Karl Ege Joins Perkins Coie

SEATTLE (March 3, 2008) – Perkins Coie announced today that Karl Ege has joined the firm as Senior Counsel in the firm's national Business group. He will practice from Perkins Coie's Seattle office.

Ege joins the firm from Russell Investments, where he served as Chief Legal Officer for more than 15 years. While in that role, he had global responsibility for Russell's legal, compliance and internal audit functions. Although no longer providing legal advice to Russell, Ege will continue to serve as Russell’s Vice Chairman and as an advisor to its senior executive staff. He will also remain a member of Russell's Management Committee and as Chairman of Russell Trust Company, and a director of the Russell 20-20 Association.

At Perkins Coie, Ege will advise senior executives and boards on matters involving corporate governance, internal controls and corporate investigations. He will also play an influential role in augmenting the firm's efforts in Asia. At Russell, he has been actively involved in the APEC Business Advisory Counsel (ABAC) and recently participated as a delegate to the World Economic Forum, which took place in Davos, Switzerland in January.

"We are delighted that Karl desires to return to private practice and chose to do so at Perkins Coie," said Roy Tucker, chairman of the firm's Business practice. "Karl brings considerable depth and international experience to our practice and we're confident our clients will welcome him as we do."

Ege is currently Chair-Elect of the American Bar Association Section of Business Law and will become Chairman of that section in August 2008. He is also a civic leader who serves as a Trustee at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a Trustee of The Seattle Opera, and a leader of the Seattle Rotary Club.

Ege will work with a team of nearly 200 lawyers from across the country. The group has a broad charter, covering the full range of finance, transaction and counseling work for large public and private companies, leading emerging technology companies, private equity and venture capital firms, and some public entities.