Leading international law firm Clifford Chance today announced that David Raskin, Christopher J. Morvillo, and Edward C. O’Callaghan are joining the firm as Litigation partners in New York.  Having previously served together as federal prosecutors in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Raskin, Morvillo and O’Callaghan will be reuniting at Clifford Chance in early November to strengthen the firm’s New York-based White Collar, Regulatory Enforcement and Government Investigations practice group.

Shearman & Sterling represented Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, BNP Paribas, BNP Paribas Securities Corp., The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and RBS Securities Inc. as arrangers in a $3 billion financing for Sealed Air Corporation (Sealed Air) related to its acquisition of Diversey Holdings, Inc. and the repayment of certain indebtedness. The firm also represented Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated as representatives of the several initial purchasers in Sealed Air’s private placement of $750 million of its 8.125% Senior Notes due 2019 and $750 million of its 8.375% Senior Notes due 2021. A portion of the proceeds of the Senior Notes offering was used to finance the acquisition.

Shearman & Sterling represented the underwriters, led by RBS and other joint bookrunning managers Barclays Capital, BofA Merrill Lynch, Credit Agricole CIB and RBC Capital Markets, on the shelf takedown of $500 million of 5.900% Senior Notes due 2021 for American Tower Corporation. American Tower Corporation, a wireless and broadcast communications infrastructure company with a portfolio of over 38,000 communications sites, including wireless and broadcast towers located in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and India, plans to use the proceeds to pay down debt and to finance acquisitions in the United States, Ghana, Colombia and South Africa.

Davis Polk is advising Metalmark Capital in connection with the $550 million sale of Tegrant Corporation, a Metalmark portfolio company, to Sonoco Products Company. The acquisition is expected to close in November 2011.

Simpson Thacher is representing J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as lead arranger and bookrunner in connection with the $1.7 billion committed financing for the $2.7 billion acquisition of Complete Production Services, Inc. by Superior Energy Services, Inc.  The merger is expected to be completed during the fourth quarter of 2011.

Proskauer announced the expansion of its Bankruptcy & Restructuring Group and global Corporate Department with the addition of Geoffrey T. Raicht as a Partner in the New York office.

McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) announced today that Peter A. Cross, a commercial litigator with more than 35 years of experience, has joined the firm as a partner in its New York office.  Cross’ practice encompasses business arbitration and mediation and entertainment and media law.

The Firm is representing ITT Corporation in connection with its spin-off of Exelis Inc., ITT’s Defense and Information Solutions business, and Xylem Inc., ITT’s Water Technology and Services business. On October 5, 2011 the ITT Board of Directors approved the distribution to its shareholders of all the outstanding shares of Exelis and Xylem. Under the approved plan, each ITT shareholder of record will receive one share of Exelis common stock and one share of Xylem common stock for each share of ITT common stock held as of the close of business on October 17, 2011. The Board also approved a 1:2 reverse stock split for ITT, which will become effective after market close on October 31, 2011, the distribution date for the spin-offs. Following the spin-offs, all three companies will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Davis Polk advised Bank of America, N.A., Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, Inc. as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners and Bank of America, N.A. as administrative agent in connection with a $780 million first lien term loan facility, a $100 million first lien revolving credit facility and a $350 million second lien credit facility provided to Providence Equity Partners in connection with its acquisition of Blackboard Inc., valued at approximately $1.64 billion in enterprise value.