Dorsey & Whitney LLP Opens Toronto Office; Only U.S. Law Firm With Offices in Both Toronto and Vancouver

Business Wire, August 15, 2001

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 2001

In a move that underscores its continuing commitment to serving clients engaged in international business and trade, Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced today that it has opened an office in Toronto. It is the seventh international office for the firm, which now has 22 locations worldwide.

The expansion is seen as a natural progression for Dorsey & Whitney--which has developed strong ties to each region of Canada. Among its 15 U.S. offices, the firm's New York, Minneapolis and Seattle offices have been at the forefront of its cross-border legal practice.

"Our Toronto office provides an exciting opportunity for us to better meet the needs of our clients in Canada," said Peter S. Hendrixson, the New York-based Managing Partner of the firm. "A base in Canada's financial center bolsters our ability to assist Canadian businesses, as well as their Canadian legal advisors, in southbound financings, M&A and other commercial activities."

Dorsey & Whitney is the only U.S. law firm with offices in both Toronto and Vancouver.

Starting this fall, the office will have five attorneys who have strong capabilities in the U.S. legal aspects of Canadian and U.S. cross-border transactions. The office will also focus on U.S. advisory services for the Canadian securities industry. Dorsey counts among its clients some of the largest Canadian securities firms, as well as exchanges and securities industry trade organizations.

The Toronto office will be led by Dorsey partner, Grant Vingoe, who is a Toronto native. He has been practicing law in New York for more than 15 years. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School and the New York University School of Law, Vingoe is counsel to both the Joint Securities Industry Committee on Cross-Border Issues formed by the Canadian Stock Exchanges and the Investment Dealers Association of Canada. He is also a member of the Ontario Securities Commission's Securities Advisory Committee.

Vingoe will be joined by Dorsey partner, Larry Pringle, former general counsel of the Bank of Montreal and the Toronto Stock Exchange. Pringle received his law degree from the University of Western Ontario.

The office will also be supported by Seattle-based Dorsey partner Chris Barry--a prominent U.S.-Canadian securities law practitioner. Barry brings with him broad ranging experience advising Canadian and other non-U.S. clients in cross-border securities offerings, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital transactions. Barry, who received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College and his law degree from the University of Virginia, brings with him wide-ranging experience in cross-border corporate finance transactions.

"The passage of NAFTA served to deepen and strengthen the already significant economic ties between Canada and the United States. These ties continue to grow in importance," said Dorsey partner and former U.S. vice president, Walter F. Mondale. "The firm's decision to open another office in Canada reflects not only the recognition of this economic integration, but also of the importance of providing sophisticated legal resources for our Canadian clients with business interests outside of Canada."

Dorsey's senior international advisor and former U.S. Undersecretary for International Trade, Ambassador David L. Aaron stated, "Canada and the United States enjoy a substantial trading relationship. While U.S. law firms have generally neglected the opportunity to enter this promising market, Dorsey is making a commitment of top personnel in establishing this office. Dorsey has a long and varied history of working to dismantle unfair barriers to international trade and assisting in cross-border investments. Our Toronto office will reinforce these efforts on behalf of both Canadian and U.S. clients in the financial services and other business sectors."

Dorsey announced earlier this year that it had opened an office in Shanghai, becoming one of the only Midwest law firms with an office on the mainland of China.

About Dorsey & Whitney

Dorsey & Whitney is an international law firm with more than 700 lawyers in Minneapolis, Seattle, New York, Washington, D.C., Denver, London, Brussels, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Toronto, Vancouver and ten other U.S. regional offices. One of the world's largest firms, Dorsey & Whitney has experienced strong growth worldwide--almost doubling in size during the last four years.

Dorsey & Whitney has completed more M&A transactions in the U.S. over the last five years than any other legal advisor, according to Thomson Securities Data Corporation. The firm was also ranked No. 1 in the world for the number of transactions completed in 1999--the first year such rankings were published. In recent years, Dorsey & Whitney has bolstered its traditional strength in corporate finance and commercial litigation with a strategy focused on meeting the growing needs of its clients in international business and technology. The firm has enhanced its capabilities in international business transactions and financing, as well as in patent, trademark, licensing and intellectual property disputes.