Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw Creates Office of the Chairman



    International law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is pleased to
    announce the creation of an Office of the Chairman to replace Chairman
    Ty Fahner when he steps down in Spring 2007. The Office of the
    Chairman includes:

    -- James D. Holzhauer, Chicago and New York, Chairman

    -- Kenneth S. Geller, Washington, D.C., Vice Chairman

    -- Paul Maher, London, Vice Chairman

    The members of the new leadership team were selected by the firm's
    Policy & Planning Committee and will each have principal, though not
    exclusive, responsibility for certain areas. The firm believes that
    the new leadership structure and the three distinguished partners
    chosen from diverse geographic and practice areas that comprise it,
    position the firm to build on its unparalleled international platform,
    to grow its business and to maintain its status as one of the world's
    top-tier global law firms.

    "Clients expect a firm to provide truly global capabilities, and
    Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is committed to meeting the complex needs of
    our clients in today's global business and regulatory environment,"
    said Mr. Fahner. "This new leadership structure reflects our
    commitment to ensuring that client needs are met - and that we have
    the strong blend of skills to take our firm forward."

    The new team will take office on June 1, 2007, allowing adequate
    time to ensure continuity with the firm's existing leadership. Mr.
    Fahner will step down pursuant to the Partnership Agreement's
    provisions requiring partners to relinquish leadership positions upon
    reaching age 64.

    Mr. Fahner became a member of the Policy & Planning Committee in
    1985 and Chairman in 1998. During Mr. Fahner's tenure as Chairman, the
    firm has grown from approximately 800 attorneys to nearly 1,400
    worldwide. His time leading the firm included the 2002 merger of
    Mayer, Brown & Platt with Rowe & Maw in London, which has been hailed
    as one of the most successful trans-Atlantic mergers to date. This
    merger followed Mayer, Brown & Platt's combination with Blanchfield,
    Cordle & Moore in Charlotte in 1998, and mergers in 2001 with Lambert
    & Lee in Paris and the Frankfurt partners of the Gaedertz firm in
    Germany. Since that time, the firm has strengthened its position in
    key U.S. and European markets. It is anticipated that the firm will
    exceed US$1 billion in revenue this year.

    In a recent survey by Corporate Counsel of the General Counsels of
    the Fortune 250 companies Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw was the only firm
    ranked among the top three in both areas of Litigation and Corporate
    Transactions. Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw was one of six firms that
    remained in the top 10 ranking in both 2002 (when the survey was
    introduced) and in 2006.

    "Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw has expanded its capability and
    resources in delivering a full range of services across practices and
    borders," said Mr. Holzhauer. "Ken, Paul and I look forward to working
    together to further the vision of global integration and growth to
    meet our clients evolving needs."

    Office of the Chairman - Roles and Responsibilities

    James D. Holzhauer, 58, is an appellate litigator well known for
    his work in the U.S. Supreme Court, his labor and employment work, as
    well as lawyers' professional liability work. In his early career he
    served as Law Clerk to Chief Justice Warren E. Burger of the Supreme
    Court of the United States. He joined the firm in 1988 from the
    faculty of the University of Chicago Law School. He has served on the
    firm's Policy & Planning Committee since 1998, and is the firm's
    General Counsel. Jim retains principal responsibility for risk
    management, will lead global integration efforts, and will be
    primarily responsible for driving key operational and strategic
    initiatives adopted by the Policy & Planning Committee.

    Kenneth S. Geller, 59, is an appellate litigator known for his
    work in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been a member of the Policy &
    Planning Committee and the partner-in-charge of the firm's Washington
    office since 1995. Prior to joining Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw in 1986,
    Ken served as Deputy Solicitor General in the United States Department
    of Justice and as an Assistant Special Prosecutor in the Watergate
    Special Prosecution Force. Ken has argued more than 40 cases in the
    Supreme Court and is co-author of Supreme Court Practice, the
    definitive treatise on practice before the Court. Chambers USA
    recently recognized him as "extremely experienced and seasoned, with
    superb judgment." He will have principal responsibility for global
    operations.

    Paul Maher, 47, is acknowledged as one of the architects of the
    combination that created Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP in 2002. He has
    been the Senior Partner in London since 2001 and has served on the
    firm's Policy & Planning Committee since its combination. He has been
    the head of the London office corporate group since 1996 and is
    recognized as a highly commercial, tenacious and dynamic transactional
    lawyer and a leader in his field. He was recently ranked as one of the
    three most innovative lawyers in the UK in a recent Financial Times
    poll. Paul will take the lead on global strategy.

    Each Office of the Chairman member will divide much of their time
    among the various offices, and each will maintain offices in New York,
    Chicago, and London.

    "Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is moving into a new phase and it makes
    sense to align primary responsibilities with individual leader's
    strengths," commented Mr. Fahner. "When a firm is as ambitious and
    geographically diverse as ours, it needs to have strong leadership.
    With these three truly motivated partners working with our Policy &
    Planning Committee, and all the partners and staff of the firm, we are
    strongly positioned to be highly competitive and successful moving
    forward."

    Founded in 1881, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is among the largest law
    firms in the world with more than 1,400 lawyers practicing in seven
    U.S. cities (Chicago, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Palo
    Alto and Washington) and six European cities (Berlin, Brussels,
    Cologne, Frankfurt, London and Paris). For more information on the
    firm, please visit www.mayerbrownrowe.com.

    Notes to editors:

    -- Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is an international legal
    practice delivering advice to leading companies, financial
    institutions and multi-national businesses in 13 major cities
    worldwide, including London, Chicago, New York, Washington,
    Frankfurt and Paris.

    -- The international reach of the firm is further enhanced
    through associated offices in China, a correspondent
    relationship in Mexico and an alliance with a leading Italian
    law firm giving access to both Italian and Eastern European
    markets.

    -- The firm has over 500 partners and 1,400 lawyers working
    together to focus its global legal provision around primary
    industry and practice groups. Working collaboratively with
    clients to understand the business environment in which they
    operate ensures that they receive commercial legal solutions
    that help them achieve their objectives and success in their
    businesses.

    -- Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP is a combination of two limited
    liability partnerships, each named Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw
    LLP, one incorporated in England and one established in
    Illinois, USA.

    -- For further information please visit: www.mayerbrownrowe.com
    or www.mayerbrownrowe.com/london.