Hunton & Williams LLP Earns Top Honors at 2012 M&A Atlas Middle Markets Awards

NEW YORK — November 13, 2012 — Hunton & Williams LLP is pleased to announce that Global M&A Network presented its 2012 M&A Lawyer of the Year Award, Americas Middle Markets, to corporate partner Gary E. Thompson. Thompson headed the legal team, including Dee Ann Dorsey, Steve Haas, Mike Goldman and Lawton Way, that advised Darden Restaurants, Inc. in its $585 million acquisition of Yard House USA, Inc. from shareholders including TSG Consumer Partners. The Darden transaction was named the 2012 M&A Atlas Deal of the Year, Americas Large Middle Markets.

Thompson, who co-heads the firm's corporate finance and M&A practice group, has more than 25 years of experience advising public companies in connection with mergers and acquisitions, including consensual and unsolicited transactions, corporate governance issues, public and private securities offerings, and a wide range of corporate finance activities. Thompson led the deal team that received the M&A Atlas Award for North American Corporate Deal of the Year, Middle Markets in 2011, and he has been recognized as a leading business lawyer by such publications as Chambers USA (2003-2012).

Additionally, the firm was involved in the following transactions that were recognized with M&A Atlas Awards:

• M&A Deal of the Year—Brazil, Middle Markets. The firm advised Tredegar Corporation in connection with its acquisition of Terphane from Vision Capital.
• Consumer Retail Services Deal of the Year—Americas. We advised BI-LO, a portfolio company of Lone Star Funds, on tax and certain state law matters in its acquisition of Winn-Dixie Stores.
• Transport & Logistics, Services Deal of the Year—Americas. The firm represented Insight Equity I LP in its $360 million sale of Walker Group Holdings LLC to Wabash National Corp.

Hunton & Williams' corporate lawyers advise clients on virtually every form of business transaction, including public and private securities offerings, financings, mergers and acquisitions, and governance matters. We represent clients in critical sectors of the global economy, including energy, manufacturing, technology, financial services, and consumer products.

About Hunton & Williams LLP

Hunton & Williams LLP provides legal services to corporations, financial institutions, governments and individuals, as well as to a broad array of other entities. Since our establishment more than a century ago, Hunton & Williams has grown to more than 800 lawyers serving clients in 100 countries from 19 offices around the world. While our practice has a strong industry focus on energy, financial services and life sciences, the depth and breadth of our experience extends to more than 100 separate practice areas, including bankruptcy and creditors' rights, commercial litigation, corporate transactions and securities law, intellectual property, international and government relations, regulatory law, products liability, and privacy and data security.