King & Spalding Continues Major Expansion of Product Liability Practice With Arrival of Trial Lawyers Jeff Furr and Ursula Henninger

CHARLOTTE, NC--(Marketwire - April 3, 2008) - King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today the continued expansion of its national product liability and toxic tort practice with the addition of trial lawyers Jeff Furr and Ursula Henninger as partners. Their arrival brings to 20 the total number of lawyers in King & Spalding's Charlotte office, including eight partners, and follows close on the heels of the hiring earlier this week of toxic tort litigation partners Donald F. (Fritz) Zimmer, Jr., and Brenda Buonaiuto in the firm's San Francisco office.

"Hiring Jeff and Ursula into King & Spalding's Charlotte office furthers our strategic plan of growing our core practices," said Andrew T. Bayman, leader of the firm's tort and environmental litigation practice. "They are skilled trial lawyers who will greatly enhance our already-solid reputation as one of the nation's premier product liability litigation firms, distinguished by our rare combination of big firm litigation resources and deep trial experience."

Furr and Henninger have a nationally recognized trial practice that most recently has focused on smoking and health litigation. They expect to continue their trial work for a range of industries facing mass torts. Furr, who joins King & Spalding from his own private defense practice, previously was a partner at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP in Winston-Salem, N.C. Henninger was also a partner at that firm, where she worked with Furr as co-trial counsel in the defense of multiple product liability claims filed across the country.

Furr has served as lead counsel and national coordinating counsel for R.J. Reynolds since 1987, successfully obtaining defense verdicts in numerous trials on the company's behalf. He has litigated an array of toxic tort and product liability cases for over 15 years, including many high-profile class actions throughout the country. Furr has been recognized as one of the top product liability lawyers in the country in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America guides. He received his B.S., cum laude, from West Virginia University and his J.D., cum laude, from Wake Forest University School of Law.

Henninger also provides regular legal counsel for R.J. Reynolds. In addition to her outstanding trial credentials, she has extensive experience coordinating defense efforts in mass tort cases at both the federal and state level. Henninger earned a B.A. degree, cum laude, at Appalachian State University and a J.D. degree at Wake Forest University School of Law.

"Jeff and Ursula further expand the scope of the Charlotte office by bringing additional fire power to our trial capabilities here and enhancing the firm's nationwide 'first-chair' reputation," said Jeff Brown, King & Spalding's office managing partner in Charlotte. "With the addition of these two extremely talented litigators, the Charlotte office continues to offer clients the expertise of experienced lawyers at the very top of the profession."

King & Spalding's product liability and toxic tort practice group has been recognized as one of the best in the United States by The American Lawyer, which has ranked the firm as one of the top three product liability practices in the nation; Chambers USA, which has chosen the firm as a national tier-one product liability practice; and The National Law Journal, which has named King & Spalding as one of the top defense firms in the nation for two consecutive years, one of only three firms to be named those consecutive years.

About King & Spalding

King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Atlanta, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Houston, London, New York, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100 and in a Corporate Counsel survey in September 2007 was among the top firms representing Fortune 250 companies. For additional information, visit www.kslaw.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Les Zuke King & Spalding Ph: (212) 827-4392