Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP announced new partner

Thacher Proffitt & Wood LLP announced that Marc M. Rossell will be joining the Firm as a Partner, effective December 1, 2004. Rossell will be part of the Firm?s Corporate Practice Group, resident in the New York City office. Rossell joins Thacher Proffitt from Shearman & Sterling LLP?s Capital Markets Group, where he was a partner.

?We are delighted to welcome Marc to our Firm,? said Paul Tvetenstrand, managing partner of Thacher Proffitt. ?Marc will be a tremendous asset to our Firm with his knowledge and experience in the areas of domestic and international corporate securities offerings and restructurings, especially his cross-border expertise involving Latin America, where we already have a significant presence.?

?Marc is an outstanding addition to our Firm?s Corporate Practice Group,? said Ed Bright, chairman of Thacher Proffitt?s Corporate and Financial Institutions Practice Group. ?Marc?s practice will complement our existing practice in Latin America and add diversity to our Firm?s already strong client base in the capital markets and financial services arenas.?

?Thacher Proffitt?s established capital markets practice, coupled with its depth and access to resources in Latin America, will allow me to offer clients exciting opportunities,? said Rossell. ?I?m looking forward to working with the Thacher Proffitt team in the U.S. and Mexico City offices.?

Marc Rossell has broad experience in privatizations and international financings, including securities offerings and corporate restructurings. In recent years, his practice has focused on international securities offerings, principally in Latin America, as well as international corporate restructurings and liability management transactions. Marc has counseled on a variety of international capital markets transactions. For example, he was a member of the Shearman & Sterling team that recently advised AES Corp. and its Chilean subsidiary, AES Gener, on its $700 million recapitalization plan, and Ispat International N.V., a global steel producer, in its combination with the LNM Group and its planned acquisition of International Steel Group.