Smith, Gambrell & Russell announced today that six attorneys have joined the firm’s New York office from Fox Rothschild LLP: Joseph M. Pastore III, William M. Dailey, Paul R. Dehmel, Michael A. Zamat, Leanne Murray Shofi and Jennifer R. Shufro.

David Burton has joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a partner in the firm’s tax and project finance and renewable energy practices.

New York, NY. International law firm Nixon Peabody LLP has expanded its Tax Credit Finance and Syndication practice in New York City with the arrival of two partners Alan S. Cohen and Mark A. Kreitman, associate Amy Curry, and paralegal George Steiner. Mr. Cohen and Mr. Kreitman most recently led Paul Hastings’ affordable housing tax credit practice.

O’Melveny & Myers LLP announced today that Timothy M. Clark has joined the Firm as a partner in the Investment Funds and Securitization Practice.  Clark is based in O’Melveny’s New York office.

Chadbourne & Parke represented a syndicate of nine banks in connection with a $1 billion guaranteed three-year revolving credit agreement for Mexican industrial group Mexichem, SAB de CV.

Davis Polk is advising Murphy Oil Corporation in connection with the sale by its wholly owned subsidiary, Murphy Oil USA, Inc., of its refinery in Meraux, Louisiana, and related assets, to a subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation for a sale price of $325 million plus the value of hydrocarbon inventory. The hydrocarbon inventory will be valued based on market prices at closing (the inventory is currently valued at approximately $300 million). The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Davis Polk advised PepsiCo, Inc. on its registered offering of $500 million aggregate principal amount of 0.8% senior notes due 2014 and $750 million aggregate principal amount of 3.0% senior notes due 2021. BNP Paribas Securities Corp., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

Davis Polk advised VF Corporation on the filing of its automatic shelf registration statement and on an SEC-registered debt shelf takedown of $900 million aggregate principal amount of its notes, including $500 million of its 3.5% fixed-rate notes due 2021 and $400 million of its floating-rate notes due 2013. BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan acted as representatives of the several underwriters for the offering.

The firm is advising Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE: OCR) on its proposed acquisition of PharMerica Corporation (NYSE: PMC) for US$15 per share of PharMerica common stock.  The proposed transaction is valued at approximately US$716 million.

Davis Polk advised Comcast Corporation on the Boston Celtics’ minority investment in Comcast SportsNet New England, LLC, the owner of the regional sports network Comcast SportsNet New England. In connection with the transaction, Comcast SportsNet New England will continue to distribute games of the Boston Celtics. The financial terms were not disclosed.