About the Doctor:

The doctor is currently involved with administrative duties at a hospital in Atlanta and formerly had a prominent Atlanta OB/GYN practice. In the past he has practiced privately in Mobile and Atlanta, taught as a clinical assistant professor at Emory, lectured at the University of Georgia School Of Pharmacy, and acted as a division chief of obstetrics and gynecology departments at hospitals.

Additionally, he has served his country at an Army medical center and did research and clinical fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Having first obtained a bachelor's degree in pharmacy at the University of Georgia, he completed medical school at Medical College of Georgia and internship and residency at Army facilities in Texas and Kentucky. The doctor practiced actively for over 30 years.

About the Nurses:

Buddenhagen says 'We will continue offering nursing review for obstetrical and gynecological cases.'

The firm's registered nurse reviewers include a clinically active Certified Nurse Midwife with 35 years nursing experience and Buddenhagen with 30 years nursing experience.

The nurse midwife has clinical experience in all OB/GYN areas: ante partum, intrapartum, postpartum care of women as well as well women gynecological services and care of peri- and post-menopausal women. Additionally, she has taught as a childbirth educator, holds a master's degree in nursing (MSN) and taught nursing students at a major state university. She has served on a state board of nursing (BON) and has been certified in inpatient obstetric nursing.

Buddenhagen reviews OB/GYN cases as well, having recent clinical experience working on a surgical gynecology and urology unit of a hospital. The patients included women with ectopic pregnancies, threatened abortions, fetal demise, pregnant women with medical-surgical issues, vaginal and abdominal hysterectomies, pregnant women with hyper emesis, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibroids, cancer, endometriosis and many other OB/GYN issues that required working closely with the labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care unit and maternity or family care unit as well as the emergency department, operating room and post anesthesia recovery.

In the past, the Atlanta legal nurse consultant has cared for patients in a neonatal intensive care (NICU) providing direct care to neonates and their families, attending high risk vaginal deliveries and C-sections in the labor and delivery department.

About the firm:

Buddenhagen & Associates provides top notch obstetrical and gynecological review to assist Atlanta attorneys with these important cases and invites you to get acquainted. Atlanta legal nurse consultant Liz Buddenhagen, RN, CLNC, is proud to expand these services. To learn more, contact the firm at 770-725-2997; view the website at www.Legal-Nurse-Consultant-LNC.com or email at Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com.

— WebWireID113876 —

Francis warned that hospitals should understand that their excellence was not guaranteed by their star rating: what matters is the way patients are treated.

"The story of Stafford shows graphically, and sadly, that benchmarks, comparative ratings and foundation trust status do not in themselves bring to light serious and systematic failings," he said.

Relatives of patients at Mid Staffordshire were unhappy that the report failed to support calls by organisations such as AvMA (Action against Medical Accidents) for a public enquiry.

Paul Sankey, specialist clinical negligence solicitor and partner at Russell Jones & Walker (RJW) said: "What is needed is a patient-centred culture in which pursuing targets does not detract from care. Sadly patients are too often been the victims of errors which should have been avoided."

Russell Jones & Walker have a specialist team pursuing claims for people who have suffered serious harm as a result of avoidable medical accidents. They have recently recovered a 7-figure award for a brain injury claim on behalf of a man who suffered the injury after doctors failed to carry out a planned investigation and to prevent a stroke. They have also won compensation for the husband of a woman who died of skin cancer and another who died of lung cancer. Other cases concern people whose fractures were not diagnosed where the wrong tests were done or x-rays misinterpreted. They are currently involved in claims against the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.

RJW has a specialist medical negligence claims department with experts accredited by the Law Society and AvMA who handle claims for damages arising from clinical negligence. With its network of offices across the country RJW can assist with claims nationwide.

About Russell Jones & Walker
Russell Jones & Walker is a leading national firm of solicitors dedicated to upholding the legal rights of individuals. From the firms foundation in the 1920s the focus has and continues to be, people and those who represent them.

The firm has grown from its trade union roots into a respected national organisation with nine offices across England and Wales, and an associated office in Scotland. The reputation of Russell Jones & Walker is built on the range of expertise offered by its partners and staff and on the scope of their practical experience.

