We have a large and wide-ranging corporate practice. There are over 300 lawyers in our Corporate Department. In 2002, about 50% of our corporate work related to non-U.S. matters, or was for non-U.S. clients. New York and Washington, D.C.-based lawyers work closely with our London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong and Shanghai offices, while our Latin American practice is handled out of New York.

The transactions we work on are challenging and diverse. We advise clients on some of the largest and most important deals, including representing:

• General Electric Co.’s NBC in the $14 billion acquisition of Vivendi Universal Entertainment to form NBC Universal, a content-focused media giant which owns studios, a network, cable channels, and the Universal film library. The new company is valued at $43 billion.

• AXA Financial Inc., a unit of AXA SA, in the $2.3 billion acquisition of MONY Group, Inc.

• A consortium comprised of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Inc., Eurazeo and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity in the pending €3.7 billion acquisition of Rexel S.A., a subsidiary of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute.

• MBIA Insurance Corporation as financial guarantor in the $425 million project bond financing for the Americo Vespucio Norte electronic tolled urban highway and the $450 million project bond financing for the Santiago-Talca tolled highway, both in Santiago, Chile.

• HarbourVest Partners in the formation of a $4.4 billion private equity fund of funds that will invest in U.S. venture, mezzanine and buyout partnership interests.

• The underwriters for B&G Foods Holding Corp. in its $300 million initial public offering of Enhanced Income Securities (EISs) (representing 20 million shares of Class A Common Stock and $153 million aggregate principal amount of 12% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2016) and $23 million offering of 12% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2016.

• Globo Comunicações e Participações S.A. (Globo) in the $370 million sale of shares of cable MSO Affiliate, Net Serviços de Comunicação S.A. to Teléfonos de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

• Verizon Communications Inc. in the sale of Hawaiian wireline-related businesses to The Carlyle Group for $1.65 billion.

• Providence Equity Partners Inc. in the formation of its new $4.25 billion private equity fund, which will invest in media and communications companies.

• AT&T Wireless Services Inc. in the $1.37 billion sale of its 34% stake in Rogers Wireless Communications, the operator of Canada's largest integrated wireless voice and data network.

• London-based Park Square Capital Partners in the formation of the largest independent mezzanine fund in Europe, a €1 billion fund which will invest in a spectrum of subordinated capital tranches of European leveraged transactions.