Ogletree Deakins Hires Jim Micali, Michelin's Outgoing Chairman and President, As Senior Business Advisor

GREENVILLE, SC – May 14, 2008 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins) announced today that Jim Micali, Michelin North America’s outgoing chairman and president, will serve as senior business advisor and counselor to Ogletree Deakins after his August 2008 retirement from Michelin. Micali, one of the country’s top corporate leaders, has been with Michelin since 1977, has served as Michelin North America’s chairman and president since 1996 and as a member of the Michelin Group’s worldwide Executive Council since 2001.

Drawing from his extensive legal and business background, Micali will provide counsel and advice to the firm’s multi-national clients. He will also assist Ogletree Deakins with business opportunities and will advise the firm on better serving clients, especially those in the automotive and related industries. Micali will spend a portion of his time working with Ogletree Deakins while providing consultation services to Michelin and other companies.

“We are pleased to have Jim’s guidance and counsel as we continue to compete nationally in a global economy,” said Gray Geddie, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins. “His business acumen will be a great asset to the firm and its clients.”

Micali received his law degree from Boston College Law School in 1973. After practicing law for four years, he joined Michelin’s legal department in 1977, and began working with attorneys at Ogletree Deakins.  In 1985, he was named general counsel and secretary for Michelin North America and became executive vice president of the North American legal and finance functions in 1990.

In addition to his notable career at Michelin, Micali has held board positions with several key companies in South Carolina and internationally. In 2003, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Sonoco, and in 2008, he was elected to the SCANA Corporation’s Board. Most recently, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in April 2008. Micali is also a past chairman of the South Carolina Manufacturers Alliance and currently chairs the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.

About Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins began its practice in Greenville, South Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. The firm has grown to over 400 attorneys and has more than 60 lawyers in South Carolina who exclusively serve management.  With a total of 33 locations across the country, Ogletree Deakins is one of the three largest labor and employment law firms in the United States. In addition to providing labor and employment advice and counsel, the firm has thriving practices focused on out bound and in bound immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law.  Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the U.S.

For more information, please contact Karen Gonzales, communications manager, at 210-277-3606.