Steel Hector & Davis LLP Partners With Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson & Hand.

Business Editors & Legal Writers

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2001

To further enhance its role as one of the nation's leading full-service domestic and Latin American practices, Steel Hector & Davis LLP announced today that it had established an affiliation with the Washington, D.C. law firm, Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson and Hand Chartered.

In addition, several of Verner Liipfert's Florida-practice based attorneys have become members of Steel Hector & Davis. The new Verner Liipfert arrangement significantly bolsters Steel Hector's prominence in Federal governmental affairs practice, while adding expertise and in-place capability to Verner Liipfert's Latin American efforts.

The joint announcement was made by Joseph P. Klock, Jr., chairman and managing partner of Steel Hector in Miami and Harry McPherson, chairman of Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson and Hand in Washington.

The ten new additions to Steel Hector office will be new partners, Jorge Luis Lopez, who will spearhead the local governmental practice as well as coordinate the federal practice with Verner Liipfert; John C. Shawde, who will chair the firm's Creditor's Rights practice, along with Senior Attorneys, Pablo Acosta and John D. Eaton and associates, Valria C. Screen and Felix M. Lasarte. A governmental consultant, Jefferey L. Whitson, as well as Alexander P. Heckler, Hunter H. Chamberlin, and Roxanna Ross, will round out the team. Verner Liipfert's Miami office will continue to be led by resident partners, Robert T. Wright Jr. and Ignacio E. Sanchez.

New partners Lopez and Shawde also specialize in the emerging "redistricting" practice, an area expected to garner substantial attention in future state reapportionment and redistricting debates and which builds nicely upon Steel Hector's expertise in election law litigation, most recently featured in its whirlwind 35 day representation of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris.

"This new relationship between Steel Hector and Verner Liipfert is a win-win situation for both firms," said Klock. "Our strong presence in Florida and throughout Latin America compliments the national dominance that Verner Liipfert enjoys in its governmental relations expertise nationwide. The additional synergies of our separate energy law and project finance practices add even more to the mix."

With offices in Washington, D.C., Houston and Austin, Texas, McLean, Virginia, Honolulu, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Miami, Florida, Verner Liipfert represents clients before federal and state courts, government agencies, the U.S. Congress, and in domestic and international negotiations and transactions. The firm provides comprehensive representation, advising clients on the legal, political, regulatory, business and media aspects of each case.

Steel Hector's new members will work to enhance two of the firm's specialized areas of expertise: governmental relations and creditors' rights.

Jorge Luis Lopez is regarded as one of Florida's leading experts in government relations. Lopez has worked with the state's top officials, serving as a "Pioneer" with the campaign of then Governor George W. Bush, and later on the Transition Team for the Secretary of Housing And Urban Development, and as former chief of staff to Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas. In addition to other local and municipal specialties, Lopez' team will direct the firm's efforts for private companies dealing with Federal, state, county and municipal governments. Lopez and Whitson will work with Jim Krog, Steel Hector's Tallahassee-based state practice coordinator, whose group works with legislative, executive, and administrative bodies and officials.

Partner John "Jack" Shawde will head Steel Hector's bankruptcy and creditor's rights practice. An experienced litigator, with extensive jury trial experience as well, Shawde's primary practice area will focus on state and federal creditors' rights issues, as well as bid protests relating to government contracts. Lopez and Shawde also enjoy a successful government procurement and contract practice, which compliments a similar practice expertise in Tallahassee under the direction of Partner Jonathan Sjostrom.

For more information, please visit www.steelhector.com or www.verner.com.