The Legal 500

Cahill Gordon & Reindel’s attorneys are ‘always responsive, meet deadlines, produce a quality product, and are practical in resolving issues’. The team advised neuroscience-focused biotechnology company Elan Corporation in connection with the sale of its drug formulation and manufacturing business unit, Elan Drug Technologies, which was combined with Alkerme, and represented JPMorgan Asset Management and its global alternative asset manager, Highbridge Capital Management, in its acquisition of a majority stake in Gávea Investimentos, an asset management company in Brazil with approximately $6bn in assets under management. Additionally, the team acted for AIG/Chartis in connection with the transfer of outstanding asbestos risk to Berkshire Hathaway-owned insurer National Indemnity. John Schuster is ‘one of the best attorneys you’ll come across. He makes you feel like you are his most important client’. Helene Banks is also recommended.

Choate, Hall & Stewart is praised by one client for its ‘knowledge, responsiveness, ethics and advice’. Other clients report that the practice is ‘oriented to fully serving our needs, get back to us on a timely basis, and has provided extremely thorough and good advice. It has top-notch legal and business experts’. The group advised Terdyne in the $40m sale of Teradyne Diagnostic Solution business, a manufacturer of automotive electronics diagnostics systems, to SPX Corporation; acted for vaccine development company, Variation Biotechnologies (now known as VBI Vaccines), in the acquisition of a French biotechnology company, Epixis; and assisted in the acquisition by client Windjammer, in partnership with management and other investors, of Protective Industries (Caplugs), a manufacturer of plastic protection products. The practice also represented Heritage Partners in the sale of OneSource, an electrical products distribution company. Stephen Cohen and Thomas Murphy are ‘outstanding’. Charles Johnson ‘consistently provides strong legal and business advice, and is an outstanding negotiator and transactions attorney. He knows when it is appropriate to bring in his partners, and is careful to thoroughly check areas outside of his areas of expertise before providing an answer’.

In 2011, Dorsey & Whitney LLP welcomed ex-Faegre & Benson LLP special counsel Lesley Zaun to the Minneapolis office as partner. Zaun’s practice focuses on representing clients in a wide range of complex corporate transactions, including M&A. Paul Thompson joined as partner from Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, which has now merged with Bryan Cave LLP. Thompson focuses on joint ventures and M&A from both the Denver and London offices. Highlights included representing Carlisle Companies, a NYSE-listed public company headquartered in North Carolina, in its approximately $413m purchase, by means of a tender offer followed by a merger, of Hawk Corporation, a supplier of friction products for brakes, clutches and transmissions that are used in airplanes, trucks, construction and mining equipment, farm equipment, and recreational and performance automotive vehicles. The practice also acted for Amcom Software – a Minnesota-located private company and provider of call center management software, used for healthcare activities, including 911 call handling, emergency notification and response, paging, and messaging – in its approximately $163m sale to USA Mobility, a NASDAQ-listed public company, in an all cash reverse merger. The team also represented Minneapolis-based medical device company Atritech in its sale to Boston Scientific Corporation, a NYSE-listed public company, and represented ADC Telecommunications, a NASDAQ-listed public company headquartered in Minneapolis, in its sale to Switzerland-based Tyco Electronics, by means of a tender offer followed by a merger. Clients say that the practice ‘provides absolutely top-notch service. Its M&A knowledge and experience is as impressive as any law firm I’ve worked with, whether in the midwest or on either coast’. Minneapolis-based Matthew Knopf and his team ‘are available to us at a moment’s notice at all hours of the day, night and weekend, and pay attention to what we’re asking for and are careful to deliver just that, whether it’s a highly technical memorandum on a fine legal point or just a piece of informal/practical off-the-cuff advice’.

With attorneys in Boston, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Washington DC, Goodwin Procter LLP is noted for its work in buyouts in the middle and upper middle-market sectors, and distinguishes itself with its dominant position in the growth equity sub-sector. The firm is also especially active in industry sectors such as technology, financial services and real estate. Recent deals include representing Charlesbank in the sale of its interest in independent optometric franchising organization, Vision Source, to Brazos Private Equity Partners; advising Thoma Bravo in its acquisition of UPS Logistics Technologies; acting for J H Whitney in its acquisition of Aarrowcast, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of iron castings; and assisting Peacock Engineering, a provider of processing and packaging services to the food industry, and its controlling owner Behrman Capital Partners, in a sale to Charlesbank Capital Partners. Boston-based John LeClaire is recommended. Jeffrey Legault joined the New York office as partner from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Amber Dolman and Jeremiah Sullivan in Boston, and Brian McPeake in the San Francisco office were promoted to the partnership. George Lloyd left the firm in 2011 to become Royalty Pharma’s investments executive vice president. In May 2012, Christian Nugent and Ilan Nissan joined from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.

