HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - August 14, 2007) - King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today that high-profile litigator John P. Bowman has joined the international arbitration practice as a partner in the Houston office. Bowman's arrival marks the 33rd lateral hire, including seven new partners, at the firm in the past year. Bowman focuses almost exclusively on domestic and international disputes for energy and petrochemical companies. Few lawyers have Bowman's depth of experience in handling significant energy disputes, particularly in the international arbitration arena.

"John is a seasoned lawyer in the area of international arbitration and is recognized as one of the premier litigators in the energy field," said Robert E. (Bobby) Meadows, managing partner of King & Spalding's Houston office. "He brings considerable depth to the firm's renowned international arbitration practice, and we are excited about the additional benefits his experience will bring our clients."

Bowman joins King & Spalding from Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., where he was a partner and co-chair of its arbitration and ADR (alternative dispute resolution) practice group.

Bowman has more than 27 years' experience in the litigation and arbitration of energy disputes domestically and internationally. His practice focuses on international oil companies, state oil companies, oil and gas promoters and investors, well service companies, drilling companies, seismic companies, gas suppliers and distributors, petrochemical manufacturers and power companies. He represents energy companies in a wide range of litigation and arbitration, including disputes concerning AMIs and confidentiality agreements, production sharing agreements, joint operating agreements, seismic licensing agreements, drilling contracts, offshore platform installation contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, purchase and sale agreements and representation agreements. He also represents companies in the computer, medical devices and television industries and in international commercial arbitrations.

Bowman earned a B.A. degree from the University of Kansas and a J.D. degree from the University of Kansas Law School. He is a member of the panel of arbitrators of the AAA International Centre for Dispute Resolution, a fellow and certified tutor of The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London), and fellow and member of the board of directors of the College of Commercial Arbitrators.

The firm's international arbitration practice was ranked second in the world in Focus Europe's May 2007 Arbitration Scorecard issue, based on size and number of disputes handled across the globe. King & Spalding was also included in Focus Europe's list of "Ten Big Awards" for the firm's representation of Azurix Corp in a dispute against the government of Argentina. The arbitration team specializes in disputes involving energy, construction, insurance, investments, and general commercial matters. It has handled arbitrations under the rules of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes, the International Chamber of Commerce, the Inter-American Commercial Arbitration Commission, the American Arbitration Association ("AAA"), the London Court of International Arbitration ("LCIA"), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, and the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal. Arbitrated disputes in which firm lawyers have been involved have ranged from $1 million to more than $1 billion.

"We are very excited to welcome John to King & Spalding and look forward to the contributions he will make to the continued expansion of our international arbitration group," said R. Doak Bishop, the co-head of King & Spalding's international arbitration practice.

Edward G. Kehoe, the other co-head of that practice, added: "Our clients increasingly are turning to arbitration for the resolution of international disputes, and John's vast, unsurpassed experience in this discipline will add greatly to our ability to help them address the legal challenges they face around the world."

The Houston office of King & Spalding, with more than 100 lawyers, provides a variety of services to clients the world over. Chief among its practices are those focusing on litigation and transactional law, especially energy, international arbitration and Latin American matters.

Note to Editors: For a photo of John P. Bowman, please contact Kimberly Brooks at 212-827-4378 or kbrooks@kslaw.com.

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 ranked as one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies overall. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Kimberly Brooks King & Spalding Ph (212) 827-4378