diff --git a/core/build.gradle b/core/build.gradle
index 64803946..da7a8879 100644
--- a/core/build.gradle
+++ b/core/build.gradle
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ idea.module.excludeDirs = [
 
 dependencies {
     compile "commons-logging:commons-logging:$commonsLoggingVersion",
-             "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion",
              "org.springframework:spring-core:$springVersion",
              "org.springframework:spring-beans:$springVersion",
              "org.springframework:spring-tx:$springVersion"
@@ -22,6 +21,7 @@ dependencies {
              "org.springframework:spring-orm:$springVersion"
 
     testCompile "junit:junit:$junitVersion",
+                "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion",
                 "gsbase:gsbase:$gsbaseVersion",
                 "org.mockito:mockito-core:$mockitoVersion"
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/authentication/DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/authentication/DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator.java
index 1d9ea7b8..4cb2bd1f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/authentication/DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/authentication/DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,10 +13,9 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.authentication;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.AuthenticationSource;
 
@@ -78,7 +77,7 @@ public class DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator implements
      *         <code>defaultPassword</code> otherwise.
      */
     public String getCredentials() {
-        if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(target.getPrincipal())) {
+        if (StringUtils.hasText(target.getPrincipal())) {
             return target.getCredentials();
         } else {
             return defaultPassword;
@@ -94,7 +93,7 @@ public class DefaultValuesAuthenticationSourceDecorator implements
      */
     public String getPrincipal() {
         String principal = target.getPrincipal();
-        if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(principal)) {
+        if (StringUtils.hasText(principal)) {
             return principal;
         } else {
             return defaultUser;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResult.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResult.java
index 4d38cd1c..b401724f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResult.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResult.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -17,9 +17,6 @@ package org.springframework.ldap.control;
 
 import java.util.List;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
-
 /**
  * Bean to encapsulate a result List and a {@link PagedResultsCookie} to use for
  * returning the results when using {@link PagedResultsRequestControl}.
@@ -65,28 +62,23 @@ public class PagedResult {
         return resultList;
     }
 
-    /*
-     * (non-Javadoc)
-     * 
-     * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-     */
-    public boolean equals(Object obj) {
-        if (obj != null && this.getClass().equals(obj.getClass())) {
-            PagedResult that = (PagedResult) obj;
-            return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.resultList, that.resultList)
-                    .append(this.cookie, that.cookie).isEquals();
-        }
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-        return false;
+        PagedResult that = (PagedResult) o;
+
+        if (cookie != null ? !cookie.equals(that.cookie) : that.cookie != null) return false;
+        if (resultList != null ? !resultList.equals(that.resultList) : that.resultList != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
     }
 
-    /*
-     * (non-Javadoc)
-     * 
-     * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-     */
+    @Override
     public int hashCode() {
-        return new HashCodeBuilder().append(this.resultList)
-                .append(this.cookie).toHashCode();
+        int result = resultList != null ? resultList.hashCode() : 0;
+        result = 31 * result + (cookie != null ? cookie.hashCode() : 0);
+        return result;
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResultsCookie.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResultsCookie.java
index 470c1473..9ab314e2 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResultsCookie.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/control/PagedResultsCookie.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,15 +13,12 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.control;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.ArrayUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
-
 import com.sun.jndi.ldap.ctl.PagedResultsControl;
 
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
 /**
  * Wrapper class for the cookie returned when using the
  * {@link PagedResultsControl}.
@@ -40,7 +37,11 @@ public class PagedResultsCookie {
      *            the cookie returned by a PagedResultsResponseControl.
      */
     public PagedResultsCookie(byte[] cookie) {
-        this.cookie = ArrayUtils.clone(cookie);
+        if (cookie != null) {
+            this.cookie = Arrays.copyOf(cookie, cookie.length);
+        } else {
+            this.cookie = null;
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -49,30 +50,27 @@ public class PagedResultsCookie {
      * @return the cookie.
      */
     public byte[] getCookie() {
-        return ArrayUtils.clone(cookie);
-    }
-
-    /*
-     * (non-Javadoc)
-     * 
-     * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-     */
-    public boolean equals(Object obj) {
-        if (obj != null && this.getClass().equals(obj.getClass())) {
-            PagedResultsCookie that = (PagedResultsCookie) obj;
-            return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.cookie, that.cookie)
-                    .isEquals();
+        if (cookie != null) {
+            return Arrays.copyOf(cookie, cookie.length);
+        } else {
+            return null;
         }
-
-        return false;
     }
 
-    /*
-     * (non-Javadoc)
-     * 
-     * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-     */
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
+
+        PagedResultsCookie that = (PagedResultsCookie) o;
+
+        if (!Arrays.equals(cookie, that.cookie)) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
     public int hashCode() {
-        return new HashCodeBuilder().append(this.cookie).toHashCode();
+        return cookie != null ? Arrays.hashCode(cookie) : 0;
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/ContextMapperCallbackHandler.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/ContextMapperCallbackHandler.java
index 1bf25f9e..0282d8ae 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/ContextMapperCallbackHandler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/ContextMapperCallbackHandler.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,14 +13,13 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+
 import javax.naming.Binding;
 import javax.naming.NameClassPair;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-
 /**
  * A CollectingNameClassPairCallbackHandler to wrap a ContextMapper. That is,
  * the found object is extracted from each {@link Binding}, and then passed to
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ public class ContextMapperCallbackHandler extends
      *            the mapper to be called for each entry.
      */
     public ContextMapperCallbackHandler(ContextMapper mapper) {
-        Validate.notNull(mapper, "Mapper must not be empty");
+        Assert.notNull(mapper, "Mapper must not be empty");
         this.mapper = mapper;
     }
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DirContextAdapter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DirContextAdapter.java
index 1e4ce734..393f92ad 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DirContextAdapter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DirContextAdapter.java
@@ -13,16 +13,13 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.ArrayUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.ldap.NoSuchAttributeException;
 import org.springframework.ldap.support.LdapUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 import javax.naming.Context;
@@ -483,7 +480,7 @@ public class DirContextAdapter implements DirContextOperations {
 				}
 				else {
 					// check all strings
-					if (!ArrayUtils.contains(values, obj)) {
+					if (!ObjectUtils.containsElement(values, obj)) {
 						return true;
 					}
 				}
@@ -513,7 +510,7 @@ public class DirContextAdapter implements DirContextOperations {
 					}
 					else {
 						// check all strings
-						if (!ArrayUtils.contains(values, obj)) {
+						if (!ObjectUtils.containsElement(values, obj)) {
 							return true;
 						}
 					}
@@ -1300,26 +1297,36 @@ public class DirContextAdapter implements DirContextOperations {
 