Kaye Scholer LLP’s New York-based Joel Greenberg is its senior corporate partner and co-chair of the firm’s Canada group. Greenberg is noted for US and cross-border M&A concerning public and private companies. Highlights for the firm included representing wind power developer WKN USA, a subsidiary of Munich-based BayWa Group Company, in its purchase of 12 Nordex N100/2500 wind turbines from Nordex USA for the Mozart Wind Farm, to be located approximately 60 miles northwest of Abilene, Texas, the nation’s leading region for wind energy installations over the last decade; advising Onex Corporation and its affiliates in its agreement to invest $675m, as well as acquiring a significant minority interest, in JELD-WEN Holding, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of interior and exterior doors, windows and related products, for use primarily in the residential and light commercial new construction and remodel markets; and acting for Novartis in an agreement to sell to Meda AB the global rights to manufacture, market and commercialize a medicine to treat mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. Adam Golden in New York is recommended.

The ‘very timely firm’ Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP is ‘always my go-to practice when I need sophisticated legal and business advice in connection with completing M&A transactions’. The firm has its home base in New York, and handles all types of corporate transactions, both domestic and cross-border. In strategic deals, the practice represented one of the world’s largest legal outsourcing service providers, Pangea3, in its acquisition by Thomson Reuters; acted for Deloitte Tax in its disposition of Deloitte Investment Advisors to Aspiriant Investment Advisors; and represented Genco Shipping & Trading in an agreement with Bourbon to acquire 16 Supramax vessels from Setaf SAS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bourbon, for an aggregate purchase price of $545m. In PE/sponsor M&A deals, the group assisted Fortress Value Recovery Fund I and Fortress Investment Group in the $87.2m disposition of Rockford Corporation from Second City Partners to Primoris Services Corporation. Distressed deals have included advising Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers in connection with the concurrent negotiations and sales of their extensive array of ongoing patient care programs, including three separate nursing and rehabilitation homes, two home health agencies and one of New York State’s largest behavioral health hospitals; and acting in M&A transactional work for the Official Unsecured Creditors Committee in the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation bankruptcy. Thomas Balliett, Thomas Molner and Scott Rosenblum are recommended practitioners. Rosenblum is ‘first and foremost an extraordinary business counselor. His advice is always thoughtful, measured and informed by his vast experience. If I had the proverbial quarter in my pocket and could make only one call to get legal help, Scott would be that call’. Howard Spilko is also ‘excellent’, and Richard Gilden is ‘a man you can go to anytime, anyplace, and he will help your company with any situation that might require his professional skill set. He is an A+ lawyer, as are the firm’s support staff that Richard reaches out to at times’. Eric Lerner is another key contact.

Loeb & Loeb LLP is ‘always prompt to respond, very professional and extremely knowledgeable. The firm’s services do not come cheap; but we understand and accept that there is a price to pay for the quality service provided, and the firm has been very accommodating when we have asked for retainer billing arrangements that provide us with volume discounts’. The practice offers deep and diverse involvement in industry-significant matters. Highlight deals included representing RALS-MM, formerly known as Marilyn Monroe, in connection with the sale of substantially all of its assets to a joint venture controlled by Authentic Brands Group, whose assets include the name, likeness and image of Marilyn Monroe. The team also acted for Cyalume Technologies Holdings in the acquisition of JFC Technologies, a researcher, developer and manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Larger deals included advising the trustees of the charitable trusts of the late Margaret Cargill, the largest individual shareholder of Cargill, in consummating a series of landmark agreements whereby Cargill will distribute part of its 64% stake in The Mosaic Company, a large publicly held fertilizer company, to the trusts in exchange for their Cargill stock. It also represented UBS Investment Bank, as financial advisor in Caterpillar’s acquisition of Bucyrus International for $8.8bn, and acted for the independent directors of Citadel Broadcasting in its approximately $2.1bn sale to Cumulus Media. In the upper middle-market, the practice represented Vermont’s largest public utility company, Central Vermont Public Service, in its $702m sale to Gaz Métro. New York-based M&A head Andrew Ross is ‘great. We trust his judgment and guidance without a second thought’. Joseph Daniels joined the New York office from Hodgson Russ LLP, where he was a partner and chair of the firm’s emerging companies and venture capital practice group, and prior to which he practiced at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP’s New York office. Daniels has advised clients on more than $5bn of M&A and disposition transactions. For one client, New York-based practice managing chair. David Schaefer is ‘one of the best corporate attorneys in all of North America’.

