(May 4, 2010, Pittsburgh, PA) - Reed Smith LLP
continues to expand its Corporate & Securities Group, with the addition of
Dwight Howes as a partner in the firm's Pittsburgh Office.
A former partner and seasoned corporate and
transactional lawyer in the Pittsburgh office of McGuire Woods, Mr. Howes is
well-versed in the development of the natural gas resources, currently touted
as the next driver for economic development in Western Pennsylvania.
Mr. Howes'
diverse practice focuses on supply chain management issues; energy, including
coal and natural gas transactions, purchase of uranium concentrates, conversion
and enrichment services, and fuel fabrication agreements for nuclear power
plant operators; power plant construction projects; mergers
and acquisitions; international transactions; corporate governance issues,
including ethics and compliance programs; and pipeline safety regulations,
programs, and enforcement issues. His supply chain practice has included numerous
IT-related acquisitions, including Oracle and SAP installations, outsourcing
agreements, software licensing issues, and software development
agreements. As part of his energy practice, he has represented a
consortium promoting the use of natural gas-fueled vehicles and has represented
clients in the purchase of advanced coal co-firing and fluidized bed technology
and selective catalytic reduction.
Mr. Howes
also has conducted Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act investigations in South America; negotiated energy transactions
in South and Central America, Australia and Asia; and handled numerous supply
chain related transactions in Asia, Europe and South America.
A 1985 graduate
of The George Washington University Law School, he is an arbitrator for the
American Arbitration Association, where he serves on the Commercial, Energy and
International Arbitrator Panels.
Mr. Howes joined McGuire
Woods in 2000, when that firm opened its Pittsburgh office. At that time
he was a Deputy General Counsel with Consolidated Natural Gas Company, which
was acquired by Dominion Resources. Prior to that, he worked in a variety
of legislative positions, including serving as Legislative Director to the late
Senior John Heinz. During his service to Sen. Heinz, Mr. Howes was
actively involved in securities-related legislative initiatives as a result of
the Senator's position on the Banking Committee, which has jurisdiction over
the Securities and Exchange Commission. His service coincided with a number of
high profile insider trading cases in the 1980s, which prompted considerable
attention and review from the Senate Banking Committee. As a result of his
expertise in this area, Mr. Howes has represented clients facing investigations
from stock exchanges and the SEC on a variety of matters, including insider
trading. He has provided corporate training on complying with insider trading
laws since 1995.
Mr. Howes is a
member of the Maine, District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania state bars.
Reed Smith is a global relationship law
firm with nearly 1,600 lawyers in 22 offices throughout the United States,
Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents international
businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging
enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution
services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver
regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and
cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is an advisor to various industries
including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising,
technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate,
manufacturing, and education.