NEW YORK – Loeb & Loeb announced today that Frank J. Marinaro has joined the firm as a partner in the Corporate Department. He will initially be resident in the firm’s New York office, but will relocate to the Beijing office, when it opens this year, to be the firm’s Chief Representative in China. Mr. Marinaro joins the firm from Merrill Lynch where he was First Vice President and Co-Head of the Strategic M&A and Global Private Equity Counsel Group. In that role, Mr. Marinaro acted as general counsel to the Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity business group.

“Frank possesses the business judgment, legal acumen and, most importantly for this position, the leadership, risk management and administrative experience necessary to manage our Beijing office effectively,” said Loeb & Loeb Co-Chair Michael Beck.

Mr. Marinaro has significant domestic and international experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, fund formation, carried interest arrangements, conflicts and business selection, public and private securities offerings, and public disclosure issues.

“Frank was successful in recruiting and leading the legal team that coordinated the structuring, due diligence, acquisition, monitoring and disposition of Merrill Lynch’s private equity and strategic investments,” said Loeb & Loeb Co-Chair John Frankenheimer. “We are confident that Frank will be successful in growing our presence in China and we are excited to welcome him to the firm.”

In October 2008, Loeb & Loeb announced that the firm was applying to open a representative office in Beijing to continue the firm’s work for U.S. clients who are doing business in China, as well as to service a rapidly growing number of Asian clients, particularly in support of the growth recently seen in the Asian markets, by representing companies and institutions in a wide variety of transactions.

"We believe that Frank's skills and experience are well suited for the increased number of private equity, asset based lending and M&A transactions our Asian practice group team is seeing in China,” said Securities Chair Mitch Nussbaum.

Mr. Marinaro will be joined in Beijing by Securities partner Eric Doering. Mr. Doering joined the firm last fall and advises clients on general corporate and securities matters, with experience counseling Chinese clients on compliance with all U.S. public company reporting and corporate governance requirements.

"By establishing a solid reputation in working with Asian clients in the U.S. and assembling an impressive China practice team, including the recent addition of Eric Doering, Loeb & Loeb has built a platform to launch a successful office in Beijing,” said Mr. Marinaro. “I look forward to working with the leadership at Loeb to grow the firm’s Beijing office and its Asia practice.”

Mr. Marinaro earned his B.A. cum laude from Columbia College and his J.D. from New York University School of Law where he won both the Katz Memorial Award and the Levy Memorial Award. He also served as Executive Research Editor for the NYU Annual Survey of American Law.

Loeb & Loeb LLP is a multi-service national law firm with more than 300 attorneys focusing on select practice areas, rather than endeavoring to be all things to all clients. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2009, the firm is recognized as a leading law firm in the areas of advanced media, finance, bankruptcy, restructuring and creditors' rights, securities, entertainment, litigation, intellectual property, real estate, mergers and acquisitions, technology, advertising and promotions and tax and wealth services. Loeb & Loeb has four domestic offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Nashville, and the firm has applied to open a representative office in Beijing to serve a rapidly growing number of Asian clients.

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