White & Case Advises on Landmark Ethanol Deal

New York, London, São Paulo, Washington, DC, May 5, 2008 ... Global law firm White & Case LLP advised Brazil's largest sugar and ethanol company, Cosan SA Industria E Comercio, in its $826 million acquisition of ExxonMobil Corp.'s fuel distribution service, Esso Brasileira de Petroleo Ltd. The deal gives Cosan 1,500 gasoline stations in 20 Brazilian states to sell its own ethanol, making it the world's first fully integrated upstream-downstream producer of ethanol — from sugarcane plantation through production to retail fuel distribution. 

"This transaction comes at a peak time for the Brazilian ethanol industry, and it is one of the first major deals between an ethanol company and an oil company," said M&A partner Oliver Brahmst, who led the White & Case team. 

In addition to Brahmst, the team included partners Steve Teichman and David Dreier, along with counsels Mark Hamilton and Philip Power, and associates Michiel Visser, Carolyn Vardi, Howard Wettan, Gregg Benson, Jennifer Frattini, Diana Haladey and Andrew Zatz in New York; partner Greg Stonefield in London; partner Donald E. Baker in São Paulo; and partner Christopher Corr and counsel Richard J. Burke in Washington, DC.

About White & Case
White & Case LLP is a leading global law firm with more than 2,300 lawyers in 37 offices in 25 countries. Our clients value the breadth and depth of our US, English and local law capabilities and rely on us for their complex cross-border commercial and financial transactions and for international arbitration and litigation. Whether in established or emerging markets, the hallmark of White & Case is our complete dedication to the business priorities and legal needs of our clients.

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