Attorney Jennifer H. Weiss has rejoined international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder in the firm’s Tax Group in Boston. Her return signals further expansion of the firm’s Boston office and a commitment to high-level work on behalf of clients involved in complex tax-related real estate matters. More >>

The Boston office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added six new partners in the financial services litigation and antitrust practices. Led by Jeffrey S. Patterson and Christopher S. Finnerty, the team arrives at K&L Gates from the Boston office of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP.

Patterson litigates claims on behalf of financial services institutions in matters at both the trial and appellate levels across the United States, also representing clients in the antitrust and intellectual property areas. He led the trial team that obtained the first contributory trademark infringement jury verdict against an SEO for its optimization of a website selling counterfeit products, and was a member of the executive committee at Nelson Mullins.

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Goodwin Procter represented investment bank Centerview Partners in connection with AbbVie’s announced $21 billion acquisition of Pharmacyclics, a biopharmaceutical company, and its flagship product Imbruvica ®. Centerview acted as a financial advisor to Pharmacyclics.

According to the terms of the transaction, AbbVie will pay $261.25 per share representing a mix of cash and AbbVie equity. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and approvals, and the tender of a majority of outstanding shares of Pharmacyclics’ common stock. The deal is expected to close in the middle of 2015. More >>

Goodwin Procter advised Voyager Therapeutics on its recently announced major strategic collaboration with Genzyme to discover, develop and commercialize novel gene therapies for severe central nervous system (CNS) disorders. According to the agreement, Genzyme will make an upfront commitment of $100 million to Voyager, including $65 million in cash, a $30 million equity investment in Voyager and additional in-kind contributions. Voyager is eligible to receive future potential development and sales milestone payments of up to $745 million, as well as tiered royalties on product sales. More >>

Maureen Bennett has joined the Boston Office of global law firm Jones Day as a partner in the Health Care and Life Sciences practices.

Previously Co-Chair of Squire Patton Boggs’ Healthcare & Life Sciences Industry Group, Ms. Bennett represents life science and health care entities in a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions, with a particular emphasis on multijurisdictional clinical trials, cross-border transactions, and strategic commercial matters, such as research and development arrangements. More >>

Ropes & Gray advised Pfizer Inc. on its definitive agreement to acquire Hospira, the Lake Forest, Ill.-based leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies and a worldwide leader in biosimilars, for a total value of approximately $17 billion. The deal was announced Feb. 5 and is expected to close in the second half of 2015. More >>

Staples, Inc. and Office Depot, Inc. announced today that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement under which Staples will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Office Depot.

Under the terms of the agreement, Office Depot shareholders will receive, for each Office Depot share, $7.25 in cash and 0.2188 of a share in Staples stock at closing. Based on Staples closing share price on February 2, 2015, the last trading day prior to initial media speculation around a possible transaction, the transaction values Office Depot at $11.00 per share. This represents a premium of 44 percent over the closing price of Office Depot shares as of February 2, 2015, and a premium of 65 percent over the 90-day average closing price of Office Depot shares as of February 2, 2015. The transaction values Office Depot at an equity value of $6.3 billion. More >>

International law firm Nixon Peabody LLP and Chicago’s Ungaretti & Harris LLP will merge effective February 1, 2015. The move reaffirms Nixon Peabody’s position as a major law firm in Chicago and the Midwest with the addition of 100 lawyers whose experience spans the full range of legal services. The combined firm retains the Nixon Peabody name and brand.

Andrew I. Glincher, who continues as Managing Partner & CEO for Nixon Peabody said, “We are privileged to team up with a prestigious law firm like Ungaretti & Harris with a stellar reputation serving public and private clients.” He continued, “This combination is responsive to the needs of our clients with interests in Chicago and the Midwest as we grow and diversify our services there. At the same time, this merger offers Ungaretti & Harris clients more than 600 lawyers across Nixon Peabody’s international platform that includes offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and London.” More >>

Former U.S. Department of Education civil rights attorney Phil Catanzano has joined Holland & Knight as a senior counsel in the Boston office. Mr. Catanzano will be a member of the firm’s education practice, one of the largest in the country.

At the U.S. Department of Education, Mr. Catanzano worked in the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), where he conducted investigations and compliance reviews of public and private secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, as well as state agencies, across New England to ensure compliance with federal statutes, regulations and guidelines. He also negotiated and monitored compliance agreements following investigations, facilitated mediations between educational institutions and complainants, and provided individualized training to educational institutions and other groups. More >>

International law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has added prominent real estate attorney James R. Shea, Jr. as a shareholder in the firm’s Boston office. With a legal career spanning over three decades, Shea focuses his practice on real estate matters, including finance, restructuring, and development. He represents public and private developers, contractors, and lenders in the creation, development, and financing of mixed-use and urban real estate projects throughout New England. With a special expertise in public-private and transit-oriented development projects, Shea has collaborated in the drafting of legislation to facilitate the financing of public infrastructure for economic development projects. More >>