International law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has advised private equity firm Permira on Cargill’s EUR 1.5 billion offer to acquire Provimi, a world leader in animal nutrition. Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services.

The Firm represented Goldman, Sachs & Co. as the sole underwriter in the public offering of $2 billion of debt securities of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (“Berkshire”), consisting of $750,000,000 of 2.20% Senior Notes due 2016, $500,000,000 of 3.75% Senior Notes due 2021 and $750,000,000 of Floating Rate Senior Notes due 2014.

In August of 2011, the international restructuring of the debt portfolio for Donetsksteel, a well-known Ukrainian finance and industrial group, for USD 820 million was successfully completed. More than 35 international and Ukrainian banks were among the group’s creditors.

Mayer Brown, a leading global law firm, announced today that it will open a new office in Duesseldorf at the beginning of 2012. The new office will focus initially on corporate, real estate and antitrust matters.

A multi-disciplinary team at Clyde & Co has advised Kolkata based WPIL, which has over 50 years experience in designing and manufacturing pumping systems, on its acquisition of Mathers Foundry Limited, a leading supplier of top quality steel sand castings based in Manchester.

Davis Polk is advising Qatalyst Partners LP as financial adviser to Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. in connection with its acquisition by Google Inc. The definitive agreement for the transaction provides that Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for $40.00 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $12.5 billion. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of 2011 or early 2012.

On 12 August 2011 a San Francisco judge refused to certify an expansive class action against California power, telecommunications, and cable companies, handing a victory to Hogan Lovells client, the California Cable and Telecommunications Association (CCTA).