Cooley Expands Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Group

RESTON, VA--(Marketwire - March 10, 2008) - Cooley Godward Kronish LLP announced today that John G. "Jack" Lavoie has joined the Firm as a partner in the national Real Estate Group. Lavoie will be based in Cooley's Reston, Va. office.

Lavoie's practice focuses on real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the acquisition and disposition of commercial real estate, including the purchase, sale and leasing of office, industrial, retail and unimproved commercial real property. He has substantial experience representing landlords, tenants, lenders and borrowers in the leasing, finance, work-out and foreclosure of commercial property in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and the Mid-Atlantic region.

"We are delighted to add Jack to our team as we continue to engage in high-profile projects and deals that have kept our services in strong demand," said John Toole, a real estate partner in Cooley's Reston office. "He is well-recognized as a 'go to' commercial real estate practitioner in the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC markets. Jack brings a wealth of experience to the Firm."

"Cooley's preeminent national real estate practice handles complex and sophisticated real estate transactions throughout the county. Jack's arrival further strengthens our group both in the Mid-Atlantic region and nationally," said Thomas O'Connor, Chair of the Real Estate Group and Co-Chair of the Structured Real Estate Investments Group, who is based in Cooley's New York office.

Prior to practicing law, Lavoie was a senior associate with the Staubach Company where he managed the process of site identification and lease negotiation for several major clients in the Mid-Atlantic region. He was recently named to Best Lawyers in America in the Real Estate Law Category, and by Virginia Business as a "Legal Elite" in Real Estate and Construction. He was also recognized as a leader in real estate in the 2007 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business and Best Lawyers. He is a member of the Greater Washington Commercial Association of Realtors and the Northern Virginia Chapter of NAIOP (the National Association of Industrial & Office Properties).

Lavoie earned his JD from Georgetown University and his BA from The Catholic University of America. He joins Cooley from Watt, Tieder, Hoffar & Fitzgerald, one of the largest construction law firms in the world, based in McLean, Va.

About Cooley's Real Estate Practice

Cooley's real estate practice advises on some of the largest real estate transactions and developments in the United States and Latin America. The group's core capabilities include: acquisition and dispositions, leasing, land use and zoning, finance and capital markets, corporate facilities development, hospitality, structured real estate investments and Latin America-based real estate transactions.

Last year, Cooley advised DuPont Fabros Technology, Inc. on its initial public offering of more than $600 million, the nation's largest REIT IPO in 2007. The Firm represents a number of major financial institutions in their debt and equity financings and capital market transactions and handles the acquisition, financing and construction of many of the premier hotels and resorts in Central America and the Caribbean and on the West Coast.

Cooley's real estate group is currently representing the developer of one of the largest projects on the West Coast -- a 14.7 acre, four-city block waterfront site on the Western end of downtown San Diego. Cooley also recently handled one of most complicated rezonings in the Washington, DC market, successfully securing the entitlements for Tysons Corner Center, one of the premier regional malls in the county. Tysons Corner Center is poised to redevelop into a multi-million square foot, transit-oriented, mixed-use community.

About Cooley Godward Kronish LLP

Cooley Godward Kronish's 650 attorneys have an entrepreneurial spirit and deep, substantive experience, and are committed to solving clients' most challenging legal matters. From small companies with big ideas to international enterprises with diverse legal needs, Cooley has the breadth of legal resources to enable companies of all sizes to seize opportunities in today's global marketplace. The Firm represents clients across a broad array of dynamic industry sectors, including technology, life sciences, financial services, retail and energy.

The Firm has full-service offices in major commercial, government and technology centers nationwide: Palo Alto, CA, New York, NY, San Diego CA, San Francisco, CA, Reston, VA, Broomfield, CO, Washington, DC and Boston, MA.

For additional information about the Firm, please visit www.cooley.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Zach Olsen 415-732-7805 zolsen@cooley.com