The Firm represented BRF – Brasil Foods S.A. (formerly named Perdigão S.A.) in connection with its $500 million dual-currency loan facility comprised of a $454 million Dollar tranche and a $46 million-equivalent Euro tranche. The loan facility was led by Morgan Stanley, Santander and HSBC. Other banks involved included Banco Bradesco, Banco do Brasil, The Bank of Nova Scotia, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, ING Bank, Mizuho Corporate Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Rabobank Curaçao, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, BNP Paribas, Bank of China, Bank of Taiwan, Mega International Commercial Bank, United Taiwan Bank and Deutsche Bank.

The Firm is representing Goldman, Sachs & Co. as financial advisor to Hologic, Inc, in its acquisition of Gen-Probe Incorporated.  Under the terms of the agreement, Hologic will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Gen-Probe for $82.75 per share in cash, or a total enterprise value at approximately $3.7 billion.  The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2012, subject to customary closing conditions.

The global law firm Jones Day has announced that Ira White joined the firm on May 1, 2012 in New York as a partner in the Private Equity Practice. He was previously a partner with Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP in New York, where he served as U.S. Co-Chair of the Private Equity Transactions Group.

Proskauer served as legal counsel to Ascena Retail Group in its pending $890 million purchase of Charming Shoppes, Inc.

Davis Polk advised Stockbridge Real Estate Funds in connection with a $300 million construction financing arranged by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as lead arranger, with Keycorp Real Estate Capital Markets, Inc., as administrative and disbursement agent, for the renovation and repositioning of the Sahara Hotel & Casino (to be renamed the SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas) by a joint venture between the Stockbridge Funds and an affiliate of SBE Entertainment Group, LLC.

Shearman & Sterling advised J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners in connection with a $2 billion five year revolving credit facility for News America Incorporated.

Private equity firm Centerbridge Partners announced today an agreement with P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Inc., a restaurant chain, to take the company private in a leveraged buyout deal valued at $1.1 billion. Global law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges was counsel to Centerbridge on the transaction.

A New York law firm has hired partner Stuart M. Saft to direct the firm’s real estate practice.

Pillsbury today announced that Henry Liu, a long-time U.S. and Chinese-qualified corporate and finance lawyer, has joined the firm’s Finance practice. Liu, who was formerly a partner in DLA Piper’s Corporate & Finance practice, will primarily work in Pillsbury’s New York office and will spend a significant portion of his time in the firm’s Shanghai office. Starting today, he will also serve as leader of Pillsbury’s Financial Institutions & Infrastructure Teams for Greater China and Asia.

Shearman & Sterling represented the syndicate of banks underwriting the 3.66 billion reais (US$1.95 billion) initial public offering of equity securities by Banco BTG Pactual, the Brazilian investment bank. The offering was the biggest initial public offering for an investment bank in two years and one of the largest IPO’s globally in 2012, as well as the largest Brazilian financial institution IPO since the 2009 IPO of Banco Santander (Brasil), to which Shearman & Sterling also served as underwriters’ counsel.