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object obj) {
-		// A subclass with identical values should NOT be considered equal.
-		// EqualsBuilder in commons-lang cannot handle subclasses correctly.
-		if (obj == null || obj.getClass() != this.getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		return EqualsBuilder.reflectionEquals(this, obj);
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/**
-	 * @see Object#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		return HashCodeBuilder.reflectionHashCode(this);
-	}
+        DirContextAdapter that = (DirContextAdapter) o;
 
-	/**
+        if (updateMode != that.updateMode) return false;
+        if (base != null ? !base.equals(that.base) : that.base != null) return false;
+        if (dn != null ? !dn.equals(that.dn) : that.dn != null) return false;
+        if (originalAttrs != null ? !originalAttrs.equals(that.originalAttrs) : that.originalAttrs != null)
+            return false;
+        if (referralUrl != null ? !referralUrl.equals(that.referralUrl) : that.referralUrl != null) return false;
+        if (updatedAttrs != null ? !updatedAttrs.equals(that.updatedAttrs) : that.updatedAttrs != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        int result = originalAttrs != null ? originalAttrs.hashCode() : 0;
+        result = 31 * result + (dn != null ? dn.hashCode() : 0);
+        result = 31 * result + (base != null ? base.hashCode() : 0);
+        result = 31 * result + (updateMode ? 1 : 0);
+        result = 31 * result + (updatedAttrs != null ? updatedAttrs.hashCode() : 0);
+        result = 31 * result + (referralUrl != null ? referralUrl.hashCode() : 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /**
 	 * @see java.lang.Object#toString()
 	 */
 	public String toString() {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DistinguishedName.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DistinguishedName.java
index 9b668898..5745a363 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DistinguishedName.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/DistinguishedName.java
@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.ldap.BadLdapGrammarException;
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ public class DistinguishedName implements Name {
 
 	public static final String KEY_CASE_FOLD_NONE = "none";
 
-    private static final String[] MANGLED_DOUBLE_QUOTES = new String[]{"\\\\\""};
-    private static final String[] PROPER_DOUBLE_QUOTES = new String[]{"\\\""};
+    private static final String MANGLED_DOUBLE_QUOTES = "\\\\\"";
+    private static final String PROPER_DOUBLE_QUOTES = "\\\"";
 
     private static final Log log = LogFactory.getLog(DistinguishedName.class);
 
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ public class DistinguishedName implements Name {
 	 * @param path a String corresponding to a (syntactically) valid LDAP path.
 	 */
 	public DistinguishedName(String path) {
-		if (StringUtils.isBlank(path)) {
+		if (!StringUtils.hasText(path)) {
 			names = new LinkedList();
 		}
 		else {
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@ public class DistinguishedName implements Name {
 			tempPath = path;
 		}
 
-        tempPath = StringUtils.replaceEach(tempPath, MANGLED_DOUBLE_QUOTES, PROPER_DOUBLE_QUOTES);
+        tempPath = StringUtils.replace(tempPath, MANGLED_DOUBLE_QUOTES, PROPER_DOUBLE_QUOTES);
 		return tempPath;
 	}
 
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ public class DistinguishedName implements Name {
 	public LdapRdn getLdapRdn(String key) {
 		for (Iterator iter = names.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
 			LdapRdn rdn = (LdapRdn) iter.next();
-			if (StringUtils.equals(rdn.getKey(), key)) {
+			if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(rdn.getKey(), key)) {
 				return rdn;
 			}
 		}
@@ -317,7 +317,7 @@ public class DistinguishedName implements Name {
 	 */
 	public String toString() {
 		String spacedFormatting = System.getProperty(SPACED_DN_FORMAT_PROPERTY);
-		if (StringUtils.isBlank(spacedFormatting)) {
+		if (!StringUtils.hasText(spacedFormatting)) {
 			return format(COMPACT);
 		}
 		else {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdn.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdn.java
index 4c1a2861..37c508a9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdn.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdn.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
+import org.springframework.ldap.BadLdapGrammarException;
+import org.springframework.ldap.support.ListComparator;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
+
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collections;
@@ -24,10 +28,6 @@ import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
-import org.springframework.ldap.BadLdapGrammarException;
-import org.springframework.ldap.support.ListComparator;
-
 /**
  * Datatype for a LDAP name, a part of a path.
  * 
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ public class LdapRdn implements Serializable, Comparable {
 	public String getValue(String key) {
 		for (Iterator iter = components.iterator(); iter.hasNext();) {
 			LdapRdnComponent component = (LdapRdnComponent) iter.next();
-			if (StringUtils.equals(component.getKey(), key)) {
+			if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(component.getKey(), key)) {
 				return component.getValue();
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdnComponent.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdnComponent.java
index f498fba1..142ad9b7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdnComponent.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapRdnComponent.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,15 +15,15 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+
 import java.io.Serializable;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
-
 /**
  * Represents part of an LdapRdn. As specified in RFC2253 an LdapRdn may be
  * composed of several attributes, separated by &quot;+&quot;. An
@@ -68,14 +68,14 @@ public class LdapRdnComponent implements Comparable, Serializable {
 	 * @see DistinguishedName#KEY_CASE_FOLD_PROPERTY
 	 */
 	public LdapRdnComponent(String key, String value, boolean decodeValue) {
-		Validate.notEmpty(key, "Key must not be empty");
-		Validate.notEmpty(value, "Value must not be empty");
+		Assert.hasText(key, "Key must not be empty");
+		Assert.hasText(value, "Value must not be empty");
 
