Our M&A lawyers bring sophisticated judgment, advice and service to these high-stakes matters. Equally important is our ability to offer the same high level of proficiency across the broad spectrum of other disciplines that are critical to achieving success in these multifaceted and often contentious matters, such as antitrust, tax, executive compensation, intellectual property and litigation.

• We advised Cosan S.A. Indústria e Comércio, the largest grower and processor of sugarcane in the world and the largest ethanol producer in Brazil, in connection with the formation of a $12 billion joint venture with Shell International Petroleum Company Limited, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell, in Brazil for the production of ethanol, sugar and power, and supply, distribution and retail of transportation fuels.
  
  
  
• We advised Nippon Mining Holdings on its $11.8 billion merger with Nippon Oil. The transaction created one of the world’s largest private sector oil companies and Japan’s third-largest company based on revenues. This deal was named the “Asia M&A Deal of the Year” at the 2011 IFLR Awards.
  
  
  
• We advised Morgan Stanley on its joint venture with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group that integrated their securities operations in Japan. This deal was named "M&A Deal of the Year" at the 2011 Asian Legal Business Japan Awards.
  
  
  
• We advised Morgan Stanley on the conversion by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) of convertible preferred stock into common stock of Morgan Stanley. We previously advised Morgan Stanley in connection with a $7.8 billion investment by MUFG in Morgan Stanley.
  
  
  
• We advised PepsiCo on its $5.8 billion acquisition of a 95% stake in Wimm-Bill-Dann Foods, a Russian branded food and beverage company with a focus on dairy products
  
  
  
• We advised AREVA, a provider of technological solutions for nuclear power generation, transmission and distribution, in connection with the sale of its Transmission and Distribution division (AREVA T&D) to Alstom and Schneider Electric. The enterprise value of the transaction is €4.09 billion.
  
  
  
• We advised EDF, an energy company engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution, supply and trading of energies in France and internationally, on its €3 billion cash-and-share acquisition of 50% of the share capital of EDF Energies Nouvelles, a French market leader in renewable energy, that it does not already hold. 
  
  
  
• We are advising Cigna in connection with its $3.8 billion acquisition of HealthSpring, a Nashville, Tennessee-based provider of Medicare Advantage coordinated care plans.  
  
  
  
• We advised Comcast in connection with the $3.6 billion sale by SpectrumCo, a joint venture between Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, of 122 Advanced Wireless Services spectrum licenses to Verizon Wireless.
  
  
  
• We advised Banco Santander on its $2.5 billion acquisition of Bank of America’s 24.9% stake in Santander’s Mexican unit, Grupo Financiero Santander. 
  
  
  
• We advised the special committee of the board of directors of GSI Commerce, a King of Prussia, Pennsylvania-based provider of ecommerce and interactive marketing services, in connection with its $2.4 billion acquisition by eBay, a San Jose, California-based online marketplace.
  
  
  
• We are advising TE Connectivity, a Swiss company that designs and manufactures more than 500,000 products that connect and protect the flow of power and data, on its exclusive negotiations and $2.1 billion binding offer to acquire Deutsch Group, a French provider of connectivity solutions for harsh environment applications.
  
  
  
• We advised Bermudan reinsurer PartnerRe on its approximately $2 billion acquisition of PARIS RE, a Swiss reinsurer. This deal was named the “European M&A Deal of the Year” at the 2010 IFLR awards.
  
  
  
• We advised VF, a North Carolina-based global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, on its $2 billion acquisition of The Timberland Company, a Stratham, New Hampshire-based designer and manufacturer of footwear, apparel and accessories.
  
  
  
• We advised Grupo Aval, the largest financial conglomerate in Colombia, on its $1.9 billion acquisition of BAC Credomatic, a Central American banking group, from GE Capital.
  
  
  
• We advised China Investment Corporation (CIC), the Chinese sovereign wealth fund, in connection with its $1.9 billion investment in PT Bumi Resources Tbk (Bumi), the largest coal mining company in Indonesia.
  
