Mergers & Acquisitions

  • July 22, 2025

    Rising Star: Simpson Thacher's Fred De Albuquerque

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP partner Fred de Albuquerque has shepherded several billion-dollar deals, including Cisco Systems' $28 billion purchase of software platform Splunk and KSL's $1.4 billion take-private acquisition of Hersha Hospitality, earning him a spot among the mergers and acquisitions practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 22, 2025

    McCarter & English Taps Capital Markets Duo For NY Team

    Two transactional attorneys specializing in capital markets and corporate securities have recently moved their practices to McCarter & English LLP's New York office from Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP.

  • July 22, 2025

    Tax Software Co. Avalara, Universal Music Submit IPO Plans

    Avalara Inc. and music giant Universal Music Group NV have confidentially filed plans for initial public offerings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, marking the latest two companies to join the private-to-public pipeline.

  • July 22, 2025

    EU Deepens Look Into Universal Music $775M Downtown Deal

    European Union antitrust enforcers kicked off an in-depth probe Tuesday into Universal Music Group's bid to buy Downtown Music Holdings, raising concerns that the $775 million transaction could give UMG access to the "commercially sensitive data of its rival record labels" held by Downtown.

  • July 22, 2025

    BCLP Adds PE Transactions Pro From Golenbock Eiseman

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner announced the addition of a former Golenbock Eiseman Assor Bell & Peskoe LLP attorney to its corporate transactions practice Monday, touting her work in private equity-backed transactions.

  • July 22, 2025

    4 Firms Advise On $2.5B Insignia Financial Take-Private Deal

    Private investment firm CC Capital and global alternative asset manager One Investment Management have agreed to acquire Australia's Insignia Financial Ltd. at a 3.9 billion Australian dollar ($2.5 billion) enterprise value, in a deal steered by four law firms.

  • July 22, 2025

    NetBrain Valued At $750M After Blackstone Investment

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP-led private equity giant Blackstone on Tuesday revealed that it is making a majority growth investment in network automation and artificial intelligence platform NetBrain Technologies, advised by McDermott Will & Emery LLP, in a deal that values the company at $750 million.

  • July 22, 2025

    Freshfields-Led Compass Buys €1.5B Dutch Catering Rival

    Compass Group PLC said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire Dutch food and hospitality company Vermaat Groep BV for €1.5 billion ($1.75 billion) as the U.K.-based catering giant moves to boost its European operations.

  • July 22, 2025

    Drugmaker Sanofi To Buy British Biotech Biz For $1.6B

    French multinational drugmaker Sanofi said Tuesday that it has agreed to acquire British biotech company Vicebio for up to $1.6 billion from a group of venture capital investors, bringing an early-stage candidate for respiratory viruses to its vaccine portfolio.

  • July 22, 2025

    Apax Partners To Pay €916M For Apax Global Alpha

    British private equity firm Apax Partners LLP has agreed to acquire a company it collaborates with, Apax Global Alpha Ltd., for €916.5 million ($1.07 billion), as it eyes the investment company's roster of assets.

  • July 22, 2025

    Antitrust Watchdog Escalates Probe Into Food Sector Merger

    Britain's antitrust authority said Tuesday that it is escalating its probe into the acquisition by global catering giant Aramark Group of Scottish rival Entier Ltd. over concerns that the deal could harm competition in U.K. markets.

  • July 21, 2025

    Trump Asks DC Circ. To Block FTC Dem's Reinstatement

    The Trump administration on Monday asked the D.C. Circuit to pause a Thursday order restoring a fired Federal Trade Commission Democrat's job, arguing that the ruling defies recent U.S. Supreme Court orders staying similar reinstatements at other independent agencies.

  • July 21, 2025

    Aimmune Investors' $27.5M Deal In Nestle Suit Gets Final OK

    Investors in biopharmaceutical company Aimmune Therapeutics Inc. have gotten final approval for their $27.5 million deal resolving claims the company was falsely undervalued before its merger with Nestlé Health Science SA.