 		String caseFold = System.getProperty(DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_PROPERTY);
-		if (StringUtils.isBlank(caseFold) || caseFold.equals(DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_LOWER)) {
-			this.key = StringUtils.lowerCase(key);
+		if (!StringUtils.hasText(caseFold) || caseFold.equals(DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_LOWER)) {
+			this.key = key.toLowerCase();
 		} else if (caseFold.equals(DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_UPPER)) {
-			this.key = StringUtils.upperCase(key);
+			this.key = key.toUpperCase();
 		} else if (caseFold.equals(DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_NONE)) {
 			this.key = key;
 		} else {
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ public class LdapRdnComponent implements Comparable, Serializable {
 							+ "; expected \"" + DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_LOWER + "\", \""
 							+ DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_UPPER + "\", or \""
 							+ DistinguishedName.KEY_CASE_FOLD_NONE + "\"");
-			this.key = StringUtils.lowerCase(key);
+			this.key = key.toLowerCase();
 		}
 		if (decodeValue) {
 			this.value = LdapEncoder.nameDecode(value);
@@ -201,8 +201,10 @@ public class LdapRdnComponent implements Comparable, Serializable {
 		// instances to equal mutable ones.
 		if (obj != null && obj instanceof LdapRdnComponent) {
 			LdapRdnComponent that = (LdapRdnComponent) obj;
-			return StringUtils.equalsIgnoreCase(this.key, that.key)
-					&& StringUtils.equalsIgnoreCase(this.value, that.value);
+            // It's safe to compare directly against key and value,
+            // because they are validated not to be null on instance creation.
+			return this.key.equalsIgnoreCase(that.key)
+					&& this.value.equalsIgnoreCase(that.value);
 
 		}
 		else {
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapTemplate.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapTemplate.java
index 329e65b7..0f99bbcb 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapTemplate.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/LdapTemplate.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2012 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.core;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
@@ -23,6 +22,7 @@ import org.springframework.dao.EmptyResultDataAccessException;
 import org.springframework.dao.IncorrectResultSizeDataAccessException;
 import org.springframework.ldap.NamingException;
 import org.springframework.ldap.support.LdapUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 import javax.naming.Binding;
 import javax.naming.Name;
@@ -1256,7 +1256,7 @@ public class LdapTemplate implements LdapOperations, InitializingBean {
 	 * @param controls the SearchControls to check.
 	 */
 	private void assureReturnObjFlagSet(SearchControls controls) {
-		Validate.notNull(controls);
+		Assert.notNull(controls, "controls must not be null");
 		if (!controls.getReturningObjFlag()) {
 			log.debug("The returnObjFlag of supplied SearchControls is not set"
 					+ " but a ContextMapper is used - setting flag to true");
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/support/AbstractContextSource.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/support/AbstractContextSource.java
index 6d0cce3c..f86b731f 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/support/AbstractContextSource.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/core/support/AbstractContextSource.java
@@ -16,8 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.core.support;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.ArrayUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
@@ -26,6 +25,7 @@ import org.springframework.ldap.core.AuthenticationSource;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.ContextSource;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.DistinguishedName;
 import org.springframework.ldap.support.LdapUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
 
 import javax.naming.Context;
 import javax.naming.NamingException;
@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractContextSource implements BaseLdapPathContextSource
 	 * the class outside of a Spring Context.
 	 */
 	public void afterPropertiesSet() throws Exception {
-		if (ArrayUtils.isEmpty(urls)) {
+		if (ObjectUtils.isEmpty(urls)) {
 			throw new IllegalArgumentException("At least one server url must be set");
 		}
 
@@ -345,10 +345,10 @@ public abstract class AbstractContextSource implements BaseLdapPathContextSource
 
 		if (authenticationSource == null) {
 			log.debug("AuthenticationSource not set - " + "using default implementation");
-			if (StringUtils.isBlank(userDn)) {
+			if (!StringUtils.hasText(userDn)) {
 				log.info("Property 'userDn' not set - " + "anonymous context will be used for read-write operations");
 			}
-			else if (StringUtils.isBlank(password)) {
+			else if (!StringUtils.hasText(password)) {
 				log.info("Property 'password' not set - " + "blank password will be used");
 			}
 			authenticationSource = new SimpleAuthenticationSource();
@@ -378,7 +378,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractContextSource implements BaseLdapPathContextSource
 			env.put(Context.OBJECT_FACTORIES, dirObjectFactory.getName());
 		}
 
-		if (!StringUtils.isBlank(referral)) {
+		if (StringUtils.hasText(referral)) {
 			env.put(Context.REFERRAL, referral);
 		}
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/BinaryLogicalFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/BinaryLogicalFilter.java
index ce6d31e1..da7fded0 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/BinaryLogicalFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/BinaryLogicalFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,16 +13,12 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
 import java.util.List;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
-
 /**
  * Abstract superclass for binary logical operations, that is &quot;AND&quot;
  * and &quot;OR&quot; operations.
@@ -74,30 +70,24 @@ public abstract class BinaryLogicalFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 	 */
 	protected abstract String getLogicalOperator();
 
-	/**
-	 * Compares each filter in turn.
-	 * 
-	 * @see org.springframework.ldap.filter.Filter#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object obj) {
-		if (obj instanceof BinaryLogicalFilter && this.getClass() == obj.getClass()) {
-			return EqualsBuilder.reflectionEquals(this, obj);
-		}
-		else {
-			return false;
-		}
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/**
-	 * Hashes all contained data.
-	 * 
-	 * @see org.springframework.ldap.filter.Filter#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		return HashCodeBuilder.reflectionHashCode(this);
-	}
+        BinaryLogicalFilter that = (BinaryLogicalFilter) o;
 
-	/**
+        if (queryList != null ? !queryList.equals(that.queryList) : that.queryList != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return queryList != null ? queryList.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
+
+    /**
 	 * Add a query to this logical operation.
 	 * 
 	 * @param query the query to add.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/CompareFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/CompareFilter.java
index b37ee2a5..ec5d0d25 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/CompareFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/CompareFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,11 +13,8 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapEncoder;
 
