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 >>

Goodwin Procter attorneys advised client Foundation Medicine on all aspects of its strategic transaction with Roche, including a tender offer component, a primary investment, and R&D and commercial collaboration agreements. The transaction will advance Foundation Medicine’s market-leading position in molecular information and genomic analysis and provide Roche an opportunity to optimize the identification and development of treatment options for cancer patients. More >>

David R. Sullivan is joining Murtha Cullina’s Business and Finance Department. With more than thirty years of experience, his practice includes all corporate, limited liability company and federal and state taxation matters, including advising clients with respect to business formation, business purchase and sale transactions, financings, tax credits and exit strategies. He represents private companies, banks, tax exempt entities and public agencies. More >>

Ropes & Gray is advising Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. on the planned refinancing of its senior secured credit facility with a new $2.4 billion securitized financing facility. The new facility is expected to be comprised of $2.3 billion of senior fixed-rate term notes and $100 million of variable funding notes. Dunkin’ Brands is the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins. The offering was announced Jan. 6 and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015. More >>

Goodwin Procter attorneys recently advised TA Associates, its portfolio company Fotolia and Fotolia’s CEO and Co-Founder Oleg Tscheltzoff on the announced sale of Fotolia to Adobe for an enterprise value of $800 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015. TA and Tscheltzoff own Fotolia together with the Company’s largest shareholder, KKR. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. More >>