Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has expanded its Investment Management Practice with the addition of Stacy H. Louizos as a partner residing in the New York City office. More >>

International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP is pleased to announce that Matt Barr has joined the Firm’s New York office as a partner to play an active leadership role in its market-leading global Business Finance & Restructuring Practice. Mr. Barr has extensive experience representing debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, bondholders, ad hoc groups, private equity funds, acquirers of assets, and major stakeholders in chapter 11 reorganization cases and out-of-court restructurings both in the United States and internationally. More >>

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy has represented a group of international banks acting as initial purchasers in an offering of fixed-rate notes issued by Mexico’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) guaranteed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

The international bank group consisted of Citigroup, Crédit Agricole and Santander. The series of $525 million fixed-rate notes due 2025 was priced with an interest rate of 2.460% per annum. More >>

Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm, today announced the expansion of the Latin America & the Caribbean Practice with the addition of partner Arturo Banegas Masiá in New York. He builds upon the firm’s strengths in cross-border transactions across the U.S. and Latin America, particularly within the heavily regulated financial services and telecommunications sectors.

“As a bilingual, dual-licensed lawyer, Arturo will help our clients effectively achieve their cross-border business objectives,” said Carlos Méndez-Peñate, co-chair of Akerman’s Latin American & the Caribbean Practice. “His extensive knowledge of structuring transactions will help to protect our clients’ investments throughout Latin America.” More >>

National law firm Wilson Elser is pleased to announce that Joseph J. Ceccarelli has joined the firm’s New York City office as a partner. Ceccarelli was a founding and managing partner of Ceccarelli Weprin PLLC, specializing in business and commercial real estate litigation and transactional work. He also served as treasurer for now State Assemblyman David I. Weprin during four consecutive successful election campaigns for Finance Committee Chair of the New York City Council from 2002 through 2009.

“Joe is a welcome addition to our New York City office and our national commercial services team,” said Partner Thomas Manisero, chair of the firm’s Commercial Services practice. “His experience handling complex commercial transactional and litigation matters will benefit our clients across all industries. His particular specialty in commercial real estate enables us to bolster our capabilities in one of the city’s thriving business sectors.” More >>

Goulston & Storrs is pleased to announce that Stephen Schweiger has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice in its New York office. Stephen joins the firm as a Director and will co-chair the firm’s Real Estate Capital Markets/Debt group along with Directors Adam Curry and James Lerner.

Stephen joins Goulston & Storrs from Riemer & Braunstein LLP. His practice focuses on representing financial institutions in connection with construction, mezzanine and permanent financing projects and credit enhancement for the issuance of taxable and tax exempt bonding. With extensive experience in the complexities of the New York lien law, Stephen is also well-versed in the workout and resolution of problem loans on national, local and regional levels, as we as commercial real estate conveyancing and leasing transactions. More >>

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 >>

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 >>

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 >>

McDermott Will & Emery announced today that Christen Douglas has joined the Firm’s Private Client Group as a partner in the New York office. She was previously a senior associate at another AmLaw 100 law firm.

Ms. Douglas’s practice includes trust and estate planning, administration and litigation. She counsels individuals and families with respect to estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer taxation, family business succession and philanthropic planning. She also works closely with individual and corporate fiduciaries in administering trusts and estates. More >>