RJW Solicitors represents clients across a range of areas from personal injury claims work to commercial and criminal litigation, defamation, reputation management, clinical negligence, including cancer claims, as well as providing specialties as employment lawyers and fraud lawyers.

For further information contact:
Paul Sankey
Russell Jones & Walker
50-52 Chancery Lane
London
WC2A 1HL
0207 657 1425
www.rjw.co.uk

— WebWireID113827 —

Raleys Solicitors Industrial Disease specialist, Victoria Elves, who has been campaigning for the 2007 decision to be overturned has welcomed the new bid to overturn the 2007 decision, claiming it has denied compensation to hundreds of South Yorkshire's former miners.

Pleural plaques are small or medium sized areas of scarring on the lung lining caused by breathing asbestos dust. It is believed that between one third and one half of all workers who come into contact with asbestos dust in their careers will develop pleural plaques.

Although sufferers were previously entitled to claim anything up to £15,000 in compensation, the Government's current stance is that because pleural plaques themselves do not cause any symptoms, sufferers should not be entitled to claim compensation.

Raleys Solicitors' Victoria Elves and many others argue however, that being diagnosed with pleural plaques is very distressing and that victims shouldn't have to wait to be diagnosed with something more serious before being allowed justice.

The bills which challenge the 2007 law lords ruling were put forward by Labour backbencher Andrew Dinsmore. The news of the bills came amid claims that the Government was planning to announce the introduction of a new £70m compensation package for asbestos-related disease sufferers, which will reportedly include a £5,000 no fault payout to pleural plaques sufferers, providing they first lodged their claim before the 2007 ruling. This package reportedly bars all other sufferers from claiming.

Raleys Solicitors' Industrial Disease Specialist, Ms Elves states that this package is simply not acceptable. She points out that the current rules are already unfair, with Scottish victims of pleural plaques being entitled to claim, whilst their English and Welsh counterparts cannot. Victoria Elves claims that the reported package would simple further this inequality.

Said Victoria Elves of Raleys Solicitors of the two bills challenging the package and the law lords' decision, 'The Government has been challenged from all quarters but has stalled when asked to reverse its decision. We can only hope (the bills) pass through law sooner rather than later.'

— WebWireID113739 —

All four of the deaths occurred whilst the infants were under the care of the hospital's sole paediatric cardiac surgeon, Caner Salih. A spokesman for the hospital has confirmed there is currently 'no suggestion' that the deaths occurred as a result of errors made by Mr Salih or in the management of the unit.

The deaths do call attention to a worrying trend in paediatric cardiac surgery survival rates at the hospital, one that may be a direct result of a lack of funding and subsequent clinical negligence.

The John Radcliffe Hospital treats about 100 paediatric cardiac patients a year, which may well be considered too few to guarantee that the best possible resources and care are provided during, and following these complex, life changing operations.

The likely outcome of an ongoing review and the temporary cessation of paediatric cardiac surgery in Oxford is the closure of smaller units in favour of larger dedicated teams in fewer centres.

According to Darbys Solicitors' Richard Money-Kyrle, "The debate between local and specialist provision of medical care runs throughout all medical disciplines and across all hospitals and GP surgeries."

"It is recognised that for rare and complex conditions, better quality treatment is provided in large specialist centres, however local providers and communities are frequently reluctant to see services move out of their area. Situations such as the one at John Radcliffe have the potential to bring these discussions to the fore."

Darbys Solicitors are recognised as medical negligence specialists by Action against Medical Accidents (AvMA). Their experienced clinical negligence solicitors are willing to undertake interviews or provide further information; please contact Jane Reeve on 01865 811218 or visit their website: http://www.darbysmedicalnegligence.co.uk/index.html.

— WebWireID113718 —

Searcy Denney Law Firm Secures Justice for Victim's Family

West Palm Beach, Fl. – South Florida law firm Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley PA (Searcy Denney) recently announced that a jury awarded $8 million to the family of a fifteen year old boy from Suwannee County who died after Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc. failed to provide timely medical treatment for a life threatening medical condition.