  • July 21, 2025

    Skechers Investor Loses Initial Bid To Block Take-Private Deal

    A California federal judge has refused to preliminarily block private equity firm 3G Capital from taking footwear giant Skechers private for $9.4 billion, finding that a pension plan that owns Skechers shares failed to show it would be irreparably harmed without the injunction.

  • July 21, 2025

    Stablecoin Treasury Co. To Go Public In $360M SPAC Deal

    A company intending to give investors exposure to the stable-value token Ethena intends to list on Nasdaq as StablecoinX Inc. via a special purpose acquisition deal that will take it public and provide $360 million to build a treasury of the stablecoin, making it one of at least three firms to tout the adoption of a crypto-focused treasury strategy on Monday.

  • July 21, 2025

    $10M Deal Proposed To End Gaming Co. SPAC Suit In Del.

    Attorneys for online gaming company Skillz Inc. stockholders have proposed a $10 million settlement for a blank check company merger suit alleging $13.5 million in damages following a deal in December 2020 that valued the company at $3.5 billion.

  • July 21, 2025

    Concertgoers Narrow Live Nation Antitrust Claims

    Consumers accusing Live Nation of monopolizing the live entertainment industry are dropping their allegations about high prices in the resale ticketing market to focus on prices for the initial sale of tickets in the primary market.

  • July 21, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week at the Delaware Court of Chancery, a major settlement between Meta Platforms Inc. and its investors reached on the proverbial courthouse steps during day two of a trial ended an $8 billion-plus suit accusing the company's directors and officers of breaching privacy regulations and corporate fiduciary duties tied to allegations dating to the Cambridge Analytica scandal more than a decade ago.

  • July 21, 2025

    Latham And Cravath Steer $730M ZimVie Take-Private Deal

    Latham & Watkins LLP is advising healthcare investment firm ArchiMed on an agreement to purchase Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP-led dental implant company ZimVie Inc. at a roughly $730 million valuation, ZimVie announced Monday.

  • July 21, 2025

    Rising Star: Weil's Michelle Sargent

    Michelle Sargent of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has advised on a range of multimillion- and billion-dollar deals across multiple continents and industries, including a $5 billion purchase by Canada's largest communications company of the U.S. Pacific Northwest's leading fiber internet provider, earning her a spot among the mergers and acquisitions law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 21, 2025

    Orrick Launches In Miami With Akerman M&A Attorney Trio

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP announced Monday that it is launching a new Miami office with the addition of a three-partner mergers and acquisitions team from Akerman LLP.

  • July 21, 2025

    Archer Aviation Can't Ditch Suit Over $1.7B SPAC Merger

    Most claims moved toward trial Monday in a Delaware Court of Chancery suit accusing principals of a blank-check company that took vertical takeoff-and-landing aircraft venture Archer Aviation Inc. public of overhyping its strength and outlook, breaching their fiduciary duties and unjustly enriching themselves.

  • July 21, 2025

    Web Design Giant Figma Launches Plans For $979M IPO

    Venture-backed web-design software maker Figma on Monday outlined plans for an estimated $979 million initial public offering, a move that comes after the company's failed $20 billion merger with Adobe Inc.

  • July 21, 2025

    The Ether Machine Goes Public With $1.5B Via SPAC Merger

    Ether generation company The Ether Machine, advised by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, on Monday launched as a public company with more than $1.5 billion of committed capital following its merger with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP-advised special purpose acquisition company Dynamix Corp.

  • July 21, 2025

    Carlyle Selling Calastone To SS&C In $1B Fund Tech Deal

    SS&C Technologies said Monday it has agreed to acquire global funds network and technology provider Calastone from private equity firm Carlyle for approximately £766 million ($1.03 billion).

