White & Case Wins Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award
Firm Wins in the ‘Legal Innovation for Financial Services’ Category for its role in Kazakhstan Banking Sector Restructuring

London, Almaty   October 22, 2009 ... Global law firm White & Case LLP's role in the Kazakhstan banking sector restructuring was the winner in the 'Legal Innovation for Financial Services' category at the prestigious Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards 2009, held on 22 October.

The Financial Times praised the work as an example of "how law firms have excelled in helping clients in the financial services sector deal with the wreckage of the global financial crisis" and as "an example of innovation taking place under time pressure".

The award was given for the Firm's role advising Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund, Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund, in the recapitalisation of four of the largest banks in Kazakhstan and its subsequent work in the restructuring of the debt of BTA Bank and Alliance Bank. This is being achieved through a new restructuring law which the Firm drafted at the request of the Prime Minister. The Financial Times stated that the Firm's "big contribution was to write - in a few days and starting from scratch - a law for bank restructuring, creating the legal infrastructure that would allow a technically insolvent institution to continue to function, negotiate with creditors and emerge with its brand intact".

"We are honoured to have received this prestigious award recognising innovation in the legal profession," commented Francis Fitzherbert-Brockholes, partner at White & Case. "The award is the result of huge amounts of effort by a truly talented team including lawyers from our offices in London, Almaty, New York and Germany, to name but a few. What this effort has shown is that if you harness all these talents in one global firm, it leads to innovation and excellence."

The team was led by Francis Fitzherbert-Brockholes, Stuart Matty and Yuriy Maltsev with assistance from Mark Glengarry, David Barwise, Simon Morgan, John Munnis, Gordon Charlton, Elena Andreeva, Tom Cerdan, Joseph Gross, Ingrid York and the entire team in the Almaty office, including Kairat Baizakov, Askar Zhansagimov and Pavel Kornilov.

About White & Case
White & Case LLP is a leading global law firm with 36 offices in 25 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, we provide counsel and representation in virtually every area of law that affects cross-border business. Our clients value both the breadth of our global network and depth of our US, English and local law capabilities in each of our regions and rely on us for their complex cross-border transactions, arbitration and litigation provided by our global practices.

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