Katten Muchin Rosenman UK LLP announced today that corporate and commercial law attorney Philip Watkins will join Katten’s Corporate practice together with a team of associates. The group follows the recent hires of hospitality and leisure specialist Robert Asher, and leading hedge fund and private equity attorney Barry Breen, who both joined Katten late last year.

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Dentons Kyiv acted as Ukrainian legal counsel to Black Sea Trade and Development Bank in connection with the committed trade finance facility to Public Joint-Stock Company “Bank Vostok”.

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Simpson Thacher represented the underwriters, led by Barclays, J.P. Morgan and RBS, in connection with a registered public offering by Mondelez International, Inc. (f/k/a Kraft Foods Inc.) of $400 million of its Floating Rate Notes due 2019, $850 million of its 2.250% Notes due 2019 and $1.75 billion of its 4.000% Notes due 2024, amounting to $3 billion of new notes. The offering closed on January 16, 2014.

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On January 15, it was announced that Brown & Brown, Inc. has entered into a merger agreement to acquire Willkie client The Wright Insurance Group, LLC for $602.5 million. Wright’s principal owner is Aquiline Capital Partners. The deal is expected to bring to Brown & Brown a substantial presence in the national flood insurance program (NFIP) and a premier service provider for government-sponsored insurance programs and proprietary national and regional programs.

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International law firm Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, acted as counsel to Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley in connection with their respective senior secured financing commitments and the subsequent definitive bank financing documentation for the acquisition by Warburg Pincus and General Atlantic of a 50 percent stake in a holding company that integrated Santander’s Asset Management businesses.  The remaining 50 percent continues to be owned by Banco Santander.

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O’Melveny & Myers LLP represented Exar Corporation, a leading provider of high-performance analog mixed-signal and data management solutions, in its acquisition of Stretch, Inc., which provides software configurable processors supporting the video surveillance market. The transaction closed on January 14, 2014. More >>

Global law firm Proskauer represented Italy’s utility company Enel in connection with its offering of hybrid Capital Securities due 2075 in reliance on Regulation S for an aggregate principal amount of €1.6 billion. The offering consisted of a €1 billion tranche, initially bearing interest at the rate of five percent, and a £500 million tranche, initially bearing interest at 6.625 percent.

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Baker & McKenzie is acting for US-based Platinum Equity on its first acquisition in Australia –  the $500m purchase of a 70% stake in Sensis from Telstra. Platinum Equity is a global mergers & acquisitions & operations firm.

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Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented Hatfield Philips International Limited on the sale of the so-called Margaux portfolio out of the Titan Europe CMBS-securitization for a purchase price of €268 million. Hatfield Philips International Limited acts as special servicer on the Titan Europe CMBS loan. IN-WEST Partners GmbH managed the purchase and also co-invested alongside the purchasing institutional investors. The portfolio comprises of ca. 8,500 residential units mainly located in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Neuss, Leipzig, Halle und Gotha.

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Cravath represented the European Investment Bank in connection with its US$4.5 billion registered debt offering. The European Investment Bank is a long‑term financing institution of the European Union. The notes were listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. The transaction closed on January 14, 2014.

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