Expert Analysis

  • When Reincorporation Out Of Del. Isn't A Good Idea

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    While recent high-profile corporate moves out of Delaware have prompted discussion about the benefits of incorporation elsewhere, for many, remaining in the First State may be the right decision due to its deep body of business law, tradition of nonjury trials and other factors, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • New HSR Rules Augur A Deeper Antitrust Review By Agencies

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    After some initial uncertainty, the new Hart-Scott-Rodino Act rules did go into effect last month, and though their increased information requirements create greater initial burdens for merging parties, the rules should lead to greater certainty and predictability through a more efficient and effective review process, says Craig Malam at Edgeworth Economics.

  • Why Acquirers Should Reevaluate Federal Contract Risk

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    Long thought of as a stable investment, the scale with which the Trump administration is attempting to eliminate federal contracts is unprecedented, and acquirer considerations should include the size and scope of all active and pending government contracts of target companies, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Opinion

    SEC Defense Bar Should Pursue Sanctions Flexibility Now

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission defense bar has an opening under the new administration to propose flexible, tailored sanctions that can substantially remediate misconduct and prevent future wrongdoing instead of onerous penalties, which could set sanctions precedent for years to come, says Josh Hess at BCLP.

  • 7 Tips For Associates To Thrive In Hybrid Work Environments

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    As the vast majority of law firms have embraced some type of hybrid work policy, associates should consider a few strategies to get the most out of both their in-person and remote workdays, says James Argionis at Cozen O’Connor.

  • Series

    Playing Beach Volleyball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My commitment to beach volleyball has become integral to my performance as an attorney, with the sport continually reminding me that teamwork, perseverance, professionalism and stress management are essential to both undertakings, says Amy Drushal at Trenam.

  • How Law Firms Can Counteract The Loneliness Epidemic

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    The legal industry is facing an urgent epidemic of loneliness, affecting lawyer well-being, productivity, retention and profitability, and law firm leaders should take concrete steps to encourage the development of genuine workplace connections, says Michelle Gomez at Littler and Gwen Mellor Romans at Herald Talent.

  • Opinion

    DOJ's HPE-Juniper Challenge Is Not Rooted In Law

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    Legal precedents that date back as far as 1990 demonstrate that the U.S. Department of Justice's recent challenge to the proposed $14 billion merger between Hewlett Packard and Juniper is misplaced because no evidence of collusion or coordinated conduct exists, says Thomas Stratmann at George Mason University.

  • 5 Keys To Building Stronger Attorney-Client Relationships

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    Attorneys are often focused on being seen as the expert, but bonding with clients and prospects by sharing a few key personal details provides the basis for a caring, trusted and profoundly deeper business relationship, says Deb Feder at Feder Development.

  • How Rising Secondary Private Markets Affect Tech Disputes

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    The rise of secondaries is a natural by-product of growing and evolving private markets and, as such, we can expect their growth will continue, signaling an increase in the use of secondaries in damages as well as litigation revolving around secondaries themselves, says Farooq Javed at The Brattle Group.

  • How The AI Antitrust Landscape Might Evolve Under Trump

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    The Trump administration's early actions around artificial intelligence and antitrust policy, along with statements from competition regulators, suggest that the AI competition landscape may see reduced scrutiny around acquisitions, but not an entirely hands-off enforcement approach, say attorneys at Hogan Lovells.

  • Series

    Racing Corvettes Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The skills I use when racing Corvettes have enhanced my legal practice in several ways, because driving, like practicing law, requires precision, awareness and a good set of brakes — complete with the wisdom to know how and when to use them, says Kat Mateo at Olshan Frome.

  • Bill Would Bring Welcome Clarity To Del. Corporate Law

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    A recently proposed bill in Delaware that would provide greater predictability for areas including director independence and controlling stockholders reflects prudential adjustments consistent with the state's long history of refining and modernizing its corporate law, say attorneys at Simpson Thacher.

  • Opinion

    Attorneys Must Act Now To Protect Judicial Independence

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    Given the Trump administration's recent moves threatening the independence of the judiciary, including efforts to impeach judges who ruled against executive actions, lawyers must protect the rule of law and resist attempts to dilute the judicial branch’s authority, says attorney Bhavleen Sabharwal.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises

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    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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