Gowlings Advises CNOOC Limited in its US $2.1 Billion Cross-Border Offer to Acquire Canadian Oil Sands Producer OPTI

Thursday, July 21, 2011
CNOOC Limited, China’s largest producer of offshore crude oil and natural gas and one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies in the world, announced that CNOOC Luxembourg s.à r.l, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of the CNOOC Limited, had entered into an arrangement agreement to acquire OPTI Canada Inc., a Calgary-based company focused on developing major oil sands projects in Canada.

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Tags:  Gowling WLG

Katten Expands Environmental and Legislative Practice, Landing Renowned Attorneys Chuck Knauss and Shannon Broome in Washington Office

Thursday, July 21, 2011
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP is pleased to announce that Chuck Knauss has joined the firm as co-chair of its Environmental Practice and Shannon Broome has joined as chair of the Air Quality and Climate Change Practice. Mr. Knauss, based in Katten’s Washington office, joins the firm from the Washington office of Bingham McCutchen LLP. Ms. Broome has been in private practice for the last 10 years while serving as Executive Director of a trade coalition, the Air Permitting Forum, and was previously manager of General Electric’s domestic and international air quality programs. She will split her time between Washington and California’s Bay Area. Mr. Knauss and Ms. Broome are nationally recognized authorities on the Clean Air Act and a range of environmental and energy laws, and bring substantial legislative experience to the firm.

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Tags:  Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP | Los Angeles

McGuireWoods Expands Debt Finance Department in Charlotte

Thursday, July 21, 2011
McGuireWoods LLP announced today the addition of four partners to its debt finance practice group in Charlotte. Attorneys Eric Burk, Jim Hedrick, David Lapp and Kent Walker, from the Charlotte office of Winston & Strawn LLP, will expand McGuireWoods’ debt capital markets depth and capabilities by continuing their representation of clients in a variety of syndicated finance and corporate lending matters.

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Clifford Chance Advises on First Limited-Recourse Project Financing of Gas-fired Combined Cycle Power Plant in Turkey

Thursday, July 21, 2011
The international law firm Clifford Chance advised Yeni Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. on the closing of a limited-recourse US$700 million loan facility and US$80 million letter of guarantee facility to finance the development and construction of an 865 megawatt gas-fired combined cycle power plant to be established at Gebze, 60 km outside of Istanbul, Turkey, as well as the negotiation of the construction and maintenance agreements for the plant.  The project is the first true limited-recourse financing of a gas-fired combined cycle power plant in the Turkish merchant power market.

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Tags:  Clifford Chance LLP

Freshfields advises Ontario Teachers’ on Brussels, Copenhagen and Sydney airport asset swap with MAp

Thursday, July 21, 2011
International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan , the largest single-profession pension plan in Canada with over C$100 billion in assets, on its acquisition of MAp’s interests in Brussels and Copenhagen airports in return for a sale by Teachers’ to MAp of its interests in Sydney airport and a balancing payment of approximately A$790 million.

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Tags:  Freshfields LLP

McGuireWoods Expands Debt Finance Department in Charlotte

Thursday, July 21, 2011
McGuireWoods LLP announced today the addition of four partners to its debt finance practice group in Charlotte. Attorneys Eric Burk, Jim Hedrick, David Lapp and Kent Walker, from the Charlotte office of Winston & Strawn LLP, will expand McGuireWoods’ debt capital markets depth and capabilities by continuing their representation of clients in a variety of syndicated finance and corporate lending matters.

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Tags:  McGuireWoods LLP

McDermott Advises Valassis in $400 Million Refinancing of Senior Secured Credit Facility

Wednesday, July 20, 2011
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery LLP today announced that it successfully represented Valassis Communications, Inc. (NYSE: VCI), one of the nation’s leading media and marketing services companies, in connection with the refinancing of its senior secured credit facility.  Valassis obtained a $400 million senior secured credit facility arranged by J.P. Morgan, Merrill Lynch and Royal Bank of Scotland. The facilities consist of a $300 million Term Loan A and a $100 million revolving line of credit.

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Tags:  McDermott Will & Emery LLP