Shearman & Sterling represented BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated and The Bank Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd. as joint lead arrangers and joint book managers in connection with a $13 billion financing, a $4.334 million 364-day credit facility, a $4.333 million 3-year credit facility and a $4.333 million 5-year credit facility for Toyota Motor Credit Corporation and some of its affiliates.

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Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that Rob Kovacev, a former senior litigation counsel in the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Tax Division, has joined the firm as a partner.  Mr. Kovacev’s arrival continues the expansion of Steptoe’s Tax Group, which welcomed partner Bob Rizzi in October.

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Vedder Price is pleased to announce that Scott H. Olson has joined the firm’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights practice group today as a Shareholder in the firm’s San Francisco office.

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Global law firm Reed Smith advised Wilmington Trust and Eurosail-UK 2007-5NP plc in the extensive restructuring of the £662 million residential mortgaged-backed securitisation (“RMBS”) originally arranged by Lehman Brothers.

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Kirkland & Ellis International LLP represented Vitruvian Partners, an independent private equity firm, in the successful closing of Vitruvian Investment Partnership II, with total commitments of £1 billion. The fund was oversubscribed and closed at its self-imposed hard cap.

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Hunton & Williams LLP advised Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, RBS Securities Inc. and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., as joint-booking running managers on an SEC registered offering by Alabama Power of $300 million aggregate principal amount of Series 2013A Senior Notes due December 1, 2023.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company, provides reliable, affordable electricity to more than 1.4 million people across the State of Alabama.

www.hunton.com

Cravath represented the underwriters, led by BofA Merrill Lynch, Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities and RBS, in connection with the US$3.5 billion registered debt offering of Johnson  & Johnson, a company engaged in the manufacturing and sale of a broad range of products in the healthcare field. The transaction closed on December 5, 2013.

The Cravath team included partner Craig F. Arcella and associates Andy Ham and Thomas K. Wiesner III. Cameron S. Stanton also worked on this matter.

www.cravath.com

Cahill represented the joint book-running managers and co-managers in connection with the public offering of $1,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 2.750% Senior Guaranteed Notes due 2017 by Ally Financial Inc. Proceeds from the offering were used for general corporate purposes and to redeem certain outstanding debt securities.

www.cahill.com

The acquisition, contingent on the approval by antitrust authorities and a minimum acceptance level of 95% of the shares, will boost Merck’s offering of specialty chemicals to the electronics industry.

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As reported widely in the press, on November 26 Willkie client Men’s Wearhouse announced that it has proposed to acquire all of the outstanding shares of men’s apparel retailer Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. common stock for $55 per share or approximately $1.54 billion in cash. The proposed combination would create the premier men’s apparel retailer with enhanced scale and a broadened customer reach.

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