HUGHES & LUCE, L.L.P.

Within five years there will be no ’Internet’ companies. The Internet will be the primaryway companies

communicate with customers ami the most efficient way because you can pinpoint, on an individual basis, the customers you want to reach.”

– Clay Mulford. Hughes & Luce. L.L.P.

The Internet and E-Commerce Team al Hughes & Luce was one of the first to emerge in the U.S. The firm has been lead counsel to San Francisco-based CNET Networks, Inc. and snap.com from their first days as start-up companies. The firm’s clients benefit from their lawyers’ seven-plus years of experience in the Internet space-a virtual century of experience in Internet time.

Hughes & Luce forms teams around its clients. These multidisciplinary teams are recognized for negotiating unprecedented contracts, agreements, and licenses that are shaping the evolving law of the new economy. The teams are designed to help Internet clients and “brick and mortar” companies explore new legal strategies that allow them to outpace the competition.

Hughes & Luce has drafted and negotiated contracts governing intellectual property rights, business relationships between Internet sites, purchase of stock in Internet sites, and the exchange of content. They are committed to the leading edge of Internet and e-commerce law through their work with industry leaders. In addition to their representation of San Francisco-based Internet giants, including CNET and the interactive division of NBC, NBCi, the firm represents powerhouse leaders such as Akamai, Vignette. Blockbuster.com, EDS, Netpliance, Works.com, benefitmall.com, Perot Systems, and ConnectSouth.

In addition to a successful track record in digital transactions with household Internet brands like Yahoo!. America Online and Amazon.com, Hughes & Luce has special experience in financing e-commerce and Internet initiatives. Coupled with their seven years of Internet experience is over 25 years of corporate and finance experience. They represent issuers in public financings, both in the United States and European capital markets, as well as issuers and placement agents in private placements of securities. Hughes & Luce also offers its clients more traditional counseling with regard to the digital economy, such as tax issues, regulatory matters, and employee benefits advice.

Hughes & Luce offers legal counsel in many areas including linking and revenue sharing agreements between Internet sites, licenses to use content and services from other sites, purchase and sale of sites, outsourcing of web site developing and hosting, development of e-commerce strategies, software licenses, advertising contracts, privacy policies, purchase and sale of sites, as well as litigation of Internet domain names.

By recognizing the lightning speed at which e-business moves, Hughes & Luce has developed a reputation for providing proactive advice designed to anticipate potential problems before they arise. Hughes & Luce continually stays abreast of trends with the knowledge that, in the industry, a company needs lawyers who anticipate that legal issues will surface. As evidence the firm recently hired Scott Kline who was previously President of San Francisco-based SuperSite.Net, which develops and operates vertically focused industry sites in the high growth business to business (B2B) area. Further, the firm sends out electronic alerts to its clients several times per week, produces newsletters on information technology, law and conducts preventative counseling seminars, such as its e-commerce 2.0 event in Austin on June 23rd. The firm’s goal is to work in partnership with companies to develop superior service strategies that help them run at the speed of the Internet.

“Hughes & Luce is an original technology law firm,” says Bill McCormack. managing partner of the firm. “We gained valuable experience working on technology transactions 25 years ago. Today we represent three of the largest information technology outsourcing companies in the world. The new marketplace demands a firm that understands sound business principles in addition to the promise of technology.”

Recent coups for Hughes & Luce in the Internet arena include assisting Austin-based ConnectSouth with its $100 million first round of equity financing. the $724 million acquisition of MySimon.com by CNET, guiding Perot Systems with its $100 million IPO, the $126 million IPO for Netpliance, and the successful merger of snap.com, xoom.com and the Internet assets of NBC to form NBCi, Hughes & Luce has also negotiated Internet contracts with several hundred major Internet and technology companies, including content providers and search engines. Internet service providers, hardware resellers and manufacturers, software companies, media and finance, and service providers.