Foley Legal Counsel for 2007 Special Olympics

03/15/07

Foley Legal Counsel for 2007 Special Olympics

International law firm Foley & Lardner LLP will handle entertainment law for the opening ceremony of the 2007 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai. Full corporate legal counsel Foley has been retained by the Games Executive Committee (GEC) of the Special Summer Olympics, to serve as international legal counsel for the Games' opening ceremony. The China government-sponsored GEC manages marketing and large events for the Games. People with intellectual disabilities from all over the world will participate in the Summer Olympics to be held at Shanghai from October 2-11.

China is the first Asian country to host the Summer Games. It is also the second country to host the games outside the U.S. Describing it as a rare honor, Catherine Sun, chair of the firm's Asia Practice said it is committed to assisting GEC while serving for the important games. Sun will work with attorneys on the firm's Entertainment & Media Industry Team, who will provide entertainment law and intellectual property counseling, and transaction services.

Under Sun, the Foley team will draft and help negotiate all agreements for international talent who will perform or appear at the Opening Ceremony. These will include the creative and production team for the Opening Ceremony, and international vendors and suppliers. They will also advise on international broadcast and new media deals for the opening ceremony which will be telecast worldwide. More than 7,000 athletes, 40,000 volunteers, 3,500 event officials and thousands of families, volunteers, spectators, and journalists from every continent are expected to participate in the games.

Sheppard Mullin opens shop in Shanghai
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP opened shop in Shanghai, the Asian mainland of China. This move records the firm's eastward expansion as well as the first step in an international location. After the opening of its offices in Washington, DC, four years back, and New York in 2005, the decision to open in Shanghai marks the firm's systematic growth plan. The move was also spurred by the firm's corporate clients who are expanding in the east.

According to Guy Halgren, chairman of Sheppard Mullin, the need to keep clients happy on both sides of the Pacific, was the main need of the firm. Sheppard Mullin's established China and Korea teams already handle outbound as well as inbound investment matters in a variety of industry sectors, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, infrastructure, entertainment and media, and hospitality.

The Shanghai office will handle a full range of investment, intellectual property, real estate, trade, financial restructuring, and international disputes matters. The firm's Partner David Huebner relocated to Shanghai from Los Angeles to head the new office. Huebner is an expert in intellectual property and international dispute resolution. Along with him, Special Counsel Xudong Ni from the firm's Washington, DC, office, William Zheng, and Senior Legal Consultant Michael Zhang have joined Sheppard Mullin from China's AllBright Law Firm. Edward Tillinghast and Jerry Gumpel, partners in the firm, will remain as members of the Shanghai team. They will support the U.S.-side of the firm's greater China practice from New York and Del Mar, CA, respectively.

Full service law firm Sheppard Mullin has 490 attorneys in 10 offices located throughout the country and in Shanghai. It offers full range of corporate and technology matters, high stakes litigation and complex financial transactions.