The boy, Nathan Hannon, died after he failed to receive emergency care and transportation to a medical facility qualified to treat his life threatening medical condition. According to the jury's findings, Shands negligent treatment contributed to his death.

Nathan Hannon had hydrocephalus, a condition which causes an excessive accumulation of spinal fluid in the brain. As a child, he had a shunt placed in his brain to drain off excessive fluid. Although Nathan lived with a shunt, he had entirely normal, full life. On October 29, 1999, he began suffering from symptoms consistent with a life-threatening shunt malfunction. While receiving treatment at Shands Medical Group clinic, his parents were directed by an emergency room physician to drive him to Shands Live Oak in Gainesville, Florida. During the transport, he suffered irreversible brain damage and died in the arms of his mother.

'The tragic death of this young boy was preventable,' said James Gustafson of Searcy Denney. 'It is hoped that this verdict will help prevent a future tragedy.'

At the close of the trial, the jury cited negligence on the part of Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, Inc. for failing to have a clear policy and procedure in place for the transfer of patients from Shands Medical Group Clinic to Shands at Live Oak for treatment. The trial took place in the Circuit Court of the Third Judicial Circuit in Suwannee County.

'We trust our lives to medical centers and hospitals,' said Chris Searcy, of the Searcy Denney law firm. 'It is our hope that Shands will put appropriate measures in place to prevent the untimely death of another child or loved one.'

About Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, PA:
A nationally recognized trial law firm, Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A. is committed to protecting and vindicating the rights of people injured through negligence, deceit and abuse of power. Over the past 30 years, the firm has represented clients in courtrooms throughout Florida and across the nation.

— WebWireID113683 —

Kerrville, Texas — March 4, 2010 -- A last-minute settlement agreement was presented to State District Judge Keith Williams on Monday, March 1st, as trial was about to get underway in the lawsuit brought by neighboring landowners against The Coming King Foundation (TCKF), a Texas nonprofit arts organization. TCKF plans to build a first class Sculpture Prayer Garden on 23 acres overlooking IH-10 and Highway 16, highlighted by the cross on top of a hill. Mesa Vista landowners suit prohibited the raising of the cross within the prayer garden.

The settlement agreement reached Monday allows the cross to be raised as planned putting an end to the 15-month property dispute and bringing peaceful a resolution and healing to this Texas Hill Country community.

Last month the Mesa Vista landowners lost their bid to have the case dismissed in their favor and Judge Williams ordered the trial to proceed on March 1st. Shortly thereafter, settlement negotiations were initiated by the landowners, which for the first time included an agreement to allow the cross to be raised on TCKF's lot. 'Once that point was conceded, both sides moved quickly to resolve differences and eventually agreed to a compromise', said Kevin Young, attorney for TCKF. 'We're thankful that both sides could put away their swords and solve this in a Christian manner,' said Fern Lancaster, TCKF board member and treasurer.

'The Coming King Foundation will realize its vision of a cross and sculpture garden and the Mesa Vista residents will realize their goal of maintaining the privacy of their neighborhood,' said Mesa Vista homeowners' attorney, Richard Mosty, in a prepared statement.

As part of the settlement, The Coming King Foundation will construct a solid fence on the site where the $2M, 70-ton cross will be located. The settlement also allows for lighting of the cross that is non-intrusive for residents of the subdivision and limited private access to the cross from Mesa Vista Lane, keeping the main entrance to the Garden on IH-10. In addition, TCKF will also pay the Mesa Vista neighbors $25,000 over the next several months as part of the settlement. Each side is responsible for paying its own attorney's fees and legal expenses.

When asked whether he had won the case because the cross will go up, David Brock, co-counsel for TCKF said, 'Everybody won. This agreement is respectful of everyone's property rights and is better than a trial victory for either side.' TCKF board member and Vice President, Jim McKnight, added, 'A peaceful resolution has been our desire and prayer since the lawsuit was filed. This is a great day for our community and now we can move forward.'

TCKF plans to raise the cross and complete the Garden as soon as sufficient funds are available. 'Although we have incurred significant expense in our legal defense,' said TCKF board member and President Max Greiner Jr., 'we are confident that God pays for what He ordains, and we invite our community, neighbors, friends and the greater Christian community to unite in support around this God-given vision and Sculpture Prayer Garden.'

