(HOUSTON, TX) Jan. 23, 2006 — Vinson & Elkins LLP is pleased to announce the election of 12 of the firm's lawyers to the Partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2006: Brian Buss, Tracey Davies in Austin; David Blumental in Beijing; Matthew Moran, Matthew Stammel in Dallas; Dennis Alan Beck, Jr., John B. Connally, IV, Charles Timothy Fenn, Michael C. Holmes, William Creighton Smith in Houston; Stephen S. Coats in New York; and Dionne C. Lomax in Washington, D.C.

"We are very proud to recognize the accomplishments of these 12 outstanding lawyers," said Joe Dilg, Managing Partner of Vinson & Elkins. "The admission of these individuals to the Partnership strengthens a number of our key practice areas and continues our commitment to professional excellence and client service."

Austin

Brian K. Buss is a member of the firm's Litigation and Intellectual Property section. Brian has litigated numerous patent and trade secret cases in the biotechnology, mechanical, computer and chemical arts. Brian has prosecuted patents involving chemical and mechanical inventions. His representations include clients in the chemical, biotechnology, mechanical and computer fields. He received his B.S. in chemical engineering from Iowa State University in 1991 and his J.D. summa cum laude in 1996 from South Texas College of Law, where he served as Assistant Managing Editor for the South Texas Law Review.

Tracey B. Davies is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property and Technical Litigation section. Tracey's practice is devoted to counseling clients regarding all aspects of strategic patent management, including portfolio development; licensing and forming strategic partnerships; rendering freedom to operate opinions; and conducting patent landscape reviews. Tracey spends a significant portion of her time helping clients with the complex intellectual property issues presented by Hatch-Waxman legislation, including IP issues related to FDA regulatory approval for therapeutics, Orange Book listing strategies, and antitrust considerations. Tracey received her B.A. in biology with honors from the University of Tennessee, and then in 1989 she received a B.A. in philosophy from Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium. She received her M.P.H. with a focus in toxicology in 1995, and her J.D. cum laude in 1997 from the University of Minnesota, where she was Editor for the Minnesota Journal of Global Trade.

Beijing

David M. Blumental is a member of the firm's business and international law section. David's principal areas of practice are business law, international business transactions, cross-border mergers, acquisitions and divestitures as well as corporate and project finance and oil and gas. David received his B.A. in 1988 from Middlebury College, continued his studies at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies through 1989, and then completed a Masters at Stanford University in 1991 with studies at Beijing University throughout 1992. David completed his J.D. at the University of California at Berkeley in 1999 while serving as Publishing Editor at California Law Review and Articles Editor at Berkeley Journal of International Law.

Dallas

Matthew W. Moran is a member of the firm's litigation section. Matt represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of commercial disputes. Matt also has significant experience in bankruptcy-related litigation where he represents debtors and creditors in various contested bankruptcy proceedings. Matt received a B.A. summa cum laude in Economics from Texas A&M; University in 1994. He received his J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 1997.

Matthew R. Stammel is a member of the firm's litigation section. Matt's practice focuses on complex business litigation. Matt has tried cases for plaintiffs and defendants in various courts and arbitration forums. He received his B.A. summa cum laude from Drake University in 1994. Matt completed his J.D. with honors at The University of Texas School of Law, where he was Associate Editor at the Texas Law Review. Before joining the firm, he was law clerk to the Honorable Richard P. Matsch, U.S. District Judge for the District of Colorado, Denver, from 1997-1998.

Houston

Dennis Alan Beck, Jr. is a member of the firm's corporate finance and securities law section. His practice focuses on public and private mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, securities offerings, private equity investments and corporate governance and compliance matters. Alan has advised private and public companies, investment banking firms and private equity funds in a broad range of industries, including energy, energy service, financial service, airline, manufacturing, deathcare and software. He received his B.A. from Rice University in 1994 and his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in 1997, where he served as a member of the Texas Law Review. From 1997-1998, Alan served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Nathan L. Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court.

John B. Connally, IV is a member of the firm's business and international law section. John B.'s practice involves the representation of clients in domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, energy matters, and project finance transactions. John B. received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1994 and a J.D. with high honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 1997 where he served on the Texas Law Review.

Charles Timothy Fenn is a member of the firm's domestic and international business taxation section. Much of his practice involves tax matters related to publicly traded partnerships ("MLPs") and other clients in the energy industry. In addition, he advises individuals, private equity firms, investment banks, partnerships and corporations in various transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, capital market transactions and restructurings. Tim received a B.B.A summa cum laude from Baylor University in 1992, and a J.D. magna cum laude in 1996 from Georgetown University, where he served as Editor for the Georgetown Law Journal.

Michael C. Holmes is a member of the firm's commercial litigation section. Michael has tried and arbitrated several commercial matters, and represents clients in a variety of commercial disputes. Michael has significant experience handling large-scale commercial litigation; securities-related engagements, including shareholder suits, derivative actions, and SEC inquiries and investigations; class actions; and lawsuits in the financial services industry, including broker-dealer and credit card-related litigation. Michael received his B.A. from The University of Texas in 1994 and a J.D. with honors in 1997.

William Creighton Smith is a member of the firm's corporate finance and securities section. He has represented clients in connection with initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, private placements, and registered offerings of debt and equity securities, as well as general corporate governance and compliance matters. His representations include both public and private companies, private equity firms, and investment banking firms. Creighton graduated from Princeton University with an A.B. cum laude in Economics in 1994. He received his J.D. cum laude from The University of Texas School of Law in 1997.

New York

Stephen S. Coats is a member of the firm's business and international law section. Stephen's primary area of focus is representing fund clients in private mergers and acquisitions and assisting clients in the maintenance of their investment portfolios. He also has experience in international business transactions, particularly in Latin America. Stephen graduated from The University of Texas, B.A. with high honors, in 1994 and a J.D. with honors in 1997. He then spent time studying civil law in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the University of Belgrano in 1997.

Washington, D.C.

Dionne C. Lomax is a member of the firm's litigation section. Her practice focuses on antitrust law, including counseling clients with respect to merger and non-merger related activities. Dionne routinely represents clients before the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. She has represented and advised clients on a broad range of antitrust issues in numerous industries, including health care, energy, book publishing, pharmaceuticals, consumer products and technology. She graduated from Howard University with a B.B.A. summa cum laude in 1992 and received her J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1995. Dionne served as law clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, from 1995-1996. Before joining Vinson & Elkins, Dionne served as a Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division in the Attorney General Honor's Program from 1996-2000.

For more information about this release, please contact Darrin Schlegel, senior communications specialist at Vinson & Elkins, at 713.758.2171 or at dschlegel@velaw.com.

Vinson & Elkins was established in 1917 and is one of the world's largest international law firms. The firm has about 700 lawyers practicing in Austin, Beijing, Dallas, Dubai, Houston, London, Moscow, New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Washington D.C. Vinson & Elkins offers a wide range of legal services. Clients include public and private companies, financial institutions, municipalities, governments of sovereign nations, entrepreneurs, families and individuals.