Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison Partner Leaves to Take Senior Position With Brobeck Client; Tom Bevilacqua To Join E-TRADE Group, Inc.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 1999--Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP announced today that Thomas Bevilacqua will leave the firm to join a major Brobeck client, E-TRADE Group, Inc., a leading branded provider of online investing services, as Executive Vice-President of Corporate Development and General Counsel. Bevilacqua will join E-TRADE no later than May 1, and is currently working with other Brobeck partners and clients to ensure a smooth transition.

"Although we are saddened to be losing this highly respected partner from our firm, we are delighted that Tom is joining E-TRADE, which will only serve to strengthen our ties with one of Brobeck's most important clients," said Tower C. Snow, Jr., Chairman of Brobeck. "As a leader in the representation of high-technology clients, one of the realities we face as a law firm is that on occasion we lose attorneys to our clients, many of whom are enjoying incredible growth curves. Although we regret the loss of Tom from a legal perspective, we welcome it from a business perspective, as Tom will continue to serve as an ambassador for the firm at E-TRADE, as well as in the greater high-technology community," added Snow.

"Due to my loyalty to Brobeck, and because I have derived tremendous professional satisfaction from serving my clients, this was a very difficult decision for me," said Bevilacqua. "On a personal level, I will miss working with my wife, Therese Mrozek, who is the Managing Partner of Brobeck's Palo Alto office. I will also very much miss working with all of the other attorneys and staff there. However, this is a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity to work for a client I have long represented, and to tackle new challenges. I am looking forward to working with Brobeck from the client side, and if I ever returned to the practice of law, I would obviously return to Brobeck," added Bevilacqua.

"While we regret losing Tom as our primary outside counsel, we welcome his joining our management team at E-TRADE," said Christos Cotsakos, President and Chief Executive Officer of E-TRADE. "This move will only strengthen the already strong relationship that E-TRADE has enjoyed with Brobeck, which has superbly served us since our company's initial public offering."

Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP is a national leader in the representation of technology companies, with 550 attorneys in ten offices, including Austin, Denver, Irvine, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as a joint venture Brobeck Hale and Dorr International office in London. The firm's principal service areas -- Business & Technology; Securities and Intellectual Property Litigation; Mass Torts; Labor & Employment Litigation; Business Litigation; Financial Services & Insolvency; Real Estate Law; Insurance Coverage, Environmental & Antitrust Litigation; International, Federal & State Tax, Executive Compensation, and Employee Benefits -- provide clients with a full range of legal services.