Holland & Knight Expands Real Estate Practice in Boston

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Holland & Knight announced today that real estate lawyers Frank Stearns and Nadya Makenko have joined the firm’s Boston office as partner and senior counsel respectively. They previously were with K&L Gates.

Mr. Stearns has almost 30 years of experience advising a broad range of clients in commercial real estate developments and managing the permitting, financing and development of office, residential and other commercial development projects. He also manages national leasing assignments for technology companies. His clients include developers, institutional investors, buyers, sellers, financial institutions, hospitals, landlords, tenants and others involved in real estate and business transactions. He has worked extensively with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on environmental permitting and liability issues, and has managed large-scale brownfield developments. More >>

Tags:  Holland & Knight LLP | Boston

Theodore T. Eidukas Joins Quarles & Brady Energy Practice Group

Monday, July 27, 2015

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that Theodore T. Eidukas has joined the firm’s Chicago office as a partner in its Energy Practice Group.

Eidukas’ practice focuses on utility regulatory and complex commercial litigation matters, representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including trials, appellate arguments, motion practice, depositions, and other discovery. More >>

Tags:  Quarles & Brady LLP | Chicago

Akerman Expands National Labor & Employment Practice with Litigators Pete Morrison and John Roache in Chicago

Monday, July 27, 2015

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced the expansion of its Labor & Employment Practice Group with partners John “Pete” Morrison and John Roache in Chicago. Together they bring complementary practices counseling and defending multistate and international employers in all types of employment litigation, including class and collective actions. Morrison and Roache also enhance the firm’s significant experience in wage and hour claims, employment discrimination, non-compete and trade secret issues. More >>

Tags:  Akerman LLP | Chicago

Synchrony Financial’s $1.0 Billion Senior Notes Offering

Monday, July 27, 2015

Davis Polk advised the several underwriters in connection with Synchrony Financial’s SEC-registered offering of $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 4.500% senior notes due 2025.

Based in Stamford, Connecticut, Synchrony Financial is one of the premier consumer financial services companies in the United States. Synchrony Financial’s roots in consumer finance trace back to 1932, and today it is the largest provider of private label credit cards in the United States based on purchase volume and receivables. Synchrony Financial provides a range of credit products to finance the purchase of goods and services through programs it has established with a diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and health care service providers. More >>

Tags:  New York

Lana Sims IV Joins Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd’s Greenville Office

Monday, July 27, 2015

Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. is pleased to announce the addition of Lana H. Sims IV in the Greenville office.

Mr. Sims focuses his practice on commercial real estate and financial transactions, as well as real estate and commercial litigation. Mr. Sims has experience in drafting and negotiating purchase and sale agreements, deeds, mortgages, commercial leases, and other real estate documents. He also advises commercial lenders with regard to asset-based lending, construction financing, real estate financing, and equipment financing. In his litigation practice, he has had the opportunity to represent local businesses, homeowners’ associations, and community banks as well as national lenders and title insurance companies. In transactional matters, Mr. Sims draws from his banking and real estate litigation experience in advising lenders, developers, property owners, and businesses on practices to avoid real estate and commercial disputes down the road. More >>

Tags:  Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd P.A. | Greenville

Goulston & Storrs Welcomes Jason Dunn as Real Estate Director in Boston

Friday, July 24, 2015

Goulston & Storrs is pleased to announce that Jason Dunn has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice in its Boston office. Jason joins the firm as a Director.

Joining Goulston & Storrs from Ropes & Gray LLP, Jason has a wide-ranging practice that encompasses all aspects of commercial real estate, with a focus on representing domestic and foreign institutional clients in equity and debt investments in North American real estate and infrastructure through funds, joint ventures and REITs. Through his representation of tax-exempt and foreign investors, Jason has experience with tax and ERISA transaction structures. Other aspects of Jason’s commercial real estate practice include acquisitions and dispositions, occupancy and ground leases, sale-leasebacks, development and financing. More >>

Tags:  Goulston & Storrs PC | Boston

Simpson Thacher Represents the Dealers in Connection with the Update of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s $50 Billion Medium Term Notes Program and Senior Notes Offering Thereunder

Friday, July 24, 2015

Simpson Thacher recently represented the dealers in connection with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation’s (“SMBC”) update of its US$50 billion Global Medium Term Notes Program and the offering of US$3 billion of senior notes thereunder. The senior notes were guaranteed by SMBC’s New York branch and offered and sold in reliance on the exemption from SEC registration provided in Section 3(a)(2) of the Securities Act. SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Limited, Barclays Bank PLC, Barclays Capital Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Merrill Lynch International, Nomura Securities International, Inc. and SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. are dealers under the program. Goldman, Sachs & Co., SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Barclays Capital Inc. and Nomura Securities International, Inc. acted as the representatives for the offering of the senior notes. More >>

Tags:  Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | Tokyo

Hudson’s Bay Company, Simon Property Group Announce Closing of $1.8 Billion Joint Venture

Friday, July 24, 2015

Willkie represents HBC in formation of a real estate-focused joint venture.

On July 22, Willkie client Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), owner of Saks Fifth Avenue and other leading department stores, and Simon Property Group Inc., a major retail real estate owner, announced they have closed the formation of a joint venture focused on credit tenant, net-leased and multi-tenanted retail buildings in the United States and internationally. More >>

Tags:  New York

Distinguished Trademark Attorney, Jennifer Fraser, Joins Dykema’s Washington, D.C., Office

Friday, July 24, 2015

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced the addition of Jennifer Fraser to its Intellectual Property Practice Group as a Member in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Prior to joining Dykema, she served as Co-Chair of Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP’s national trademark and copyright practice, working out of its Washington, D.C., office.

Fraser represents clients in matters involving trademark procurement and protection as well as trademark and copyright litigation. Her practice focuses on the selection, use and enforcement of trademarks, including managing global brand portfolios, litigating rights before courts and administrative tribunals such as Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and resolving domain name and Internet-related IP disputes. More >>

Tags:  Dykema Gossett PLLC | Washington

Cigna’s $54.2 Billion Merger with Anthem

Friday, July 24, 2015

On July 24, 2015, Anthem, Inc. and Cigna Corporation announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Anthem will acquire all outstanding shares of Cigna in a cash and stock transaction and Cigna shareholders will receive $103.40 in cash and 0.5152 Anthem common shares for each Cigna common share. The total per share consideration equates to approximately $188 for each Cigna share based on Anthem’s unaffected closing share price on May 28, 2015, valuing the transaction at approximately $54.2 billion on an enterprise basis. Cravath represented Cigna in connection with this transaction. More >>

Tags:  New York