King & Spalding Adds Carl Wessel, Former Pfizer Assistant GC, as Partner

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire - June 5, 2008) - King & Spalding, a leading international law firm, announced today the addition of Carl Wessel as a partner in the firm's special matters and government investigations practice. Wessel brings significant government investigations experience, especially within the pharmaceutical industry, to the firm's Washington, D.C., office.

"We are very excited to bring Carl on board," said Christopher A. Wray, practice leader of King & Spalding's special matters and government investigations group. "With 20 years of legal experience as a federal prosecutor and as a high-level in-house lawyer in the pharmaceutical industry, Carl notably bolsters our already strong government investigations practice. We also expect him to contribute substantially to our pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industry initiatives."

Wessel has filled in-house roles at two major pharmaceutical companies -- as assistant general counsel and head of the government investigations group at Pfizer Inc., and senior legal director for litigation at Schering-Plough Corporation. Prior to that, he served as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey, during which time he received the Department of Justice Director's Award for superior performance in prosecuting high profile political corruption cases.

Wessel's arrival marks the second addition to the firm's Washington, D.C., office this week. He is also the fourth partner with considerable knowledge of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies to join the firm in the past month. Earlier, the firm added Seth Lundy, a prominent medical device lawyer, to its Washington, D.C., office and leading biotech-pharma patent lawyers, Peter Dehlinger, Ph.D. and Judy M. Mohr, Ph.D., in Silicon Valley.

"Carl provides King & Spalding with a unique perspective as a former high-level in-house lawyer in an industry that is a priority for the firm," said Wick Sollers, managing partner of the King & Spalding's Washington, D.C., office. "His insider's view of the legal and business issues facing the pharmaceutical industry provides him with invaluable insight into what pharmaceutical companies are seeking from outside counsel, and we are pleased to welcome Carl into the firm."

Wessel has extensive white-collar experience, particularly within the pharmaceutical industry. While at Pfizer, he handled all government investigations, including matters initiated by the U.S. attorneys' offices, state attorneys general, the Securities and Exchange Commission and congressional committees. He has substantial expertise with matters of off-label promotion, anti-kickback violations, securities fraud, manufacturing issues, drug-pricing issues, healthcare and drug sales and marketing investigations and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) matters. Wessel has also managed a number of product liability cases and other complex commercial litigation matters.

Wessel received his B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School.

"I am thrilled to be joining King & Spalding," said Wessel. "The firm's well-established government investigations practice and its solid reputation within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries provide exciting opportunities for someone with my experience. I very much look forward to contributing to and being a part of the firm's ongoing success."

King & Spalding's special matters and government investigations practice group has extensive experience in successfully representing corporations and individuals in complex federal and state criminal investigations, internal investigations and congressional investigations, as well as in related civil and regulatory proceedings. With lawyers in Washington, D.C., New York and Atlanta, this practice group comprises recognized leaders in the field with decades of experience from the defense, prosecution and SEC enforcement perspectives.

King & Spalding has one of the broadest and deepest benches of lawyers, scientists and consultants in the United States specializing in the representation of pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology companies. More than 125 lawyers and professionals devote all or a substantial portion of their practices to clients in these industries, with specialized experience at every stage of the product life cycle -- from emerging growth company counseling on intellectual property and clinical trials, through licensing and finance, to FDA approval, manufacturing, and marketing, and post-approval regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. Among the firm's clients in these areas are Amgen, Inc., GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Medtronic, Purdue Pharma, and Schering-Plough.

About King & Spalding

King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, 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: Contacts: Matt Hyams King & Spalding Ph: (212) 827-4057