Sheppard Mullin Santa Barbara Moves to New Location

SANTA BARBARA, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 17, 2006 -- As of Nov. 20, the Santa Barbara office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP will be at a new location (1111 Chapala Street, Third Floor, Santa Barbara, CA 93101), which will enhance the firm's ability to serve client needs.

"We have a strong presence in Santa Barbara, and our new location is a fantastic space that will allow us to grow and add attorneys. This move demonstrates the firm's long-term commitment to Santa Barbara and the business community of the region," said Jeffrey A. Dinkin, managing partner of the Santa Barbara office, who specializes in employer-side employment law.

The Santa Barbara office offers clients legal services in the areas of corporate and employment law. Corporate attorneys in the office have recently handled several high-profile transactions including representing Boeing in its $1.7 billion acquisition of Aviall, representing Jamdat Mobile in its $680 million acquisition by Electronic Arts, representing Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in its $365 million acquisition by Starwood Capital Group Global, and representing Fastclick in its $78 million IPO.

C. Thomas Hopkins, a Santa Barbara corporate partner and head of the firm's Mergers & Acquisitions team, stated, "As a national full service law firm with expertise in areas as diverse as Antitrust, Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Media, and Government Contracts, we are able to draw upon hundreds of colleagues in our eight other offices to provide a wide array of legal services not usually accessible to clients located in the Santa Barbara and Ventura area."

Brady M. Bustany recently joined the Santa Barbara office as a member of the Labor and Employment practice group. Bustany previously practiced with Lane Powell in Portland, Oregon. His legal experience includes employee-employer contract disputes and employment discrimination claims filed under federal and state law, as well as a variety of commercial and health care related business litigation. Bustany is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law (J.D., 2001) and the University of Michigan (A.B., 1995).

Additionally, corporate attorney Scott R. Lindley recently relocated to Santa Barbara from the firm's Century City office. His practice focuses upon transactional entertainment, media and intellectual property matters, including the representation of major motion picture studios, television networks and production companies in public and private mergers and stock and asset purchase and sale transactions. Lindley is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 2003), Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management (M.B.A., 2003) and Purdue University (B.A., 1992).

About Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is a full service AmLaw 100 firm with 490 attorneys in nine offices located throughout California and in New York and Washington, D.C. The firm's California offices are located in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Century City, Orange County, Del Mar Heights and San Diego. Sheppard Mullin provides legal expertise and counsel to U.S. and international clients in a wide range of practice areas, including Antitrust, Corporate and Securities; Entertainment, Media and Communications; Finance and Bankruptcy; Government Contracts; Intellectual Property; Labor and Employment; Litigation; Real Estate/Land Use; Tax/Employee Benefits/Trusts & Estates; and White Collar Defense. The firm was founded in 1927. For more information, please visit www.sheppardmullin.com.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Jeff Dinkin (805) 879-1828 Ralph Richardson (213) 617-5542