Alston & Bird Adds Former White House Privacy Czar as Senior Counsel

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Alston & Bird has expanded its Privacy & Data Security Practice with the addition of former White House privacy official Peter Swire as Senior Counsel.

Swire was President Clinton’s Chief Counselor for Privacy in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. He was one of five members of President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology, formed in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations regarding surveillance activities by the U.S. National Security Agency. The Report of the Review Group received widespread public attention and was re-published as a book by the Princeton University Press. More >>

Tags:  Alston & Bird LLP | Washington

Quinn Emanuel To Open Seattle Office Led by Former U.S. Attorney and Cyber Law Expert

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The firm announced that it is opening an office in Seattle, Washington, headed by former U.S. Attorney, Jenny Durkan. She will serve as Global Chair of the Cyber Law and Privacy Group, and join the firm’s White Collar & Corporate Investigations practice. She will be joined by John (“Jay”) Neukom, a partner from the firm’s San Francisco Office. More >>

Tags:  Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP | Seattle

Wilson Elser’s 27th U.S. Office Opens in Edwardsville, IL

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

National law firm Wilson Elser announced the opening of its 27th U.S. office located in Edwardsville, Illinois, Madison County, expanding the firm’s national footprint and its presence in the Midwest.

Edwardsville is the seventh office the firm has opened in the past four years. It serves Southern Illinois, St. Louis and clients throughout the Midwest region. More >>

Tags:  Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP | Edwardsville

Simpson Thacher Represents Initial Purchasers in $600 Million Offering of Convertible Preferred Stock by WMI Holdings Corp.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Simpson Thacher represented Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and KKR Capital Markets LLC in their role as initial purchasers in the recent $600 million offering by WMI Holdings Corp. of shares of its 3.00% Series B Convertible Preferred Stock. The offering was conducted in reliance on Rule 144A. The net proceeds from the offering are expected to be used by WMI to explore and fund acquisitions and related expenses. More >>

Tags:  Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | New York

Shearman & Sterling Advises on Cott’s $625 Million Senior Notes Offering in Connection with Cott’s Acquisition of DSS Group, Inc.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Shearman & Sterling represented Barclays Capital Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as joint bookrunning managers, in connection with a Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of $625 million aggregate principal amount of 6.75% Senior Notes due 2020 of Cott Beverages Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cott Corporation. The offering was used to finance Cott Corporation’s acquisition of DSS Group, Inc., parent company of DS Services of America, Inc., a leading water and coffee direct-to-consumer services provider in the United States. More >>

Tags:  Shearman & Sterling LLP | Palo Alto | Toronto

Ropes & Gray Counsels Dunkin’ Brands on $2.4 Billion Whole-Company Securitization

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Ropes & Gray is advising Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. on the planned refinancing of its senior secured credit facility with a new $2.4 billion securitized financing facility. The new facility is expected to be comprised of $2.3 billion of senior fixed-rate term notes and $100 million of variable funding notes. Dunkin’ Brands is the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins. The offering was announced Jan. 6 and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015. More >>

Tags:  Ropes & Gray LLP | Boston

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP Continues National Growth with Addition of Janis Meyer

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

The national law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP announced that Janis M. Meyer will join its New York office as a partner in the Lawyers for the Profession® practice group, effective January 1, 2015. Ms. Meyer will focus her practice on professional responsibility, legal ethics, risk management, human resources and insurance matters.

Prior to joining Hinshaw, Ms. Meyer was a partner and General Counsel at Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP, and subsequently served as a member of its Wind-Down Committee, overseeing the bankruptcy filing in 2012 and the wind-down of the firm. She has continued to serve as a consultant to the Dewey & LeBoeuf Liquidation Trust. More >>

Tags:  Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP | New York

Burr & Forman Continues Fort Lauderdale Expansion With New Commercial Litigation Partner

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Burr & Forman LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Laurence S. Litow as a partner in the firm’s Fort Lauderdale office and a member of the Commercial Litigation practice group. He was previously a partner with Roetzel & Andress. Litow’s arrival follows the firm’s recent relocation to a larger office in Fort Lauderdale to accommodate the growth of the firm’s South Florida practice since the office opened in 2012. More >>

Tags:  Burr & Forman LLP | Fort Lauderdale

Andrew Brady, Formerly of the SEC, Joins Akin Gump

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Akin Gump today announced that Andrew J. Brady, a former special counsel in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s Office of Chief Counsel of the Division of Corporation Finance, has joined the firm as a corporate partner in its Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Brady comes to Akin Gump from Skadden Arps, where he served as a primary point of contact on complex matters arising under various securities regulations and the listing standards of the major stock markets. More >>

Tags:  Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP | Washington