Atlanta partner Rusty Pickering with assistance from Washington, DC, associate Peter Strand and Atlanta associate Brad Burman recently assisted Superior International Industries in its sale to private equity firm Pfingsten Partners, LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Shearman & Sterling advised alstria office REIT-AG (alstria), a German REIT-corporation listed in the Regulated Market (Regulierter Markt) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S-DAX), on the implementation of a capital increase and an offering of a total of 28,200,000 alstria-shares, including 18,200,000 shares (2,200,000 greenshoe shares) from the holdings of alstria’s majority shareholder Captiva.

Shearman & Sterling is representing Cals Refineries Ltd in the US$417 million acquisition of Cenco and Atas oil refinery assets from the Hardt Group.

Cooley LLP announced it achieved a significant victory yesterday in a securities case in the Third Circuit on behalf of Clifford Chance LLP.   An important securities litigation victory for law firms, the Third Circuit held that, under the Supreme Court’s decisions in Central Bank and Stoneridge, public attribution for a secondary actor’s actions is required to invoke the fraud-on the-market presumption of reliance in a 10(b) scheme liability action.

Paul, Hastings Janofsky & Walker LLP, a leading global law firm, announced that the firm advised Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a provider of products and services for United States national security, in the private offering by the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, Acquisition Co. Lanza Parent, of $285 million aggregate principal amount of its 10% Senior Secured Notes due 2017.

A team of lawyers from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP represented eBay in its $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commerce, a leading provider of ecommerce and interactive marketing services. The acquisition, which will be financed with cash and debt, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011.

Simpson Thacher is representing Oak Hill Capital Partners (“Oak Hill Capital”) in its investment in SWS Group, Inc. (“SWS Group”).  Oak Hill Capital and another investor, Hilltop Holdings Inc. (“Hilltop”), each agreed to invest in SWS Group through a $50 million loan, and SWS Group agreed to issue each of Hilltop and Oak Hill Capital a warrant to purchase common shares of SWS Group.

Ballard Spahr is representing Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) in its acquisition of Gemin X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for $225 million in an all-cash deal that augments Cephalon’s portfolio of cancer therapeutics. Cephalon will pay up to an additional $300 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones. The companies have signed a definitive merger agreement. Closing is subject to customary closing conditions.

Ballard Spahr is representing Cephalon, Inc. (Nasdaq: CEPH) in its acquisition of Gemin X Pharmaceuticals, Inc., for $225 million in an all-cash deal that augments Cephalon’s portfolio of cancer therapeutics. Cephalon will pay up to an additional $300 million upon the achievement of certain regulatory and sales milestones. The companies have signed a definitive merger agreement. Closing is subject to customary closing conditions.