New York, April 17, 2008—Laura S. Friedrich has joined the firm in New York as a partner in the Global Asset Management Group. Ms. Friedrich joins from Chadbourne & Parke LLP.

The addition of Ms. Friedrich will increase the Shearman & Sterling resources devoted to private equity, real estate and other types of fund formation, structuring and compliance. In New York, Ms. Friedrich joins partners Paul Schreiber, the firm’s Global Asset Management Group leader, and Nathan Greene and counsel Richard Metsch in focusing on private equity funds and property partners Lee Kuntz, Lisa Brill, John Opar and Chris Smith, all of whom concentrate on real estate funds. The expanded NY-based team will combine with Shearman & Sterling’s London-based practice, headed by Bill Murdie, its Tokyo-based practice, led by Masahisa Ikeda, and its Paris, Sao Paulo and Rome practices to offer truly global capabilities to clients. Partners in London and New York also cover Middle Eastern clients on Sharia-compliant funds and related products.

In a related announcement that further emphasizes the firm’s commitment to global private equity and fund formation, Shearman & Sterling will relocate one of its senior attorneys to help lead the firm’s fund formation practice in Hong Kong. Lorna X. Chen, a native of Beijing, is a highly experienced fund formation, investment management and general securities lawyer. She is qualified under New York and US Federal law, as well as Chinese law. Although she will not be practicing Chinese law in Hong Kong, Ms. Chen practiced for several years in China and Hong Kong before joining Shearman & Sterling in New York.

Rohan S. Weerasinghe, Senior Partner of Shearman & Sterling, said, “We are very pleased to welcome Laura to our firm. She has an outstanding reputation in the private equity industry, and we expect her to join with our pre-existing practice in this area in further expanding our very formidable global fund formation practice.”

Adds Paul Schreiber, who heads Shearman & Sterling’s Global Asset Management Group, “The addition of Laura, and Lorna’s new, expanded role, further emphasizes the commitment of Shearman & Sterling to asset management and the continuing global growth of the asset management industry. Our worldwide team is well positioned to help us solidify and expand our already substantial position in this space.”

Ms. Friedrich has extensive experience working with US and international private equity, venture capital and hedge funds and their sponsors with investments in the US, Eastern and Western Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, India and the Middle East. Ms. Friedrich has participated in over $20 billion in fund raisings, negotiating with numerous corporate, public and private pension plan, private family, foundation and endowment, fund of fund and foreign government investors. Ms. Friedrich also advises investors on the purchase of interests in private funds.

For additional information contact:
Ron Brandsdorfer | New York | T +1.212.848.5081 |