In March 2011, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP welcomed John Babala and Gregory Rovenger to the Los Angeles office from Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon, before it merged with Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP. Their arrival represents an important step in the firm’s strategic plan to continue to build its corporate practice on the West Coast. The practice is focused on industries such as health care, financial services, aerospace and defense, infrastructure, and climate change. On the inbound side, the team frequently acts on transactions from Canada, China and the UK. It advised Balfour Beatty Construction, a US unit of UK-based Balfour Beatty, in its acquisition of Howard S Wright, one of the oldest contractors on the West Coast, with operations in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Phoenix. Other recent highlights include representing the shareholders of OK Industries in the sale of the business to Mexican poultry firm Industrias Bachoco in its first acquisition in the US. The team also acted for Just Energy Group in its acquisition of Fulcrum Retail Holdings, a Texas-based and privately-held retail electricity provider, and assisted the Board of Directors of Toreador in its merger with privately- held ZaZa Energy, a deal that will value the combined companies at $294m and diversify their holdings. In the large deal market, the group acted for the management team of Radiant Systems, a provider of multichannel point-of-sale and managed hosted service solutions to the hospitality and specialty retail markets, in connection with the company’s acquisition by NCR Corporation. Wayne Bradley is the corporate department chair. Jeremy Silverman in Atlanta and Washington DC is ‘very customer-centric, knowledgeable and responsive. He is also highly personable’.

Andrews Kurth LLP ‘does a great job and offers excellent value for money’. For one client, ‘the diligence, professionalism, competency, expertise and integrity of service provided is unparalleled in my 23 years of working with a plethora of attorneys as general counsel of three public companies’. The corporate/securities practice is comprised of over 100 attorneys firm-wide. Key middle-market matters included assisting IESI Corporation in the acquisition of a waste management business in Missouri, and representing Cerilliant Corporation in a securities purchase from Sigma-Aldrich. Larger deals included representing Frontier Oil Corporation in its merger with Holly Corporation, acting as counsel to GM Corporation in connection with the acquisition of AmeriCredit Corporation, and advising Blackstone Capital Partners in the formation of Alta Energy Partners, and a concurrent commitment to invest up to $1bn via this entity to acquire and develop unconventional oil and gas assets in North America. Key Texas lawyers include David Buck, Michael O’Leary, Henry Havre, Gislar Donnenberg and firmwide managing partner Robert Jewell in Houston. In Dallas, Joseph Hoffman, Victor Zanetti, David Washburn, and Dallas office managing partner Mark Solomon are also recommended practitioners. In Washington DC, William Cooper and Eric Markus are well regarded. Cooper led the advice to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company in Kirby Corporation’s $335m acquisition of K-Sea Transportation Partners, and represented the conflicts committee of the board of the general partner of Spectra Energy Partners in connection with its $330m acquisition of a 24.5% interest in Gulfstream Natural Gas System from Spectra Energy. A number of partners concentrate primarily on Latin America, the Caribbean and emerging markets.

Despite a sluggish economy, Baker Hostetler’s transactions team saw an increase in M&A activity, including the return of private equity deals, with dollar values ranging from $5m to $9bn. Clients praise the firm’s ‘overall level of superior service. The lawyers are responsive and they manage resources to ensure that matters are not over or understaffed’. The practice represented The EW Scripps Company in a $212m transaction concerning the outstanding shares of the McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company, the deal encompassing a total of nine television stations, four of which are ABC affiliates. The practice also advised United Media and The EW Scripps Company in connection with the sale of substantially all of the assets of United Media Licensing, including the ownership rights to the Peanuts, Fancy Nancy, and Dilbert libraries. It is also a regular counsel to TransDigm, which it has represented in its acquisition activities since 2003. The team recently advised TransDigm in its $1.265bn acquisition of McKechnie Aerospace Holdings. New York-based Steven Goldberg is co-chair of the transactions practice team. Goldberg led the advice to fellow partner Irving Picard (the SIPA Trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L Madoff Investments Securities), in selling the market-making business arm of Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities. ‘Steven is top-notch. He is a true business lawyer. He listens to the issues of importance to us and focuses in and around those. I would go to him for all of our transactional needs’. John Gherlein is chair of the firm-wide business group. Gherlein is an experienced M&A and securities lawyer. Houston-based Donald Brodsky concentrates on serving as long-term outside general counsel to NYSE-listed companies, particularly in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. Brodsky represented Enterprise GP Holdings in its $9.1bn merger into Enterprise Product Partners. The firm recently welcomed a number of arrivals including Jon Cramer from Ropes & Gray LLP, Thomas Gallagher from Dorsey & Whitney LLP, and George Dolatly from Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, who all joined the New York office. Ashley Hess arrived in the Cincinnati office from Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, which has since merged with Indianapolis-based law firm Bingham McHale to become Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP; Adam Skilken joined the Chicago group from Kaye Scholer LLP; and Timothy Eloe arrived in the Chicago office from Kirkland & Ellis LLP

