On October 30, 2013, a U.K. and a U.S. affiliate of Rolls-Royce plc jointly issued $700 million of their senior secured notes in five series (comprised of fixed and floating rate notes) to a group of 21 institutional investors, including New York Life, MetLife, TIAA-CREF and Prudential, among others. Willkie represented the investors in connection with the private placement.

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Pryor Cashman LLP is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Alberts has joined the firm as a partner and leader of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice.  He joins Pryor Cashman from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he served for six years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division and played a key role in the Asset Forfeiture Unit.

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Cravath represented Lazard in connection with its US$500 million registered offering of senior notes due 2020. Lazard is one of the world’s preeminent financial advisory and asset management firms. The transaction closed on November 14, 2013.

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Holland & Knight represented Eletson Holdings, who with funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, formed a new joint venture, Eletson Gas, a $700 million liquefied petroleum (LPG)/ liquefied ethylene (LEG) gas shipping company. Eletson Gas will have one of the world’s newest and largest LPG/LEG fleets, majority-owned by Eletson and operated and managed by Eletson Holdings subsidiaries.  New York partner Jovi Tenev led the Holland & Knight team in the representation.

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Davis Polk is advising Telecom Italia S.p.A. on its $960 million sale of its entire controlling interest in Telecom Argentina to Fintech Telecom LLC, an affiliate of Fintech Advisory, Inc.

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The Firm represented the underwriters, led by Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, HSBC and J.P. Morgan as joint book-running managers, in connection with an offering by Philip Morris International Inc. of $750 million of 1.875% Notes due 2019, $500 million of 3.600% Notes due 2023 and $750 million of 4.875% Notes due 2043. The notes were sold in a public offering and will be listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

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Shearman & Sterling represented Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, the largest bank in Costa Rica, in connection with its 144A/Regulation S offering of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.875% Senior Notes due 2018 and $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.250% Senior Notes due 2023. This is Banco Nacional de Costa Rica’s first issuance of securities in the international capital markets.

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Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that it represented Fresnillo plc, the world’s largest silver miner and one of the world’s largest precious metals miners, in connection with its inaugural international issuance of debt securities. Fresnillo is a U.K. organized, FTSE 100 company, with operations primarily in Mexico. The five times oversubscribed offering involved the issuance of US$800 million of 5.500% Senior Notes due 2023 pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S. The underwriters involved were Citigroup, Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan.

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Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP announced today that prominent trial lawyer John P. “Sean” Coffey will join the firm on December 1, 2013 as a partner in New York, where he will serve as the firm’s chair of complex litigation.

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Cravath represented the initial purchasers, Citigroup, BofA Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, Jefferies, and J.P. Morgan Securities, in connection with the US$640 million 144A/Reg. S high‑yield senior debt offering of Level 3 Financing, Inc., guaranteed by Level 3 Communications, Inc., a facilities‑based provider of a broad range of integrated communications systems. The transaction closed on November 14, 2013.

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