Bracewell & Giuliani LLP Opens Office in Dubai

Bracewell & Giuliani LLP announced the opening of its office in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates today. The Dubai office will be led by
partner David M. Stockwell, a 25-year resident and legal practitioner
and a former senior United States diplomat in residence there.

The Dubai office will advise clients on doing business in Dubai
and in the other member-states of the United Arab Emirates, including
operations in the new Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and
on local labor law, commercial and corporate law, arbitration,
licensing, litigation, energy and environmental matters in the Arabian
Gulf region. Mr. Stockwell serves as a current member of the Financial
Markets Tribunal of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, which
hears appeals of regulatory/administrative rulings of the Authority,
the regulator of activities within the DIFC.

A member of the Houston and International Bar Associations, Mr.
Stockwell was born in Saudi Arabia and has lived in the Middle East
for more than forty-five years. Mr. Stockwell's diplomatic career with
the United States State Department also includes having served as
Commercial Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait and as the Country
Officer for Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in Washington,
D.C. He is a past president of the American Chamber of Commerce in
Dubai and Chairman Emeritus of the American Business Council of the
Gulf Countries, the umbrella business grouping of all American
Chambers of Commerce in the Arabian Gulf. He also serves as Chairman
of the Board of Trustees of The Cultural Foundation which was
established by the Ruler of Dubai to own and operate the American
School of Dubai.

"Dubai is an important emerging market for many companies, but the
business environment is unknown to most organizations looking to
expand into the market," said Mr. Stockwell. "Having lived and
practiced in the region, I understand the environment. I know how to
work with the government and the business community to provide
guidance and leadership to clients."

"Multinational banking and finance companies are starting to shift
important operations to Dubai, the Dubai International Financial
Centre and the entire Arabian Gulf region. With Bracewell's focused
expertise in energy, corporate law, finance, international law and tax
planning, serving that region from an office in Dubai makes perfect
sense and provides considerable synergy," said Patrick Oxford,
managing partner of Bracewell & Giuliani. "Our firm's core
competencies in energy, finance and international tax position us to
add value for our clients operating in the Middle East just as we have
done for them in the North Caspian, North Sea and Gulf Coast,"
continued Mr. Oxford.

About Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

Bracewell & Giuliani LLP is among the nation's most prominent law
firms. With over lawyers in New York, Connecticut, Texas, Washington
DC, Dubai, Kazakhstan and London, we are distinctively positioned to
serve clients concentrated in the energy and financial services
sectors worldwide. In 2005, former New York City mayor Rudolph W.
Giuliani joined the firm as a senior partner. His international
reputation for leadership and problem solving is a unique asset for
our clients, which include Fortune 500 companies, major financial
institutions, leading private investment funds, governmental entities
and individuals. For more information about Bracewell & Giuliani,
visit www.bgllp.com.