At the start of 2012, Bryan Cave LLP combined with 113-year-old Denver-based Holme Roberts & Owen LLP, which had a tradition of developing lasting relationships with the numerous entrepreneurial businesses that built the Rocky Mountain West. The combination adds legal capabilities in energy, natural resources and sports law to the firm’s international resources, while expanding the firm’s worldwide presence into the Rocky Mountain region and adding significant depth and experience in California. Transactional matters are a core practice of the firm, and St Louis-based William Seabaugh is the leader of the firm’s global transactions practice. Seabaugh has broad experience in M&A, and has participated in significant transactions for corporate clients such as Emerson Electric, Monsanto, Energizer, Ralcorp and Brown Shoe, as well as many privately held corporate, venture capital and investment banking clients. His projects included the representation of the board of directors of RehabCare Group, a publicly-held provider of rehabilitation program management services, in connection with its sale to Kindred Healthcare; acting in Ralcorp’s acquisition of American Italian Pasta, accomplished by a successful tender offer for AIPC’s stock and followed by a back end merger; assisting with the Board of Directors of Thermadyne’s $422m sale to Irving Place Capital; and advising with respect to Energizer’s acquisition of Playtex Products. Also in St Louis, deputy leader Steven Baumer regularly advises clients involved in complex business transactions. His transactional experience includes the representation of: Emerson Electric in connection with numerous acquisition and divestiture transactions; Bunge North America in connection with various acquisition transactions; MEMC Electronic Materials in the acquisitions of Sun Edison and Solaicx and other strategic investment transactions; several private equity funds with regards to their investment activities; Monsanto Company in connection with its strategic investments; Anheuser-Busch Companies with regards to its cross-border investment activities; and Virgin Atlantic Airways in connection with the sale of its US cargo handling operations. A significant portion of New York-based deputy leader Jay Dorman’s practice has involved representing Barnes & Noble and GameStop, and their respective predecessors and affiliates, in their corporate matters for over 25 years. His recent transactions include the $600m sale of Barnes & Noble College Booksellers to Barnes & Noble; the acquisition by GameStop of French retailer Micromania; and the acquisition by GameStop of Free Record Shops Norway.

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP’s strong industry knowledge extends into a number of fields, such as emerging technology, telecommunications, energy, health care, medical devices, food and food processing, and manufacturing. Recent experience for the practice includes acting on numerous multi-unit expansion acquisitions for Apple American Group, a restaurant holding company with more than 296 Applebee’s franchised restaurants in 11 states, including a 66-unit acquisition in five New England states in 2011; advising health care insurance providers on overseas purchases; assisting Microsoft Corporation with the acquisitions and dispositions of technology businesses and assets; advising in connection with the acquisition of IPv4 addresses from Nortel Network’s bankruptcy; representing Pendrell Corporation in its acquisition of Ovidian Group, an intellectual property business solutions firm focused on the technology industry; acting for a casino style online social game company in its $500m sale to International Game Technology; and advising McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants in its negotiated $130m merger with Landry’s Restaurants, following the defeat of Landry’s previously announced hostile tender offer. Portland-based Michael Phillips represents domestic and international clients in M&A, often within the life sciences, outdoor recreation, and high-tech industries. Joseph Weinstein in Seattle focuses particularly on transactions involving family or closely held businesses, private equity funds and international businesses. Weinstein has substantial experience in the food-related industries. His experience also includes acting for a gas and lubricants business in its sale to a strategic buyer, and advising Snakcorp Holdings in the sale of snack food business subsidiaries, Snack Alliance and Nalley’s Canada, in an auction process to a private equity-backed producer and distributor of private label seasoned snack foods.

