Davis Polk is advising Smith & Nephew plc in connection with its approximately $1.7 billion proposed acquisition of ArthroCare Corp. The acquisition will be subject to customary conditions, including a vote of ArthroCare’s shareholders and governmental clearances. Pending the satisfaction of such conditions, Smith & Nephew anticipates closing the transaction in mid-2014.

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International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised the underwriters on the global offering and listing of HK Electric Investments on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, which commenced trading today. More >>

Kutak Rock LLP is negotiating and drafting transactional documents needed to sell the State of Illinois’ $1 billion general obligation bonds. On February 6, Illinois will sell tax-exempt bonds with a 25-year maturity.

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Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented J.P. Morgan, Barclays and UBS Investment Bank as joint-book running managers and the other underwriters in connection with the initial public offering of 31 million ordinary shares of CHC Group Ltd., the world’s largest commercial operator of helicopters, resulting in gross proceeds of $310 million. More >>

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised Ariston Thermo Benelux S.A., based in Belgium, on the establishment of a US$150 million Private Shelf Facility and its issuance of US$50 million Series A Senior Notes due November 5, 2020. More >>

On January 30, 2014, Zynga, the world’s leading provider of social game services, announced its purchase of UK game-maker NaturalMotion for $527 million in cash and equity. NaturalMotion—a longtime client of the firm’s—is best known for its mobile gaming successes such as Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing game, which is currently among the top 100 highest-grossing mobile apps.

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Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has represented underwriters Citigroup, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank Securities, and BTG Pactual S.A. in the $829 million secondary offering by Banco de Chile (NYSE: BCH), one of Chile’s largest banks.

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Axinn was global coordinating antitrust counsel to Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (“Thermo Fisher”) in its $13.6 billion acquisition of Life Technologies Corporation.

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Linklaters LLP acted for The Bank of Nova Scotia, as lender, in connection with a US$22.5m bilateral loan to OPP Film, S.A., a Peruvian industrial company.  The proceeds of the loan will be used by the borrower to refinance existing debt.  The transaction closed on January 20, 2014.

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Linklaters LLP represented Corporacion Andina de Fomento, a Latin American multilateral development bank, in connection with a US$237.5m A/B structured loan under New York law to Pan American Energy LLC, Argentine Branch, the second largest producer of oil and gas in Argentina. The B Loan tranche was participated by CAF to a syndicate of lenders, comprised of ICBC, Credit Agricole, Natixis and Banco Itaú. The proceeds of the loan will be used by the borrower to fund capital expenditures in connection with the continued development and production of the Cerro Dragon block in the Argentine provinces of Chubut and Santa Cruz. The transaction closed on January 24, 2014.

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