About The Coming King Foundation (TCKF):

To learn more about TCKF or the Garden and giant cross, visit their website at http://www.TheComingKingFoundation.org or call 830-367-7874.

— WebWireID113593 —

The decision, made in the London High Court during the case of Della and Leslie Sabin, has the potential to help thousands of asbestosis sufferers and their families claim the compensation to which they are entitled.

Della Sabin, from Wigan, whose husband Leslie died from asbestosis in 2006 following exposure to raw asbestos during his time working for British Rail, commented 'Leslie would be pleased to know that his legal fight was not in vain and that his case may well help thousands of others.'

Previously, based on research from Llandough Hospital it was accepted that at least 20 million asbestos fibres must be present in the body for fibrosis to be classed as asbestos-related; just 7 million were found to be present in lung tissue samples taken from Mr Sabin.

Expert advice from a pathologist at Duke University in North Carolina, where a wider study had been conducted, suggested that lower levels of asbestos fibres in the body were needed to prove the link between asbestos exposure and fibrosis. It was also argued that because Mr Sabin had lived for forty years after his exposure to asbestos, a large number of the fibres, as many as 28 million, would have 'cleared' from his body.

The Judge said that the Llandough Hospital values were, 'Set too high, probably significantly too high' and found in favour of Mrs Sabin, awarding her £100,000 in compensation.

Pauline Chandler, a specialist in asbestos disease cases with law firm Pannone LLP, who represented Mrs Sabin during the case, said 'This is a landmark decision that will benefit thousands of people. Asbestos disease is painful and distressing to live with and can very often prove fatal. Compensation for those who have been negligently exposed to asbestos dust can not restore health but it can help improve quality of life for sufferers and their families.'

Established in 1852, Pannone LLP is one of the UK's leading law firms. For more information about making a compensation claim for asbestosis or any other asbestos-related disease, visit their website: http://www.pannone.com/solicitors-for-you/id-asbestos-compensation-claims.asp.

— WebWireID113542 —

The pub, regarded as London's first 'gay pub', had attracted an exclusively gay clientele until its acquisition by Realpubs in 2008. The new owners stated that they intended to refurbish the pub and re-package it as a gastro-pub, to attract patrons from a wider section of the community.

However, soon after the pub re-opened as the Pembroke Arms, Malcolm Heap, Director at Realpubs, expressed concern to staff that the clientele had not really changed. The Tribunal accepted that Mr Heap, along with Jimmy Sydney, the pub's General Manager, took various steps to 'de-gay' the pub, including putting a sign up outside proclaiming, 'This is not a gay pub'.

Mr Heap also stressed in an email to one of Realpub's investors that he was attempting to ban the pub's 'over the top' customers.

Mr Lisboa was uncomfortable with the stance taken by Realpubs' management regarding their attitude to him and the pub's gay customers. On one occasion, Mr Lisboa was asked by Mr Heap to reprimand a gay couple for their behaviour, referring to them as 'queens'. Mr Heap then went on to say that Mr Lisboa was 'another kind of gay'. On a separate occasion, Mr Heap stated that one of Mr Lisboa's colleague's 'walked too camp'.

Only four weeks after joining the Pembroke Arms Mr Lisboa tendered his resignation due to sexual orientation discrimination.

The London Central Employment Tribunal has upheld Mr Lisboa's claim that he was the victim of discrimination at work and awarded him compensation. However, his claim of constructive dismissal was deemed unsuccessful.

Paul Daniels, partner in the award-winning Employment Law Team at Russell Jones & Walker, who acted for Mr Lisboa, said:

"This landmark decision confirms that an establishment that wishes to change from serving a mainly gay clientele to a mixed clientele, must not do so in a way that discriminates against gay clients. The decision also serves as a stark warning to any employer who tolerates abuse and prejudice against gay staff or customers."

Mr Lisboa stated:
"I am delighted to have won my case and to have exposed the discriminatory and anti-gay actions of RealPubs.

No-one should have to put up with repeated abuse and prejudice in the workplace. That is why I brought my case. However, I do not understand how the tribunal found that I had been the victim of a repeated pattern of discriminatory treatment and yet decided I was not entitled to resign in response."