 /**
@@ -81,39 +78,27 @@ public abstract class CompareFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 		return buff;
 	}
 
-	/**
-	 * Compares key and value before encoding.
-	 * 
-	 * @see org.springframework.ldap.filter.Filter#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object o) {
-		if (o == null) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		if (o == this) {
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (o.getClass() != getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		CompareFilter f = (CompareFilter) o;
-		EqualsBuilder builder = new EqualsBuilder();
-		return builder.append(this.attribute, f.attribute).append(this.value, f.value).isEquals();
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/**
-	 * Calculate the hash code for the attribute and the value.
-	 * 
-	 * @see org.springframework.ldap.filter.Filter#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		HashCodeBuilder builder = new HashCodeBuilder();
-		builder.append(attribute);
-		builder.append(value);
-		return builder.toHashCode();
-	}
+        CompareFilter that = (CompareFilter) o;
 
-	/**
+        if (attribute != null ? !attribute.equals(that.attribute) : that.attribute != null) return false;
+        if (value != null ? !value.equals(that.value) : that.value != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        int result = attribute != null ? attribute.hashCode() : 0;
+        result = 31 * result + (value != null ? value.hashCode() : 0);
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    /**
 	 * Implement this method in subclass to return a String representing the
 	 * operator. The {@link EqualsFilter#getCompareString()} would for example
 	 * return an equals sign, &quot;=&quot;.
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/HardcodedFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/HardcodedFilter.java
index 75ec6126..c6c588f9 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/HardcodedFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/HardcodedFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,8 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 /**
@@ -73,28 +71,20 @@ public class HardcodedFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 		return buff;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object o) {
-		if (o == null) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		if (o == this) {
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (o.getClass() != getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		HardcodedFilter f = (HardcodedFilter) o;
-		return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.filter, f.filter).isEquals();
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		HashCodeBuilder builder = new HashCodeBuilder().append(filter);
-		return builder.toHashCode();
-	}
+        HardcodedFilter that = (HardcodedFilter) o;
+
+        if (filter != null ? !filter.equals(that.filter) : that.filter != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return filter != null ? filter.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotFilter.java
index a6feea8e..4992f5e7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,11 +13,9 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 /**
  * A filter for 'not'. The following code:
@@ -39,15 +37,13 @@ public class NotFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 
 	private final Filter filter;
 
-	static private final int HASH = "!".hashCode();
-
 	/**
 	 * Create a filter that negates the outcome of the given <code>filter</code>.
 	 * 
 	 * @param filter The filter that should be negated.
 	 */
 	public NotFilter(Filter filter) {
-		Validate.notNull(filter);
+		Assert.notNull(filter, "Filter must not be null");
 		this.filter = filter;
 	}
 
@@ -63,27 +59,20 @@ public class NotFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 		return buff;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object o) {
-		if (o == null) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		if (o == this) {
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (o.getClass() != getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		NotFilter f = (NotFilter) o;
-		return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.filter, f.filter).isEquals();
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		return HASH ^ filter.hashCode();
-	}
+        NotFilter notFilter = (NotFilter) o;
+
+        if (filter != null ? !filter.equals(notFilter.filter) : notFilter.filter != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return filter != null ? filter.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotPresentFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotPresentFilter.java
index 96655d5e..db3e1d18 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotPresentFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/NotPresentFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,10 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
-import org.springframework.ldap.filter.AbstractFilter;
-
 /**
  * A convenience class that combines {@code NOT} behavior with {@code present}
  * behavior to allow the user to check for the non-existence of a attribute. For
@@ -59,28 +55,20 @@ public class NotPresentFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 		return buff;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object o) {
-		if (o == null) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		if (o == this) {
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (o.getClass() != getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		NotPresentFilter f = (NotPresentFilter) o;
-		return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.attribute, f.attribute).isEquals();
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		HashCodeBuilder builder = new HashCodeBuilder().append(attribute);
-		return builder.toHashCode();
-	}
+        NotPresentFilter that = (NotPresentFilter) o;
+
+        if (attribute != null ? !attribute.equals(that.attribute) : that.attribute != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return attribute != null ? attribute.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/PresentFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/PresentFilter.java
index 9bc57509..a66ce096 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/PresentFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/PresentFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,9 +15,6 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.EqualsBuilder;
-import org.apache.commons.lang.builder.HashCodeBuilder;
-
 /**
  * Filter that allows the user to check for the existence of a attribute. For an
  * attribute to be {@code 'present'} it must contain a value. Attributes that do
@@ -58,28 +55,20 @@ public class PresentFilter extends AbstractFilter {
 		return buff;
 	}
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#equals(java.lang.Object)
-	 */
-	public boolean equals(Object o) {
-		if (o == null) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		if (o == this) {
-			return true;
-		}
-		if (o.getClass() != getClass()) {
-			return false;
-		}
-		PresentFilter f = (PresentFilter) o;
-		return new EqualsBuilder().append(this.attribute, f.attribute).isEquals();
-	}
+    @Override
+    public boolean equals(Object o) {
+        if (this == o) return true;
+        if (o == null || getClass() != o.getClass()) return false;
 
-	/*
-	 * @see java.lang.Object#hashCode()
-	 */
-	public int hashCode() {
-		HashCodeBuilder builder = new HashCodeBuilder().append(attribute);
-		return builder.toHashCode();
-	}
+        PresentFilter that = (PresentFilter) o;
+
+        if (attribute != null ? !attribute.equals(that.attribute) : that.attribute != null) return false;
+
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    public int hashCode() {
+        return attribute != null ? attribute.hashCode() : 0;
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/WhitespaceWildcardsFilter.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/WhitespaceWildcardsFilter.java
index 74b7fce3..e70b8655 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/WhitespaceWildcardsFilter.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/filter/WhitespaceWildcardsFilter.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,15 +13,14 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.filter;
 
