Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Chadbourne Launches Nanotechnologies Practice, Drawing on Firm's 'Critical Mass' of Legal Expertise

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Abstract:
Key Practices Combine to Offer Innovators a Transdisciplinary Approach

Chadbourne Launches Nanotechnologies Practice, Drawing on Firm's 'Critical Mass' of Legal Expertise

New York, NY | Posted on April 24th, 2008

The international law firm of Chadbourne & Parke announced today that it has launched a nanotechnologies practice, with a transdisciplinary approach bringing together the expertise of long-established Chadbourne practices. The strategy reflects the needs of clients developing or directly interested in nanotechnology-based products and services in multiple sectors of the global economy.

Nanotechnology, the science of manipulating and engineering matter at the atomic and molecular level, offers vast opportunities in such fields as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics, energy, manufacturing, electronics, communications and transportation. Nano-based global commerce could amount to $1.5 trillion by 2015.

To address that opportunity, Chadbourne's nanotechnologies practice will harness the Firm's expertise in several of its core practice areas, including energy, insurance, private equity, intellectual property, litigation and products liability.

"The commercialization of nanotechnology calls for an innovative, cross-disciplinary team approach to legal and business problem-solving, because nanotechnology covers a lot of ground," said David L. Wallace, head of the nanotechnologies practice. "Nanotechnology carries unique uncertainties that must be successfully mediated for a stable market to develop. It calls for a collaborative legal approach powered by a 'critical mass' of the types of expertise for which Chadbourne is well known."

"Working seamlessly with innovators is our forte," said Chadbourne Managing Partner Charles K. O'Neill. "That's the Chadbourne advantage -- over 100 years of experience helping clients to harness the new technologies of their era to create industries and markets where none existed before. We've done it most recently with the biofuels industry and, before that, independent power. We want to apply that expertise to nanotechnology."

Key Attorneys in the Nanotechnologies Practice

In addition to Mr. Wallace, whose practice is concentrated on product liability counseling and defense, other Chadbourne attorneys with an active hand in the Firm's nanotechnology push include counsel John P. Cahill and partner Jonathan M.A. Melmed. Prior to joining Chadbourne, Mr. Cahill was Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation under New York Governor George Pataki, and now Chadbourne counsel, George E. Pataki and concentrates his practice on energy, environmental and corporate matters. Mr. Cahill worked closely with Governor Pataki on groundbreaking public policy initiatives and state-funded investments in support of nanotechnology R&D that have positioned New York as a worldwide leader in university-based research and economic partnership with high-tech commercial interests of all sizes. Mr. Melmed's practice focuses on international private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions and initial public offerings, with extensive experience in the life sciences, biotech and renewable energy sectors.

Also contributing to the practice are Todd Alexander and Chaim Wachsberger, project finance partners in New York; Walter Hanchuk, intellectual property partner in New York; Keith Martin, project finance partner in Washington, DC; David Raim, insurance/reinsurance partner in Washington, DC; Edward Zaelke and Adam Umanoff, project finance partners in Los Angeles; Charez Golvala, corporate partner in London; and Mark Pring, insurance and reinsurance partner in London.

In addition to its client work, Chadbourne is helping to advance legal and business thinking in regard to the promise and challenge of nanotechnologies. In January 2008, the Firm organized a conference called "Nanotechnology Law & Commerce: Business at One-Billionth of a Meter" that brought together leading industry, regulatory and academic figures to discuss the business, legal, regulatory and scientific aspects of nanotechnology's commercialization.

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About Chadbourne & Parke
Chadbourne & Parke LLP, an international law firm headquartered in New York City, provides a full range of legal services, including mergers and acquisitions, securities, project finance, private funds, corporate finance, energy, communications and technology, commercial and products liability litigation, securities litigation and regulatory enforcement, special investigations and litigation, intellectual property, antitrust, domestic and international tax, insurance and reinsurance, environmental, real estate, bankruptcy and financial restructuring, employment law and ERISA, trusts and estates and government contract matters. Major geographical areas of concentration include Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the CIS, the Middle East and Latin America. The Firm has offices in New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Houston, Mexico City, London (a multinational partnership), Moscow, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Kyiv, Almaty, Dubai and Beijing.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
David L. Wallace
Partner
+1-212-408-5498

or
Andrew Blum
Media Relations Manager
+1-212-728-4519

both of Chadbourne & Parke LLP

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