Mr Daniels concluded:
"In this case, the tribunal accepted that numerous abusive comments were made by Realpubs managers referring to gay customers as 'queens' and accusing someone of being 'too camp' and that this amounted to unlawful sexual orientation discrimination against a gay employee.

It is, however, disappointing and very surprising that the tribunal saw fit to conclude that our client was not constructively dismissed following the discriminatory treatment and abusive remarks the tribunal unanimously found he had been subjected to. We are closely studying an appeal on that point."

- ENDS -

Notes to editors:
Case number: 609803.1

About Russell Jones & Walker:
Russell Jones & Walker employs over 400 staff (with 181 lawyers) and is renowned as the leading national firm of solicitors in protecting the rights and legal interest of individuals and those who represent them, and independantly recognised as one of the leaders in the field of Business Crime and regulation. RJW has a network of regional offices and includes those in the following centres: London, Birmingham, Bristol, Wakefield, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Cardiff and an associated office in Edinburgh.

For further information, please contact:
Andy Scorgie
Kysen PR
16-18 Berners St
London
W1T 3LN
0207 462 8408

— WebWireID113480 —

Dr. Aaron Westrick filed the suit under the Federal False Claims Act in 2004, and the U.S. government formally joined the suit in 2005. The suit alleges that Toyobo conspired with Second Chance Body Armor, Inc. to sell defective body armor made of Toyobo's Zylon material. Toyobo is a large, Japanese manufacturing company, which is publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (stock code 3101).

Thousands of vests were sold to police departments across the United States and the federal government. One police officer was killed and others were injured as a result of the use of defective Zylon in vests. The suit alleges that Toyobo and the companies who sold these vests knew about Zylon defects and concealed this information from their customers.

The court denied Toyobo's motion to dismiss on all counts. The court found evidence that 'Toyobo knew and participated' in fraudulent activity, 'intended to defraud buyers of Zylon vests,' and 'decided not to warn customers in December 2001' of the defective Zylon.

Dr. Aaron Westrick, former research director for Second Chance who blew the whistle on this dangerous fraud said, 'I am grateful for this decision. Back in 2001 I asked that police departments be warned that the Zylon vests they were selling were degrading. I was ignored, threatened, harassed and eventually fired. I had no choice but to file a whistleblower case to bring these crimes to the attention of the American people. I thank the honorable police officers and the Justice Department officials who have supported my efforts to bring Toyobo to justice. My thoughts go out to Jamie Zeppetella who lost her husband Tony, and Edward Limbacher who suffered permanent injuries, both as a result of Toyobo's defective vests." '

Second Chance failed to warn customers of the defective vests for over three years after obtaining multi-million dollar 'rebates' from Toyobo.

Stephen M. Kohn, Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center and counsel for Dr. Aaron Westrick said, 'The failure to warn customers of specific and direct threats to safety is a dangerous result of the predator marketing practices of these Japanese manufacturers, such as Toyobo. Not only did this company rip off the taxpayers, but it also put the lives of law enforcement personnel at risk to make a profit.'

— WebWireID113111 —

NVLAP provides unbiased third-party recognition of quality performance by a laboratory through strict series of assessments. NVLAP accreditation represents a laboratory's proven ability to meet or exceed technical requirements set by NVLAP management. NVLAP is in full conformance with the standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and has become an industry standard for excellence. Areas of assessment include: quality systems, personnel, equipment, measurement traceability, sampling, accommodation and environment, test and calibration methods, handling and reports.

EMLab P&K, a Test America company, is one of the leading commercial indoor air quality laboratories in North America, specializing in the analysis of air and surface samples for asbestos, mold, bacteria, fungi, and USP 797. EMLab P&K has over 60 service and drop-off locations nationwide and has received accreditations from AIHA, NVLAP, and CA-ELAP. For more information, visit the official website at www.emlabpk.com or call 866-465-6653.

— WebWireID113112 —

M. Devin Whitt (http://www.whittlawfirm.com/) has been dedicated to providing effective and caring legal assistance to clients throughout the Jackson, Mississippi, area for nearly a decade.

