LOS ANGELES - The law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to serve as legal counsel to Earle M. Jorgensen Company (EMJ), one of the largest distributors of metal products in North America, in connection with the proposed $934 million acquisition of the company by Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co., one of the nation’s largest processors of metal products.

If the merger is completed, Reliance will pay $13.00 per share of EMJ common stock, subject to a collar, in a combination of cash and shares of Reliance common stock, or approximately $934 million, and Reliance will have total assets of approximately $3 billion and annual revenues of more than $5 billion.

"We have represented EMJ since 1990 and are pleased to continue that representation by assisting one of Southern California’s most historic companies in this merger, which is important to it and a significant transaction in the metals industry," said Mark A. Conley, counsel for EMJ and a partner in the Firm’s Corporate Practice in Los Angeles.

Mr. Conley is being assisted on the deal by partner Jack McBride in the Los Angeles office; partners Saul Rudo, William Mattingly, Adam Klein and Jim Smulkowski in Chicago; and partners William Duff, James Calder and Louise Tudor in New York. Associates James J. Thompson, Carolyn F. Loffredo and Heather Dennis are assisting in the Los Angeles office, along with associates David Calicchia and Daniel Lange in Chicago, and associate Joanna Bernard in New York. Paralegal Jennifer Chung is also working on the deal for the Firm in Los Angeles.

Reliance, which went public in 1994, has carved out a profitable business as a nationwide processor and distributor of metal products. It has completed more than 30 acquisitions of smaller metals-processing companies since its initial public offering. The transaction is Reliance’s largest acquisition to date and their first acquisition of a public company.

EMJ, for years one of the Southland's largest privately held companies, was founded by Earle M. Jorgensen, who came to Los Angeles after World War I and began his metal distributing business by combing shipyards for scrap metal. Mr. Jorgensen, who became a member of President Reagan's so-called kitchen cabinet, died in 1999 at age 101. EMJ completed its initial public offering in April 2005. Additional information about EMJ can be found on its web site at http://www.emjmetals.com/

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP (www.katten.com) is a national, full-service law firm with offices in the nation's largest centers of business, government, finance and technology and an associated entity in London. The Firm’s 600 attorneys in more than 40 practice areas provide timely and cost-effective counsel to clients in numerous industries. They serve as business advisors and advocates for a wide range of public and private companies - from entrepreneurial, emerging-growth, and middle market firms to global Fortune 100 corporations - as well as government entities, non-profits, and charitable and cultural organizations.