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapEncoder;
+
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
-import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapEncoder;
-
 /**
  * This filter automatically converts all whitespace to wildcards (*). The
  * following code:
@@ -49,7 +48,7 @@ public class WhitespaceWildcardsFilter extends EqualsFilter {
 	protected String encodeValue(String value) {
 
 		// blank string means just ONE star
-		if (StringUtils.isBlank(value)) {
+		if (!StringUtils.hasText(value)) {
 			return "*";
 		}
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingContext.java
index 0b237579..d88df0b1 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingContext.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,20 +13,18 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.pool;
 
-import java.util.Hashtable;
+import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
+import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 import javax.naming.Context;
 import javax.naming.Name;
 import javax.naming.NameParser;
 import javax.naming.NamingEnumeration;
 import javax.naming.NamingException;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
-import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
+import java.util.Hashtable;
 
 /**
  * Used by {@link PoolingContextSource} to wrap a {@link Context}, delegating most methods
@@ -50,9 +48,9 @@ public class DelegatingContext implements Context {
      * @throws IllegalArgumentException if any of the arguments are null
      */
     public DelegatingContext(KeyedObjectPool keyedObjectPool, Context delegateContext, DirContextType dirContextType) {
-        Validate.notNull(keyedObjectPool, "keyedObjectPool may not be null");
-        Validate.notNull(delegateContext, "delegateContext may not be null");
-        Validate.notNull(dirContextType, "dirContextType may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(keyedObjectPool, "keyedObjectPool may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(delegateContext, "delegateContext may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(dirContextType, "dirContextType may not be null");
         
         this.keyedObjectPool = keyedObjectPool;
         this.delegateContext = delegateContext;
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingDirContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingDirContext.java
index 99582253..686e536a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingDirContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingDirContext.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,9 +13,13 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.pool;
 
+import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
+import org.springframework.ldap.core.DirContextProxy;
+import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+
 import javax.naming.Context;
 import javax.naming.Name;
 import javax.naming.NamingEnumeration;
@@ -25,11 +29,6 @@ import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
 import javax.naming.directory.ModificationItem;
 import javax.naming.directory.SearchControls;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
-import org.springframework.ldap.core.DirContextProxy;
-import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
-
 
 /**
  * Used by {@link PoolingContextSource} to wrap a {@link DirContext}, delegating most methods
@@ -51,7 +50,7 @@ public class DelegatingDirContext extends DelegatingContext implements DirContex
      */
     public DelegatingDirContext(KeyedObjectPool keyedObjectPool, DirContext delegateDirContext, DirContextType dirContextType) {
         super(keyedObjectPool, delegateDirContext, dirContextType);
-        Validate.notNull(delegateDirContext, "delegateDirContext may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(delegateDirContext, "delegateDirContext may not be null");
 
         this.delegateDirContext = delegateDirContext;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingLdapContext.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingLdapContext.java
index 96860946..3c374820 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingLdapContext.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/DelegatingLdapContext.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,9 +13,12 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.pool;
 
+import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
+import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+
 import javax.naming.NamingException;
 import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
 import javax.naming.ldap.Control;
@@ -23,10 +26,6 @@ import javax.naming.ldap.ExtendedRequest;
 import javax.naming.ldap.ExtendedResponse;
 import javax.naming.ldap.LdapContext;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
-import org.apache.commons.pool.KeyedObjectPool;
-import org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory.PoolingContextSource;
-
 /**
  * Used by {@link PoolingContextSource} to wrap a {@link LdapContext}, delegating most methods
  * to the underlying context. This class extends {@link DelegatingDirContext} which handles returning
@@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ public class DelegatingLdapContext extends DelegatingDirContext implements LdapC
      */
     public DelegatingLdapContext(KeyedObjectPool keyedObjectPool, LdapContext delegateLdapContext, DirContextType dirContextType) {
         super(keyedObjectPool, delegateLdapContext, dirContextType);
-        Validate.notNull(delegateLdapContext, "delegateLdapContext may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(delegateLdapContext, "delegateLdapContext may not be null");
 
         this.delegateLdapContext = delegateLdapContext;
     }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/factory/DirContextPoolableObjectFactory.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/factory/DirContextPoolableObjectFactory.java
index 3d32af4c..b113dc34 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/factory/DirContextPoolableObjectFactory.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/factory/DirContextPoolableObjectFactory.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,18 +13,17 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.pool.factory;
 
-import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.apache.commons.pool.BaseKeyedPoolableObjectFactory;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.ContextSource;
 import org.springframework.ldap.pool.DirContextType;
 import org.springframework.ldap.pool.validation.DirContextValidator;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+
+import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
 
 /**
  * Factory that creates {@link DirContext} instances for pooling via a
@@ -114,8 +113,8 @@ class DirContextPoolableObjectFactory extends BaseKeyedPoolableObjectFactory {
      * @see org.apache.commons.pool.BaseKeyedPoolableObjectFactory#makeObject(java.lang.Object)
      */
     public Object makeObject(Object key) throws Exception {
-        Validate.notNull(this.contextSource, "ContextSource may not be null");
-        Validate.isTrue(key instanceof DirContextType,
+        Assert.notNull(this.contextSource, "ContextSource may not be null");
+        Assert.isTrue(key instanceof DirContextType,
                 "key must be a DirContextType");
 
         final DirContextType contextType = (DirContextType) key;
@@ -155,11 +154,11 @@ class DirContextPoolableObjectFactory extends BaseKeyedPoolableObjectFactory {
      *      java.lang.Object)
      */
     public boolean validateObject(Object key, Object obj) {
-        Validate.notNull(this.dirContextValidator,
+        Assert.notNull(this.dirContextValidator,
                 "DirContextValidator may not be null");
-        Validate.isTrue(key instanceof DirContextType,
+        Assert.isTrue(key instanceof DirContextType,
                 "key must be a DirContextType");
-        Validate.isTrue(obj instanceof DirContext,
+        Assert.isTrue(obj instanceof DirContext,
                 "The Object to validate must be of type '" + DirContext.class
                         + "'");
 