Based on his experience in courts throughout the state of Mississippi, Mr. Whitt is able to address even the most complicated cases from the family law, DUI, criminal law and personal injury realms. Listeners can call in or tune in on the website, and questions are welcome.

A replay will be available in the Symphonic Marketing Blog Talk Radio Archives.

For more information on Devin Whitt, visit http://www.whittlawfirm.com/.

— WebWireID113057 —

'Infineon has always been at the forefront of advanced semiconductor processing technologies. We will protect our intellectual property rights, which arise from our commitment to cutting-edge research and development,' said Prof. Dr. Hermann Eul, Member of the Management Board, Sales, Marketing, Technology and R&D at Infineon Technologies.

Infineon's complaint with the ITC seeks an exclusion order that operates to bar from entry into the US infringing DRAM semiconductors and products that are imported by or on behalf of Elpida.
About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).
Further information is available at www.infineon.com

— WebWireID113019 —

'It is an honor to be involved with this great chapter of legal nurses,' said Buddenhagen. 'Although this group is small, its members are knowledgeable, cohesive, and up-to-date. It is a pleasure to meet and work with them.'

This year's board consists of: Lessie Chapman, RN, MSN, CNS, CPHQ, CLCP, President of the chapter and a certified life care planner. Life care planners are utilized by attorneys in litigated cases that involve a client who will have long term medical problems to contend with following a serious medical injury. Chapman, a master's degree prepared nurse, also works in Home Health Care.

Anita Aguirre, RN, is treasurer and has a medical surgical nursing and psychiatric nursing background. Aguirre works as a 'behind the scenes' legal nurse consultant and is clinically active in psychiatry. A 'behind the scenes' consultant works with attorneys, insurance companies and other legal nurses confidentially.

Sierra Gollan, RN, MS, serves as secretary and is clinically active on a local nephrology unit as a clinical instructor. Gollan has a nursing background in medical surgical nursing and being formerly from Maryland has worked at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins. She presented 'Evidence Based Practice and Standards of Care' to the group in October, 2009.

Elaine Cheney, RN, is the acting hospitality chair, is clinically active in Day Surgery and has a wide nursing background in medical surgical nursing. Cheney welcomes all registered nurses and legal nurses in Augusta and surrounding areas to attend any chapter meeting as our guest.

Vickie Gibbs, RN, LNC, is clinically involved with diabetic education and is the owner of a busy independent legal nurse consulting practice serving attorneys in Augusta and throughout Georgia. Gibbs specializes in personal injury and medical negligence cases.

Liz Buddenhagen, RN, CLNC, has a wide clinical hospital background spanning 30 years and operates an independent legal nurse consulting business in north Georgia. Her firm, Buddenhagen & Associates, assists Atlanta attorneys with their medically related cases and has consulted on personal injury, trucking, medical negligence, and criminal cases. View www.Legal-Nurse-Consultant-LNC.com for more information or email at Liz@BuddenhagenLNC.com or call at 770-725-2997.

Buddenhagen invites all legal nurses in the area to attend the Greater Augusta Chapter of the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants meetings and view the chapter's website legal-nurse-consultants-augusta.com. Meeting dates and times are available on the website as well as contact information.

— WebWireID112745 —

Partner and head of consumer services at Shoosmiths, Judith Dorkins, said: "Consumers lack easy and reassuring access to legal services and advice. The consumer legal market is fragmented and without a leading legal brand, leaving it open to new entrants as a result of the Legal Services Act. We recognised an opportunity in that we were ideally placed to put our stake in the ground as the professional law firm that wants to attain a share of this 'new' market.

"We already had the expertise, track record and infrastructure in place, but what we hadn't fully refined was our customer care and the integration of our core conveyancing; wills, family and wealth; and personal injury services into a complete product range."

The new Access Legal website also brings all of the Shoosmiths' services, whether it is helping people buy a house or advising on a £multi-million corporate deal, under the Shoosmiths' name.

"Marketing to consumers and to commercial clients requires different approaches, and we felt the time was right to wrap up our distinct consumer services in a standalone brand that's accessible and friendly, yet highly professional, and which has over 150 years' history and experience to back it up."