  
  
• We advised Emerson on its successful unsolicited £997 million acquisition of Chloride Group, a U.K. company specializing in the provision of Uninterruptible Power Supply systems.
  
  
  
• We advised Palm, a leading developer and supplier of smartphones, on its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard Company, the world’s largest technology company. The transaction is valued at approximately $1.4 billion on an equity basis.
  
  
  
• We advised Symantec, a provider of storage and systems management solutions, on its $1.28 billion cash acquisition of the authentication and identity security business of VeriSign, a provider of Internet infrastructure services to various networks worldwide.
  
  
  
• We advised CVS Caremark on its $1.25 billion acquisition of the Medicare Part D business of Universal American, a Rye Brook, New York-based Medicare Prescription Drug Plan sponsor.
  
  
  
• We are advising Blue Coat Systems, a Sunnyvale, California-based provider of web security and WAN optimization solutions, in connection with its approximately $1.3 billion acquisition by an investor group led by Thoma Bravo, a San Francisco, California-based private equity investment firm.
  
  
  
• We advised Technip, a French world leader in project management, engineering and construction for the energy industry, on its $1.073 billion acquisition of Global Industries, a U.S. solutions provider of subsea construction and pipelay, engineering, project management and support services.
  
  
  
• We advised Murphy Oil, an El Dorado, Arkansas-based oil and gas exploration and production company with refining and marketing operations in the U.S. and U.K., on its $1.099 billion sale of its Superior, Wisconsin and Meraux, Louisiana refineries and hydrocarbon inventories to Calumet Specialty Products, an Indianapolis, Indiana-based refiner and processor of specialty hydrocarbon products, and Valero Energy, a San Antonio, Texas-based international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products and power, respectively.
  
  
  
• We advised Oracle on its $1 billion acquisition of Art Technology Group, a leading provider of cross-channel e-commerce software solutions.
  
  
  
• We advised Taylor Wimpey, a U.K.-based homebuilder, in connection with the $955 million sale of its U.S. and Canadian business to TMM Holdings, a partnership controlled by certain investment funds affiliated with TPG Capital, certain investment funds affiliated with Oaktree Capital Management and JH Investments.
  
  
  
• We are advising LoopNet, an online commercial real estate marketplace, on its $860 million acquisition by CoStar Group, a commercial real estate information company.
  
  
  
• We advised Shire, an Irish specialty biopharmaceutical company, on its $750 million acquisition of Advanced BioHealing, a Westport, Connecticut-based regenerative medicine company that develops, manufactures and commercializes living cell-based therapies.
  
  
  
• We advisied SMART Modular Technologies, a Newark, California-based independent designer, manufacturer and supplier of electronic sub-systems to original equipment manufacturers, in connection with its $645 million acquisition by Silver Lake Partners, a Menlo Park, California-based private equity and venture capital firm, and Silver Lake Sumeru, a fund of Silver Lake Partners and Shah Capital Partners.
  
  
  
• We advised Aetna in connection with several recent acquisitions including its:
  • $500 million acquisition of Medicity, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based health information exchange technology company
  • $600 million acquisition of Prodigy Health Group, a New York-based independent third-party administrator of self-funded health care plans
  • $290 million acquisition of Genworth Financial’s Medicare Supplement business and related blocks of in-force business
  • $202 million acquisition of PayFlex Holdings, one of the nation’s largest independent account-based health plan administrators
  
  
  
• We advised Quincunx (BVI), an affiliate of Kerry Mining, as seller in connection with its $464.5 million auction of QGX Coal, which holds mining rights to the Baruun Naran Coal Mine in Mongolia, and the eventual sale of QGX Coal to Mongolian Coal, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Mongolian Mining. The total consideration may be adjusted to US$950 million, depending on the total proved and probable reserves and production of the Baruun Naran Coal Mine.