Hunton & Williams LLP announces John T. O’Connor has joined the firm’s corporate practice as a partner in its New York office. John began his career at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, where he was a partner in the corporate group for 13 years. While at Milbank, John focused on mergers & acquisitions, private equity and securities matters. He has extensive industry experience in the energy and banking and financial services sectors.

Sills Cummis & Gross P.C. is pleased to announce that, John T. Gallagher, Michael R. Leighton, Paul M. Sayegh and Jonathan Young recently joined the Firm.

Shearman & Sterling represented lead managers BB Securities, Citigroup Global Markets, Itau BBA USA Securities, JP Morgan Securities, Morgan Stanley and Santander Investment Securities, all acting as joint bookrunners, and Banco Votorantim Nassau Branch, and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities, acting as co-managers, in connection with an SEC registered issuance by Petroleo Brasileiro, or Petrobras, and its wholly owned finance company of a record U.S.$7 billion in debt securities, the largest one-time debt offering ever by a Latin American issuer and among the largest debt offerings to date in 2012.

Davis Polk advised Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Mizuho Securities USA Inc., Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC as underwriters in connection with a public offering by International Business Machines Corporation of $1.5 billion principal amount of its 0.55% notes due 2015 and $1 billion principal amount of its 1.25% notes due 2017.

Davis Polk advised Citigroup Global Markets Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as joint book-running managers on the registered offering of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 2.45% notes due 2022 by Praxair, Inc.

Davis Polk advised Corel Corporation on its acquisition of the Roxio business from Rovi Corporation. The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Davis Polk advised Grupo Aval Acciones y Valores S.A. in connection with its debut global offering of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2017. The notes were issued by Grupo Aval’s wholly owned finance subsidiary, Grupo Aval Limited, and guaranteed by Grupo Aval. The notes were offered pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S under the United States Securities Act of 1933.

Covington & Burling represented Moelis & Company, financial advisor to Amgen, in its cash acquisition of Micromet, Inc. in a deal valued at approximately $1.16 billion.

The international law firm of Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP is pleased to announce that Steven B. Smith has joined the firm as a partner in its Restructuring & Insolvency Department. Smith will base his practice in the firm’s office in New York.

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP today announced that Greg D. Andres, a federal prosecutor and senior official with the U.S. Department of Justice, will rejoin the firm in New York. Mr. Andres will join Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, where he will work with the firm’s top-ranked White Collar Criminal Defense Group and represent clients in both civil and criminal trials.