@@ -181,7 +180,7 @@ class DirContextPoolableObjectFactory extends BaseKeyedPoolableObjectFactory {
      *      java.lang.Object)
      */
     public void destroyObject(Object key, Object obj) throws Exception {
-        Validate.isTrue(obj instanceof DirContext,
+        Assert.isTrue(obj instanceof DirContext,
                 "The Object to validate must be of type '" + DirContext.class
                         + "'");
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/validation/DefaultDirContextValidator.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/validation/DefaultDirContextValidator.java
index 61af55ff..f5939954 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/validation/DefaultDirContextValidator.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/pool/validation/DefaultDirContextValidator.java
@@ -13,13 +13,12 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.pool.validation;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.ldap.pool.DirContextType;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 import javax.naming.NamingEnumeration;
 import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
@@ -159,8 +158,8 @@ public class DefaultDirContextValidator implements DirContextValidator {
      * @see DirContextValidator#validateDirContext(DirContextType, javax.naming.directory.DirContext)
      */
     public boolean validateDirContext(DirContextType contextType, DirContext dirContext) {
-        Validate.notNull(contextType, "contextType may not be null");
-        Validate.notNull(dirContext, "dirContext may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(contextType, "contextType may not be null");
+        Assert.notNull(dirContext, "dirContext may not be null");
         
         try {
             final NamingEnumeration searchResults = dirContext.search(this.base, this.filter, this.searchControls);
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/support/LdapUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/support/LdapUtils.java
index 64d3015a..b99ebcf8 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/support/LdapUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/support/LdapUtils.java
@@ -16,21 +16,20 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.support;
 
-import java.math.BigInteger;
-import java.util.Collection;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.springframework.ldap.NamingException;
+import org.springframework.ldap.NoSuchAttributeException;
+import org.springframework.util.Assert;
 
 import javax.naming.CompositeName;
 import javax.naming.directory.Attribute;
 import javax.naming.directory.Attributes;
 import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
 import javax.naming.ldap.LdapContext;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.ArrayUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
-import org.springframework.ldap.NamingException;
-import org.springframework.ldap.NoSuchAttributeException;
-import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import java.math.BigInteger;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.Collection;
 
 /**
  * Generic utility methods for working with LDAP. Mainly for internal use within
@@ -410,16 +409,23 @@ public final class LdapUtils {
 		String[] parts = string.split("-");
 		byte sidRevision = (byte) Integer.parseInt(parts[1]);
 		int subAuthCount = parts.length - 3;
-		
-		byte[] sid = new byte[] {sidRevision, (byte) subAuthCount};
-		sid = ArrayUtils.addAll(sid, numberToBytes(parts[2], 6, true));
+
+        byte[] sid = new byte[] {sidRevision, (byte) subAuthCount};
+		sid = addAll(sid, numberToBytes(parts[2], 6, true));
 		for (int i = 0; i < subAuthCount; i++) {
-			sid = ArrayUtils.addAll(sid, numberToBytes(parts[3 + i], 4, false));
+			sid = addAll(sid, numberToBytes(parts[3 + i], 4, false));
 		}
 		return sid;
 	}
 
-	/**
+    private static byte[] addAll(byte[] array1, byte[] array2) {
+        byte[] joinedArray = new byte[array1.length + array2.length];
+        System.arraycopy(array1, 0, joinedArray, 0, array1.length);
+        System.arraycopy(array2, 0, joinedArray, array1.length, array2.length);
+        return joinedArray;
+    }
+
+    /**
 	 * Converts the given number to a binary representation of the specified
 	 * length and "endian-ness".
 	 * 
@@ -434,18 +440,31 @@ public final class LdapUtils {
 		byte[] bytes = bi.toByteArray();
 		int remaining = length - bytes.length;
 		if (remaining < 0) {
-			bytes = ArrayUtils.subarray(bytes, -remaining, bytes.length);
+			bytes = Arrays.copyOfRange(bytes, -remaining, bytes.length);
 		} else {
 			byte[] fill = new byte[remaining];
-			bytes = ArrayUtils.addAll(fill, bytes);
+			bytes = addAll(fill, bytes);
 		}
 		if (!bigEndian) {
-			ArrayUtils.reverse(bytes);
+			reverse(bytes);
 		}
 		return bytes;
 	}
-	
-	/**
+
+    private static void reverse(byte[] array) {
+        int i = 0;
+        int j = array.length - 1;
+        byte tmp;
+        while (j > i) {
+            tmp = array[j];
+            array[j] = array[i];
+            array[i] = tmp;
+            j--;
+            i++;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
 	 * Converts a byte into its hexadecimal representation, padding with a
 	 * leading zero to get an even number of characters.
 	 * 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapCompensatingTransactionOperationFactory.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapCompensatingTransactionOperationFactory.java
index 8e75a498..20a883df 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapCompensatingTransactionOperationFactory.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapCompensatingTransactionOperationFactory.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -16,9 +16,6 @@
 package org.springframework.ldap.transaction.compensating;
 
 
-import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapOperations;
@@ -26,6 +23,9 @@ import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapTemplate;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.support.SingleContextSource;
 import org.springframework.transaction.compensating.CompensatingTransactionOperationFactory;
 import org.springframework.transaction.compensating.CompensatingTransactionOperationRecorder;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
+
+import javax.naming.directory.DirContext;
 
