Flybe is Europe’s largest independent regional airline and the proceeds of the fundraising will be used to build resilience within the business and to drive profitable growth.

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Orrick is advising FFP and its controlling company, Etablissements Peugeot Frères (“EPF”), the holding company of the Peugeot family, in a $4.1 billion capital investment in Peugeot SA, one of the world’s oldest car makers. Dongfeng Motor Group Company Limited, Peugeot’s historical manufacturing and sales partner in China (“Dongfeng”) and the French State will each contribute $1.1 billion to Peugeot, with the remaining balance being raised by Peugeot in a rights offering. Existing shareholders will also receive free warrants entitling them to subscribe to new shares in the company. FFP/EPF, Dongfeng and the French State will each own a matching 14 percent equity interest in the company at completion.

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A Weil team is advising Signet Jewelers Limited, the largest specialty retail jeweler in the US and the UK, in the company’s $1.4 billion acquisition of Zale Corporation, a leading specialty retailer of fine jewelry in North America. The transaction is subject to stockholder approval, certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. More >>

Linklaters has advised the Belgian Belfius Bank NV/SA in relation to the establishment of a Programme for the issuance of German registered covered bonds (Namensschuldverschreibungen or “N-bonds”) under Belfius’ €10,000,000,000 Mortgage Pandbrieven Programme. Investors in the N-bonds benefit from a dual recourse: on the one hand, they have recourse against a pool of cover assets segregated for the benefit of the investors under the Programme; on the other hand, they have recourse against the general estate of the Issuer. The N-bonds are registered covered bonds governed by German law, which also take advantage of the Belgian covered bond regime.

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Watson, Farley & Williams („WFW“), a leading international law firm, is pleased to announce that it has advised Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (”CIP“) in relation to its joint venture with TenneT Holding B.V. (”TenneT“) regarding the offshore grid connection DolWin3, which will transmit wind energy from the North Sea to German customers.

DolWin3 will transmit electricity to the mainland from a number of wind farms in the German North Sea and is expected to be completed in 2017. The transmission system will have a total capacity of 900 MW.

The investment in DolWin3 is a joint venture between CIP and TenneT. CIP is investing €384 million through a separate investment company (CI Artemis K/S), with PensionDanmark acting as the investor. TenneT will finance the remainder of the total construction costs, which are expected to amount to €1.9 billion. TenneT, one of the largest electricity transmission system operators in Europe and owned by the Dutch state, will build and operate DolWin3.

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Weil is serving as antitrust counsel to Forest Laboratories, a leading, fully integrated, specialty pharmaceutical company largely focused on the United States market, in its acquisition by Actavis, a global, integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing generic, brand and biosimilar products. The transaction is valued at approximately $25 billion and if successfully completed, the transaction will combine two of the world’s fastest-growing specialty pharmaceutical companies. More >>

On February 18, 2014, Ashland Inc. announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell Ashland Water Technologies to a fund managed by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in a transaction valued at approximately US$1.8 billion. Cravath represented Ashland in connection with this transaction, which is expected to close by the end of Ashland’s fiscal year on September 30, 2014, contingent on certain customary regulatory approvals, standard closing conditions and completion of required employee information and consultation processes.

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Cahill represented the joint book-running managers in connection with the Rule 144A offering of $252,500,000 aggregate principal amount of 9.75%/10.50% Senior PIK Toggle Notes due 2019 by Vander Intermediate Holding II Corporation, a holding company and the indirect parent of the entities that comprise the BlueLine Rental Business. Proceeds from the offering were used to refinance existing indebtedness and to pay a dividend.  More >>

International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Brightoil Petroleum Holdings Limited (Brightoil) on the US$1.075bn acquisition of an Anadarko subsidiary operating in China, from a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

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CMS in London has advised MetLife, Inc. on the agreement to sell MetLife Assurance Limited to Rothesay Life Limited, announced on 18 February 2014. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014, subject to regulatory approval and satisfaction of other closing conditions.

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