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  • Bayard, P.A.
July 1, 2009

Chambers USA 2009 Ranks Bayard Among Top Firms in Delaware: Bankruptcy, Real Estate, IP, Chancery and Corporate/ M&A Lawyers Recognized

Bayard, P.A., a Meritas® member law firm based in Wilmington Delaware, announced today that Chambers USA 2009 ranked six Bayard lawyers as leading practitioners in multiple practice areas in Delaware.  The firm’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring, Intellectual Property, and Real Estate practices have also once again earned high marks in the 7th annual edition of the guide, a respected legal directory.  The rankings are compiled based on in-depth interviews with key in-house counsel and private practice attorneys.

“We are very proud to continue to be honored as a top firm in Delaware and recognized for the third consecutive year for the strength of our core practice areas,” said Neil B. Glassman, Bayard’s Chairman.  “Knowing that it is client feedback and in-house counsel recommendations that helps us to secure high rankings makes the recognition even more meaningful.”

Chambers ranks law firms and individual attorneys in Bands from 1 to 6, with Band 1 being the highest ranking.  The firm’s Real Estate practice received a Band 2 ranking.  Glassman and Douglas M. Hershman, Chair of Bayard’s Real Estate practice, also earned Band 2 individual rankings.  Richard D. Kirk is named a recognized leader in Intellectual Property, and Charlene D. Davis is named a leading practitioner in Bankruptcy law.  In addition, firm Director Marla H. Norton is recognized in Corporate/Mergers & Acquisition and Director Peter B. Ladig, in Chancery practice.

According to Chambers USA’s profile about the firm attorneys and practice areas:

Bankruptcy/Restructuring
“The bankruptcy team at this firm continues to represent a variety of clients in Chapter 7 subprime mortgage bankruptcy cases and Chapter 11 insolvency proceedings.  Neil Glassman chairs the bankruptcy group.  He holds a commendable record for work representing debtors and creditors in large bankruptcy cases, and clients agree that he is “always fair-minded and does a great job.”  Practice director Charlene Davis has a strong background in litigation and is applauded for her courtroom prowess and thorough approach to bankruptcy work.  Sources hail her as “very detail-oriented - she really gets into an issue and figures out every facet of it.”

Intellectual Property
“This six-lawyer team divides its efforts between transactional and litigation work, with the lion’s share of the practice concentrated on the contentious side.  Taking a local counsel role for out-of-state law firms in Delaware disputes, the firm is most involved in pharmaceutical litigation, where it represents both branded and generic clients.  Key mandates recently include representing generic drug manufacturer Teva in multiple patent cases pending in Delaware, and acting as Delaware counsel for LG.Philips LCD in patent infringement litigation. On the transactional side, the team counsels on trademark and domain name matters and IP in connection with M&A transactions.  Practice head Richard Kirk concentrates on contentious matters in both the IP and general commercial litigation fields.  He is praised for “his clarity and honesty; he doesn’t just tell us what we want to hear.”

Real Estate
“This three-lawyer group has expanded to accommodate residential matters alongside its traditional commercial transactional work, with principal representations of developer clients including a range of joint venture agreements with retailers, contractors and municipalities.  In significant work, the team advised on the $8.6 million acquisition of a retail shopping center in Newark, Delaware, and Douglas Hershman acted on a $31.5 million refinance transaction for an apartment complex in Maryland.  Hershman is admired for his extensive knowledge of the real estate world and “levelheaded and thorough approach.”

Bayard, P.A., a Wilmington, Delaware-based firm, has nationally recognized practices in commercial bankruptcy, and corporate and commercial litigation, intellectual property, securitization, structured finance, and insurance insolvencies.  Other established practices include counseling clients in the formation of corporations and other alternative entities, real estate, insurance, tax, estate planning and estate administration, and domestic disputes.

Chambers and Partners, based in London, began as general book publishers in 1969.  Since 1990, they have published the Chambers Guide to the UK legal profession. The USA Guide was first introduced in 2003. For more information about Chambers and Partners, visit www.chambersandpartners.com.