 /**
  * {@link CompensatingTransactionOperationRecorder} implementation for LDAP
@@ -55,22 +55,22 @@ public class LdapCompensatingTransactionOperationFactory implements Compensating
 	 * #createRecordingOperation(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String)
 	 */
 	public CompensatingTransactionOperationRecorder createRecordingOperation(Object resource, String operation) {
-		if (StringUtils.equals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.BIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
+		if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.BIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
 			log.debug("Bind operation recorded");
 			return new BindOperationRecorder(createLdapOperationsInstance((DirContext) resource));
 		}
-		else if (StringUtils.equals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.REBIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
+		else if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.REBIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
 			log.debug("Rebind operation recorded");
 			return new RebindOperationRecorder(createLdapOperationsInstance((DirContext) resource), renamingStrategy);
 		}
-		else if (StringUtils.equals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.RENAME_METHOD_NAME)) {
+		else if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.RENAME_METHOD_NAME)) {
 			log.debug("Rename operation recorded");
 			return new RenameOperationRecorder(createLdapOperationsInstance((DirContext) resource));
 		}
-		else if (StringUtils.equals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES_METHOD_NAME)) {
+		else if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES_METHOD_NAME)) {
 			return new ModifyAttributesOperationRecorder(createLdapOperationsInstance((DirContext) resource));
 		}
-		else if (StringUtils.equals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.UNBIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
+		else if (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(operation, LdapTransactionUtils.UNBIND_METHOD_NAME)) {
 			return new UnbindOperationRecorder(createLdapOperationsInstance((DirContext) resource), renamingStrategy);
 		}
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapTransactionUtils.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapTransactionUtils.java
index 67b73c9b..27a8e6eb 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapTransactionUtils.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/transaction/compensating/LdapTransactionUtils.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -13,14 +13,13 @@
  * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
  * limitations under the License.
  */
-
 package org.springframework.ldap.transaction.compensating;
 
-import javax.naming.Name;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.DistinguishedName;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.ObjectUtils;
+
+import javax.naming.Name;
 
 /**
  * Utility methods for working with LDAP transactions.
@@ -91,12 +90,11 @@ public final class LdapTransactionUtils {
      *         <code>false</code> otherwise.
      */
     public static boolean isSupportedWriteTransactionOperation(String methodName) {
-        return (StringUtils.equals(methodName, BIND_METHOD_NAME)
-                || StringUtils.equals(methodName, REBIND_METHOD_NAME)
-                || StringUtils.equals(methodName, RENAME_METHOD_NAME)
-                || StringUtils
-                        .equals(methodName, MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES_METHOD_NAME) || StringUtils
-                .equals(methodName, UNBIND_METHOD_NAME));
+        return (ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(methodName, BIND_METHOD_NAME)
+                || ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(methodName, REBIND_METHOD_NAME)
+                || ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(methodName, RENAME_METHOD_NAME)
+                || ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(methodName, MODIFY_ATTRIBUTES_METHOD_NAME)
+                || ObjectUtils.nullSafeEquals(methodName, UNBIND_METHOD_NAME));
 
     }
 }
diff --git a/gradle/java.gradle b/gradle/java.gradle
index 0a5ec348..891a71b5 100644
--- a/gradle/java.gradle
+++ b/gradle/java.gradle
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 apply plugin: 'java'
 apply plugin: 'propdeps'
 
-sourceCompatibility = '1.5'
-targetCompatibility = '1.5'
+sourceCompatibility = '1.6'
+targetCompatibility = '1.6'
 
-ext.springVersion = '3.0.6.RELEASE'
-ext.springBatchVersion = '2.0.3.RELEASE'
+ext.springVersion = '3.2.4.RELEASE'
+ext.springBatchVersion = '2.0.4.RELEASE'
 ext.junitVersion =  '4.10'
 ext.commonsPoolVersion = '1.5.4'
 ext.commonsLangVersion = '2.4'
-ext.commonsLoggingVersion = '1.0.4'
+ext.commonsLoggingVersion = '1.1.1'
 ext.gsbaseVersion = '2.0.1'
 ext.log4jVersion = '1.2.15'
 ext.mockitoVersion = '1.9.5'
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-batch/build.gradle b/ldif/ldif-batch/build.gradle
index 0f7e8cb3..ae5a9289 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-batch/build.gradle
+++ b/ldif/ldif-batch/build.gradle
@@ -1,10 +1,20 @@
 
 dependencies {
     compile project(':spring-ldap-ldif-core'),
-             "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core:$springBatchVersion",
-             "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-infrastructure:$springBatchVersion"
+            "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion"
 
+    compile("org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-infrastructure:$springBatchVersion") {
+        exclude group: "org.springframework", module: "spring-core"
+        exclude group: "org.springframework", module: "spring-context"
+        exclude group: "org.springframework", module: "spring-aop"
+    }
 
     testCompile "junit:junit:$junitVersion",
-             "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-test:$springBatchVersion"
+            "org.springframework:spring-context:$springVersion",
+            "org.springframework:spring-aop:$springVersion",
+            "org.springframework:spring-test:$springVersion",
+
+    testCompile("org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-test:$springBatchVersion") {
+        exclude group: "org.springframework", module: "spring-test"
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-core/build.gradle b/ldif/ldif-core/build.gradle
index 399346cc..6ebe3dcd 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-core/build.gradle
+++ b/ldif/ldif-core/build.gradle
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 
 dependencies {
-    compile project(":spring-ldap-core"),
-            "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion",
-             "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-core:$springBatchVersion",
-             "org.springframework.batch:spring-batch-infrastructure:$springBatchVersion"
+    compile project(":spring-ldap-core")
 
     testCompile "junit:junit:$junitVersion",
                  "commons-io:commons-io:2.4"
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/parser/LdifParser.java b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/parser/LdifParser.java
index 2cca308d..33d9c32f 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/parser/LdifParser.java
+++ b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/parser/LdifParser.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.ldif.parser;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.InitializingBean;
@@ -32,6 +31,7 @@ import org.springframework.ldap.ldif.support.SeparatorPolicy;
 import org.springframework.ldap.schema.DefaultSchemaSpecification;
 import org.springframework.ldap.schema.Specification;
 import org.springframework.util.Assert;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 import javax.naming.NamingException;
 import javax.naming.directory.Attribute;
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ public class LdifParser implements Parser, InitializingBean {
 	
 	private void addAttributeToRecord(String buffer, LdapAttributes record) {
 		try {
-			if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(buffer) && record != null) {
+			if (StringUtils.hasLength(buffer) && record != null) {
 				//Validate previous attribute and add to record.
 				Attribute attribute = attributePolicy.parse(buffer);
 					
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy.java b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy.java
index ef6416da..74090633 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy.java
+++ b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.ldif.support;
 
