French-qualified international arbitration lawyer, he represents clients in International Chamber of Commerce arbitrations, ad hoc tribunals and other arbitral venues, in addition to acting in M&A-related arbitrations, and serves such industries as construction, oil and gas, hotel and leisure.
   * Robert Weber has been named a partner in Germany. Based in Frankfurt, he is a German-qualified corporate lawyer and advises public companies on issues such as tender offers, squeeze-outs, general assemblies and contested resolutions and decisions.
   * Karl-Jörg Xylander is based in Berlin and has been named a partner in Germany. A German-qualified former public prosecutor, he specializes in white collar criminal defense in the areas of tax, banking and finance, compliance, environmental and other matters and advises corporate clients in criminal and administrative proceedings, including counseling them in the run-up to prosecution or civil litigation.


Asia

   * Michael Shikuma has been named a partner in our Asia practice, based in Tokyo. He is a Hawaii-qualified tax lawyer who specializes in the taxation of cross-border transactions and restructurings, as well as international estate planning in the United States, Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.
   * John Shum has been named a partner in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, he is a New York- and English-qualified bank finance lawyer who transferred to Hong Kong from New York in 2008. His practice focuses on assisting financial services clients with leveraged finance transactions.
   * Anna-Marie Slot has been named a partner in Asia. Based in Hong Kong, she is a New York-qualified securities lawyer who relocated to Hong Kong from London in 2008. She represents banks and other companies on a wide range of corporate finance transactions, with an emphasis on high-yield debt offerings.
   * Vivian Tsoi has been named partner in Asia. Based in Beijing, she is a California- and Hawaii-qualified lawyer who transferred to Beijing from Palo Alto, CA, in 2005. A corporate M&A specialist, she leads both China inbound and outbound M&A transactions.


About White & Case
White & Case LLP is a leading global law firm with more than 2,400 lawyers in 34 offices in 23 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, we provide counsel and representation in virtually every area of law that affects cross-border business. Our clients value both the breadth of our global network and depth of our US, English and local law capabilities in each of our regions and rely on us for their complex cross-border transactions, arbitration and litigation provided by our global practices. Whether in established or emerging markets, the hallmark of White & Case is our complete dedication to meeting the business priorities and legal needs of our clients.