April 9, 2008 (New York, NY) - Proskauer Rose LLP, an international law firm with more than 750 lawyers worldwide, is continuing its expansion with the opening of a new office in Chicago. The firm's 11th location follows the recent opening of offices in London and São Paulo and represents another milestone in Proskauer's continued expansion in the world's major financial markets.

Steven R. Gilford, Paul L. Langer, and Marc E. Rosenthal join the office as partners from Mayer Brown. Their practices focus on the representation of major corporations in commercial disputes, with an emphasis on insurance litigation for policyholders. The new office is located at 222 South Riverside Plaza, 29th Floor, 60606-5808.

"Our work representing the world's top businesses and industries made the opening of an office in Chicago, one of the country's most important commercial centers, a natural strategic step," said Allen I. Fagin, chairman of Proskauer. "We are especially thrilled that Steve, Paul, and Marc have chosen to join us and help us build what will undoubtedly become a thriving office and another catalyst for the growth of the firm."

Proskauer has experienced a period of marked expansion in recent months, opening an office in London focusing on corporate transactional work, including mergers and acquisitions, private equity and alternative investments, and an office in São Paulo focusing on corporate finance and other transactional work. At the same time, the firm experienced strong financial performance, with gross revenue reaching $627.8 million in 2007 - a 22-percent increase over the firm's gross revenue of $514.3 million in 2006 - and an increase in profits-per-partner of 17 percent to $1.5 million, and revenues-per-lawyer of 16 percent to $917,000.

"Steve, Paul and Marc are the ideal complement to our Litigation Department as well as our representation of clients in corporate matters, particularly in the private equity and real estate sectors," said Louis M. Solomon, co-chair of Proskauer's Litigation Department. "Their collective experience and depth of knowledge will be an extremely valuable resource for us."

Mr. Gilford, Mr. Langer, and Mr. Rosenthal represent clients in a broad range of matters and commercial disputes, including mediations, arbitrations, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. Their insurance practice encompasses U.S. and international insurance coverage actions, regulatory matters, and insolvencies and includes: representing policyholders in a broad range of commercial and professional liability policy disputes involving environmental, bodily injury, antitrust, intellectual property, construction defect, business interruption, advertising injury, employment practices, and toxic tort claims, among many others; representing and advising directors and officers in liability policy disputes and corporate governance and D&O insurance and corporate indemnification matters; and representing and advising corporate clients in the formation and regulation of captive insurance companies and other regulatory and transactional matters.

Mr. Gilford received his J.D. from Duke University School of Law, his M.A. from Duke University, and his A.B. from Dartmouth College. Mr. Langer received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.S. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Mr. Rosenthal received his J.D. from John Marshall Law School and his B.A. from Kenyon College.

"The reputation of Proskauer - which is known, among many other things, for its bet-the-company litigation work on behalf of the world's leading companies, for its market-leading private equity fund formation practice, for its work with the world's most well-known professional sports leagues, and for the overall excellence all of its lawyers bring to every area in which they practice - definitely precedes it and will make a tremendous impact in the Chicago market," said Mr. Gilford, who is also head of the firm's Chicago office. "Paul, Marc and I look very forward to using our collective skills and knowledge of the market to build this office and, like the firm's other locations around the world, making it into a major player in the region, a magnet for talent, and a platform for the firm's continued international development."

Proskauer was recently ranked 40th on The Lawyer's list of top U.S. law firms. In addition, its Boston office was named the fastest growing in the area by Boston Business Journal for the third consecutive year and it has continued to experience significant growth in its offices around the world.

Proskauer's Litigation & Dispute Resolution Department includes a deep bench of more than 250 lawyers that work as a cohesive team across the firm's offices worldwide. The firm's litigators are aggressive trial lawyers and have extensive experience trying cases for a diverse range of clients before juries, judges, and arbitral tribunals at all levels of court forums domestically and abroad, including federal and state courts, administrative and regulatory agencies, and national and international arbitral tribunals.