+import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
+import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapAttribute;
+import org.springframework.ldap.ldif.InvalidAttributeFormatException;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
+import sun.misc.BASE64Decoder;
+
+import javax.naming.directory.Attribute;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URI;
 import java.net.URISyntaxException;
@@ -23,16 +31,6 @@ import java.util.List;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
-import javax.naming.directory.Attribute;
-
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
-import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
-import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapAttribute;
-import org.springframework.ldap.ldif.InvalidAttributeFormatException;
-
-import sun.misc.BASE64Decoder;
-
 /**
  * Ensures the buffer represents a valid attribute as defined by RFC2849.
  * 
@@ -322,7 +320,7 @@ public class DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy implements AttributeValidationPoli
 	private LdapAttribute parseStringAttribute(Matcher matcher) {
 		String id = matcher.group(1);
 		String value = matcher.group(3);
-		List<String> options = Arrays.asList((StringUtils.isEmpty(matcher.group(2)) ? new String[] {} : matcher.group(2).replaceFirst(";","").split(OPTION_SEPARATOR)));
+		List<String> options = Arrays.asList((!StringUtils.hasLength(matcher.group(2)) ? new String[] {} : matcher.group(2).replaceFirst(";","").split(OPTION_SEPARATOR)));
 		
 		if (options.isEmpty()) {
 			return new LdapAttribute(id, value, ordered);
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/SeparatorPolicy.java b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/SeparatorPolicy.java
index aefeba5f..59c8dc47 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/SeparatorPolicy.java
+++ b/ldif/ldif-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/support/SeparatorPolicy.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2005-2010 the original author or authors.
+ * Copyright 2005-2013 the original author or authors.
  *
  * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
  * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@
  */
 package org.springframework.ldap.ldif.support;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * Policy object for enforcing LDIF record separation rules. Designed explicitly
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ public class SeparatorPolicy {
 		log.trace("Assessing --> [" + line + "]");
 		
 		if (record) {
-			if (StringUtils.isEmpty(line)) {
+			if (!StringUtils.hasLength(line)) {
 				record = false;
 				skip = false;
 				return LineIdentifier.EndOfRecord;
@@ -99,11 +99,11 @@ public class SeparatorPolicy {
 				}
 			}
 		} else {
-			if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(line) && line.matches(VERSION_IDENTIFIER) && !skip) {
+			if (StringUtils.hasLength(line) && line.matches(VERSION_IDENTIFIER) && !skip) {
 				//Version Identifiers are ignored by parser.
 				return LineIdentifier.VersionIdentifier;		
 				
-			} else if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(line) && line.matches(NewRecord)) {
+			} else if (StringUtils.hasLength(line) && line.matches(NewRecord)) {
 				record = true;
 				skip = false;
 				return LineIdentifier.NewRecord;
diff --git a/ldif/ldif-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest.java b/ldif/ldif-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest.java
index 8eb52449..2f649aae 100644
--- a/ldif/ldif-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest.java
+++ b/ldif/ldif-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/ldif/DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest.java
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.ldif;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -25,6 +24,7 @@ import org.junit.runners.Parameterized;
 import org.junit.runners.Parameterized.Parameters;
 import org.springframework.ldap.core.LdapAttribute;
 import org.springframework.ldap.ldif.support.DefaultAttributeValidationPolicy;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import sun.misc.BASE64Decoder;
 
 import java.net.URI;
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ public class DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest {
 			
 			assertTrue("IDs do not match: [expected: " + attribute.getID() + ", obtained: " + id + "]", id.equalsIgnoreCase(attribute.getID()));
 			
-			String[] expected = StringUtils.isEmpty(options) ? new String[] {} : options.replaceFirst(";","").split(";");
+			String[] expected = !StringUtils.hasLength(options) ? new String[] {} : options.replaceFirst(";","").split(";");
 			Arrays.sort(expected);
 			String[] obtained = attribute.getOptions().toArray(new String[] {});
 			Arrays.sort(obtained);
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ public class DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest {
 			switch(type) {
 			case STRING:
 				assertTrue("Value is not a string.", attribute.get() instanceof String);
-				assertEquals("Values do not match: ", value, (String) attribute.get());
+				assertEquals("Values do not match: ", value, attribute.get());
 				break;
 				
 			case BASE64:
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ public class DefaultAttributeValidationPolicyTest {
 			case URL:
 				URI  url = new URI(value);
 				assertTrue("Value is not a URL.", attribute.get() instanceof URI);
-				assertEquals("Values do not match: ", url, (URI) attribute.get());
+				assertEquals("Values do not match: ", url, attribute.get());
 				break;
 			}
 			
diff --git a/odm/build.gradle b/odm/build.gradle
index e3526bd2..31e1d2eb 100644
--- a/odm/build.gradle
+++ b/odm/build.gradle
@@ -8,14 +8,14 @@ dependencies {
             "org.springframework:spring-core:$springVersion",
             "org.freemarker:freemarker:2.3.9",
             "commons-logging:commons-logging:$commonsLoggingVersion",
-            "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion",
             "commons-cli:commons-cli:1.2"
 
     runtime "org.springframework:spring-context:$springVersion"
 
     provided "commons-pool:commons-pool:$commonsPoolVersion",
              "com.sun:ldapbp:1.0",
-             "org.springframework:spring-context:$springVersion",
+            "commons-lang:commons-lang:$commonsLangVersion",
+            "org.springframework:spring-context:$springVersion",
              "org.springframework:spring-jdbc:$springVersion",
              "org.springframework:spring-orm:$springVersion"
 
diff --git a/odm/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/odm/tools/AttributeSchema.java b/odm/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/odm/tools/AttributeSchema.java
index 3b4399e1..1987abac 100755
--- a/odm/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/odm/tools/AttributeSchema.java
+++ b/odm/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/odm/tools/AttributeSchema.java
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.springframework.ldap.odm.tools;
 
-import org.apache.commons.lang.StringUtils;
+import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 
 /**
  * Simple value class to hold the schema of an attribute.