Access Legal from Shoosmiths is for people who take responsibility for their lives, and who recognise the value of specialist professional advice.

The new logo for the brand has been created by Shoosmiths' in-house design team and the typeface reflects both the modern and traditional elements of the new services, whilst retaining the Shoosmiths blue.

Dorkins said: "Our research amongst consumers identified that they wanted the reassurance of a law firm but with modern service delivery which fitted around their busy lives, so our helpline will be operational seven days a week. Research also revealed that very few law firms were providing added value to clients in terms of staying in touch and providing relevant and timely information."

Access Legal is a fundamental move away from the old fashioned lawyers' view of the client as a 'transaction' and a move to recognise that people have legal needs throughout their life - Shoosmiths' aim is to earn and retain that loyalty. Ultimately, Shoosmiths wants to provide consumers with the solutions to their complete lifetime legal needs.

Shoosmiths' commercial and consumer operations complement each other because some of the firm's larger commercial clients offer their employees discounted legal services as part of a benefits package.

Crucial to the brand's success will be the new website which was developed by Shoosmiths' in-house IT and creative teams.

Dorkins said: "Internally, people see the sense in doing this because we're making our service offering clearer with separate websites and brands for our different stakeholders, whether they are commercial organisations, consumers, or our own employees."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Access Legal from Shoosmiths
Access Legal from Shoosmiths is the new consumer brand of top 30 national law firm Shoosmiths. From offices in Basingstoke, Birmingham, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Nottingham, Reading and Southampton, Access Legal from Shoosmiths offers more than 100 services to individuals and their families, whether they are buying a house, claiming compensation for an injury or writing a will. Services have been grouped under seven headings: conveyancing; employment law; legal disputes; medical negligence; motoring law; personal injury claims including accidents at work; and wills, family and wealth. Access Legal from Shoosmiths makes it easier for people to get specialist advice from legal professionals. Shoosmiths has more than 150 years' experience and advises household name corporate clients.

For further information please contact:
Alastair Gray
PR & Communications Manager
7th Floor
125 Colmore Row
Birmingham
B3 3SH
03700 864096

— WebWireID112527 —

SAN RAMON, Calif. - In a court filing today in Lago Agrio, Ecuador, Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX) provided newly discovered information showing that the author of a report recommending that Chevron be ordered to pay $27 billion in damages is the majority owner of an oilfield remediation company that stands to gain financially from a judgment against Chevron. Due to the remediation company's relationship with Ecuador's state-owned oil company, Petroecuador, Chevron called upon the court to immediately reject the work of Richard Cabrera on the grounds that he knowingly hid his relationship and that he stands to gain from what was supposed to be unbiased work for the court.

"For three years, Mr. Cabrera has concealed clear financial conflicts of interest that disqualify him from acting as an independent and objective evaluator of the evidence in the case," Chevron Vice President and General Counsel Hewitt Pate said. "While Mr. Cabrera's financial interests alone are sufficient grounds for his report to be rejected, his intentional concealment of those interests further demonstrates that the entirety of his work lacks honesty, integrity, or credibility."

Recently uncovered records, from 2003 through 2008, show Cabrera is co-founder, general manager, majority stockholder, and legal representative of an oilfield remediation company, Compañía Ambiental Minera-Petrolera S.A. ("CAMPET"), which is registered to perform oilfield remediation and other services for Petroecuador. Cabrera failed to disclose these business interests as required by law.

In his report, Cabrera absolves Petroecuador of any responsibility or remediation obligations associated with past or present oil operations despite its majority ownership of the Petroecuador-Texaco Petroleum consortium, which operated until mid-1992, and Petroecuador's sole ownership and operation of the former consortium fields for the past 18 years. Disregarding Ecuadorian media reports and other evidence showing that Petroecuador has spilled millions of gallons of oil since taking over exclusive ownership and operations in 1992, Cabrera exclusively attributes pollution in the Amazon region of Ecuador to Texaco Petroleum, now a fifth-tier subsidiary of Chevron. Cabrera's report says that Chevron, because it acquired Texaco Inc. in 2001, is solely liable for damages, citing grossly inflated remediation costs while ignoring Petroecuador's role in oil operations and its well-documented poor environmental performance. Cabrera's report also calls on Chevron to pay $375 million to update Petroecuador's oilfield equipment, which Petroecuador has for decades failed to properly maintain or replace. These findings make no sense as a matter of Ecuadorian law or common sense, but are consistent with furthering Petroecuador's interests, as well as Cabrera's own.

