King & Spalding Announces Continued Growth With Charlotte Expansion


CHARLOTTE, NC--(Marketwire - July 16, 2007) - Continuing its rapid expansion, King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today that it is opening an office in Charlotte, North Carolina, its third new office in the last year and its eighth worldwide location.

The firm is immediately bringing on board four prominent partners and an associate from the Charlotte-based law firm of Kennedy Covington. Joining King & Spalding as partners in the Charlotte office are Jeff Brown, who will serve as office managing partner, George Covington, Cory Hohnbaum and Mark Thigpen. Wen Hutchinson is joining as a counsel.

In addition to litigation and real estate practices, the new office will also have corporate and finance practices.

"The timing is right to establish a significant presence in the region," said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding. "Charlotte is the largest city within the nation's fifth largest urban region, the second largest financial center in the nation, behind only New York, and among the top five cities for Fortune 500 corporate headquarters. We have deep connections with the region. We look forward to serving the increasing needs of our clients here, developing new business in Charlotte and throughout the region, and becoming an active member of the Charlotte community."

King & Spalding's latest expansion comes on the heels of its strong performance in 2006, which included a 13.2 percent increase in revenue and a 24.8 percent increase in net income. The firm also opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December 2006, and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in April of this year. The firm, based on its 2006 performance, moved up two positions in the American Lawyer's 2007 rankings of the top 100 U.S. law firms, to 36th place.

Jeff Brown is a highly regarded real estate lawyer, who focuses on real estate development and finance as well as land use and economic development matters. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and received a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

George Covington is a well-known litigator specializing in the representation of financial institutions and handles major litigation in jurisdictions across the country. He is a graduate of Davidson College and earned a J.D. degree at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Cory Hohnbaum is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on financial services litigation in jurisdictions throughout the country. He graduated from Westminster College and received a J.D. degree from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Mark Thigpen, an experienced real estate lawyer, represents regional, super-regional and national real estate developers and equity investors in acquisition, financing, disposition, leasing, joint venture agreements, mixed-use development and equity placement. He graduated from Hampton-Sydney College and received a J.D. degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Wen Hutchinson, a litigator, focuses his practice on securities, financial services and commercial litigation and has jury trial, appellate, and arbitration experience. He received a B.S. in Management and a J.D. degree from Washington & Lee University.

About King & Spalding

King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dubai, Houston, London, New York, Riyadh (affiliated office) and Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100, and in a Corporate Counsel survey in August 2006 was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies overall. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Les Zuke King & Spalding Ph (212) 827-4392