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DLA Piper lawyers Perrie Weiner and Edward Totino honored with 2006 Burton Award for Legal Achievement

(LOS ANGELES) - DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP today announced that Perrie M. Weiner and Edward D. Totino, both partners in the firm's Securities Litigation practice, have won the 2006 Burton Award for Legal Achievement for their article "Litigation Strategies: Managing Litigation Risk and Addressing Investor Concerns."

The Burton Award, described as "the Pulitzer of the legal profession," is dedicated to the enrichment and refinement of writing in the legal profession. Every year these awards honor lawyers who use clear, concise language to comment on important legal issues.

The awards are presented by the Burton Foundation, a nonprofit cultural and academic organization devoted to promoting the legal profession, in association with the Library of Congress and the Law Library of Congress. Totino and Weiner's article originally appeared in PIPES: A Guide to Private Investments in Public Equity, published in December of 2005.

Weiner and Totino will be honored at a dinner in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on June 12.

"In a year that featured an abundance of outstanding legal writing, it is quite an honor to be recognized among my peers for this award," said Weiner. "I strongly believe in the principles that form the basis for the Burton Awards and I look forward to carrying on the organization's mission of promoting clarity and brevity in legal writing."

"I am honored and humbled to be featured among some of the best writers within the legal profession today," added Totino. "As securities litigators, we are challenged on a daily basis to clearly explain complex legal and financial concepts and interpretations to juries, clients, our peers and a variety of other audiences. It is truly an honor to be recognized for excellence in this critical area of our profession."

Weiner is a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office and international co-chairman of the firm's securities litigation practice. He represents private equity funds including hedge funds, broker-dealers, and issuers in SEC and NASD enforcement proceedings, in white collar criminal proceedings, and in individual and class action securities fraud and related claims. He also represents private and public companies in a variety of industries, in both national and international business disputes. Weiner is also a member of DLA Piper's firmwide Policy Committee, and is co-managing partner of the firm's Los Angeles office. He received a law degree from Loyola Law School at Los Angeles in 1985, Dean's List, and an undergraduate degree from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1982, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa.

Totino is a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office. He focuses his practice on securities litigation and complex commercial litigation. He represents domestic and international banks and securities broker-dealers, as well as issuers and investment funds. Totino is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell. Totino received a law degree, magna cum laude, from Cornell Law School in 1993 where he was made a member of the Order of the Coif, and an undergraduate degree, also magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California in 1990.

About DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary has 3,100 lawyers and 58 offices in 22 countries throughout the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, and technology, media and communications.