After knowingly omitting to disclose his financial interest in CAMPET, as well as CAMPET's status as a registered Petroecuador contractor, Cabrera affirmatively misrepresented in court filings that he did not have any impediment or conflict that would affect his performance as an "independent" court-appointed witness. Cabrera violated the law by accepting his appointment, which required an explicit acknowledgment of public duties as an impartial analyst—an acknowledgment Cabrera could not truthfully have made given his financial interests.

Cabrera's recommendations and independence were already compromised prior to the discovery of his conflict of interests:

* The Amazon Defense Front, the named financial beneficiary of the lawsuit, directly and improperly paid Cabrera more than $200,000 for his work;
* Sections of Cabrera's $27 billion claim are copied word-for-word from documents written by Amazon Defense Front lawyers;
* Photographs and video show representatives of the Amazon Defense Front conducting Cabrera's field work as well as preparing soil and water samples for Cabrera, who had promised to carry out his work independently;
* Nearly 90 percent of Cabrera's $27 billion figure is allocated to issues that he was not directed to examine and that are unrelated to the actual claims in the Ecuador lawsuit;
* Cabrera assessed more than $9 billion as compensation for cancer deaths without providing any medical evidence or even the name of a single alleged victim or family member beneficiary to support his recommendation;
* Cabrera recommends Chevron pay more than $8.4 billion for what he deems "unjust enrichment," despite the fact that Texaco Petroleum earned less than $500 million in profits during the life of the consortium while the government of Ecuador received more than $24 billion, more than ninety percent of the total revenue generated by the consortium. Moreover, there is no basis in Ecuadorian law for such an award;
* Cabrera assessed $3.2 billion for groundwater remediation and $428 million to improve potable water systems even though he did not take any samples of streams, rivers, municipal water sources or drinking water wells, and states in his own report that he did not have enough data to develop a groundwater remediation plan;
* Cabrera recommends more than $2.7 billion dollars for pit remediation, averaging more than $3 million per pit. This figure is vastly inflated compared to the $85,000 per-pit actual cost for Petroecuador's recent remediation work that has been implemented to the full satisfaction of the government. Proper remediation, therefore, of every pit that Petroecuador is obligated to clean up would cost well under $100,000,000;
* Cabrera claims $1.7 billion in damages for oil infrastructure sites that have been in constant use by Petroecuador for nearly two decades and substantially expanded by Petroecuador since Texaco Petroleum's departure in 1992;
* Cabrera assessed more than $1 billion in soil remediation for sites he never visited.

Chevron previously challenged Cabrera's lack of qualifications as well as the biased and baseless substance of his report. But Judge Juan Nuñez, who subsequently was disqualified for his involvement in a scheme to solicit bribes in connection with letting remediation contracts that were supposed to be funded with the proceeds of the judgment Cabrera recommended, inexplicably ignored those challenges, thus shielding Cabrera's work from scrutiny. Now that Cabrera's clear conflicts of interest are revealed, Chevron has demanded that the court strike his entire involvement in the case.

"Mr. Cabrera has placed his own financial interests, as well as the interests of Petroecuador and the Amazon Defense Front, ahead of the interest of justice," Chevron's Pate added. "Today's disclosure further illustrates the illegitimacy of Mr. Cabrera's fictitious $27 billion recommendation. Taken into account with Mr. Cabrera's collusion with the plaintiffs' lawyers and representatives, it is clear that his report should have no bearing in the outcome of this trial."

Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business worldwide. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 62,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops the energy resources of the future, including biofuels. Chevron is based in San Ramon, Calif. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.
Editor's Note:

Corroborating evidence of Cabrera's misconduct and collaboration with the Amazon Defense Front can be accessed at http://bit.ly/9Ux9FT.

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