Lawyr.Org

It took eight years and a conversation over drinks to turn a friendship into work that resulted in a billion-dollar deal. During an impromptu trip to Paris with their wives, after a few scotches, Joseph Macchione, GC of GMH Communities Trust, and Ajay Raju, head of Reed Smith's securitization and finance team, discussed moving GMH's legal work to Reed Smith. According to Macchione, the biggest reason he made the switch was Raju's willingness to work with his company on an alternative billing system.