New Chairman for Heller Ehrman

Press Release, Feb 27, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO Heller Ehrman LLP today announced that Matthew L. Larrabee, 49, has been elected the firm's new chairman. Mr. Larrabee succeeds Barry S. Levin, who has served as the firm's chairman since 1999. Mr. Larrabee's three-year term began at the firm's annual shareholder meeting on March 12, 2005.

"It is an honor and a privilege to have this great opportunity," said Mr. Larrabee. "I am very proud to follow in the footsteps of former chairmen like Barry Levin, Bob Rosenfeld, Curt Caton, Jessica Pers and the many very talented attorneys who have led the firm since its founding in 1890. We are at a very exciting time in the history of Heller Ehrman -- and the legal profession -- and I look forward to our continuing growth as a premier global law firm. One of my key initiatives will be to maintain our pace of growth while remaining true to our core values and culture."

Commenting on Mr. Larrabee's election, former Chairman Barry Levin said, "It has been an incredible experience over the past six years to serve as the firm's chairman and to help guide Heller Ehrman through a very exciting time. We all look forward to continued growth and success under Matt's able leadership. His enormous talent, energy and enthusiasm will help us achieve the key strategic goals we have set for the firm and guide us as we continue to expand both within and outside the United States."

Matthew L. Larrabee

Mr. Larrabee joined Heller Ehrman in 1980 and has a litigation practice emphasizing complex commercial disputes. He obtained his A.B. (with honors) from the University of California, Davis in 1977 and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1980, where he was a member of the Thurston Honor Society and Order of the Coif. He was also Editor-in-Chief of The Hastings Law Journal. Prior to becoming Chairman, Mr. Larrabee served as Firmwide Practice Chair in charge of the firm's litigation practice from 1999-2005, as San Francisco Managing Partner from 1997-99 and as Co-Chair of the San Francisco Litigation Department from 1995-1997. Mr. Larrabee was recently recognized in the 2004 International Who's Who of Business Lawyers.

Some of Mr. Larrabee's recent engagements include In re Microsoft Antitrust Litigation, where he served as co-lead counsel in private antitrust litigation brought by Sun Microsystems. Mr. Larrabee also served as lead trial counsel for Bank of America in one of the largest civil litigations ever filed in California. The California Attorney General and over 300 political subdivisions sought over $5 billion in damages under California's False Claims act and its Unfair Competition statute, arising from alleged corporate trust department operational errors. Following a successful first phase trial result, and an innovative mediation involving independent analysis of the evidence, the case was successfully settled.

A San Francisco native, Mr. Larrabee is married to wife Diane, has two sons (Alex, a freshman at Harvard University, and Andrew, a freshman at Lick-Wilmerding High School) and lives with his family in San Francisco.

Heller Ehrman LLP has more than 730 attorneys and professionals in 13 offices worldwide -- San Francisco; Silicon Valley; Los Angeles; San Diego; Seattle; Portland; Anchorage; New York; Washington, D.C.; Madison, WI; Hong Kong; Beijing; Singapore; and key affiliates in Europe. As a full-service law firm, we represent a wide range of industry leaders, from entrepreneurial, technology-driven enterprises to established, multinational conglomerates. At Heller Ehrman, we take a multidisciplinary approach to the practice of law, drawing upon our legal, scientific and industry knowledge from across the firm to build the best legal teams for our clients. Through commitment to our core values of Excellence, People, Teamwork, Innovation, Community and One Firm, we offer clients unparalleled legal service. Please visit our web site at www.hellerehrman.com.