Fielding ‘lawyers who are unique’, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP ‘has demonstrated the ability to understand the many and varied issues we face, and they use every resource to protect and help us grow our companies’. Highlights included acting for Halma in the acquisition of Swiss corporation Medicel and its subsidiary Robutec, as well as 50% of the shares of PSRM Immobilien, the total transaction value being $80m. The practice also assisted National Investment Managers in its sale of National Investment Managers, an OTC-traded, nationally-based and regionally operated retirement plan administration and investment management company, to a private equity fund managed by Stonehenge Partners. In addition, the team represented Health Services of the Virginias in the $100m sale of hospital assets and the reorganization of remaining operations, the complexities of the deal including compliance with state Certificate of Need laws (CON) and charitable trust requirements, and the structuring of ancillary service arrangements as part of the sale so as to minimize the financial risk while complying with self-referral statutes and regulations. Practice heads Susan Zaunbrecher and Calvin Buford are recommended, Cincinnati-based practitioners. Recent hires include Robert Maddox in Louisville from Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs LLP and Mary Newman in Cincinnati from Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Cincinnati-based Peter Draugelis was promoted to partner in 2011, and George Vincent is ‘an excellent lawyer and businessman. He is extremely intelligent and organized. George has the ability to orchestrate all the resources of his firm on his client’s behalf’. Also in Cincinnati, Scott Fruechtemeyer ‘is invaluable. He is diligent, organized, and well-versed in many areas of corporate law’.

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP provides ‘high-levels of satisfaction for acquisition work’. The firm’s recent transactions include a multimillion-dollar tender offer; an auction sale of a NYSE company in a cash tender offer; a $335m cash and stock acquisition of a division of a public company; an attempted stalking horse acquisition in bankruptcy; over 25 acquisitions, aggregating more than $600m, for a NYSE financial services client; over 130 acquisitions for a NASDAQ company, the values ranging in size up to $975m; and a $98m acquisition of assets in the US, UK, Brazil and Canada. Kevin Freeman, in Chicago, regularly represents a global lens manufacturer in its acquisitions of optical lens laboratories throughout the US and Latin America. Freeman has also advised a Fortune 500, diversified, global manufacturer in the purchase of stock and assets out of the bankruptcy of a Germany-headquartered global cooling tower manufacturing business. Philadelphia-based Samuel Mason’s representative matters included the sale of a Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer; the sale of a multinational manufacturer of chemical products for flat panel displays and the semiconductor industry; the acquisition of refrigerated food storage facilities; the sale of a brokerage firm; the disposition of an IT infrastructure management company; and the purchase of a Brazilian environmental consulting company.

Foley & Lardner LLP’s ‘service is excellent’. ‘Not only are the attorneys very knowledgeable, skilled and thorough in the work that they perform, but they also have very quick turnaround times for deadlines’. Other clients report that the practice ‘houses creative thinkers, who are client-focused and professional without being stiff. It gives authoritative advice backed by practical experience, and has a “roll up the shirt sleeves and get it done” attitude, both at partner and associate level, while remaining collegial and poised in tough situations’. The practice acted on the acquisition of the iconic Chicago Cubs franchise, which included ownership in Chicago’s regional sports network and Wrigley Field, marking the single largest transaction ever for a North American sports franchise. The group also assisted Quad/Graphics in the acquisition of World Color Press; was counsel to AZ Auotomotive Corporation in the sale of a majority controlling interest in the company to Sodeia; and handled the acquisition of Reno-based Accelerated Care Plus, a provider of integrated clinical programs for sub-acute and long-term care rehabilitation providers. The team also represented The Manitowoc Company in its divestiture of US, Italian and Chinese subsidiaries, in compliance with divestiture orders issued by the EC and the US Department of Justice. Washington DC-based David Sanders and Steven Barth, in Milwaukee, are the transactional and securities co-chairs. Milwaukee-based Jay Rothman is ‘outstanding in M&A and transactional work, and is the best attorney I have ever met. He sees the big picture, understands what the client really needs and quickly gets there’. Also in Milwaukee, Bryan Schultz ‘does a great job with M&A and transactions. He won’t be pushed around, and works tirelessly on behalf of his clients’. William Abraham Jr is ‘the finest in the industry. He is very knowledgeable about our organization and understands our personal characteristics, making the process much smoother than anticipated’. John Wilson is ‘extremely hard working, intelligent and experienced. He is well respected amongst his peers’. Gardner Davis in Jacksonville ‘is excellent in helping our company with general corporate law. He is extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, and does not over-lawyer issues that are critical to running our business’. Boston-based Paul Broude is ‘an excellent general corporate attorney who understands business goals as well as the law’. In 2012, Tracy Bacigalupo joined the Washington DC office from DLA Piper LLP

‘Terrific firm’ Foley Hoag LLP is particularly strong in M&A transactions involving companies in the private equity, life sciences, high-tech, forestry and forest products, and investment management industries. A good part of the firm’s high-end M&A work involves management buy-outs, friendly going private transactions and tender offers. The practice’s ‘advice is valued because it combines sound business judgment with sound legal judgment. We also feel that the value for the money is outstanding because the account is managed as efficiently as possible’. The team acted for Global Forest Partners in the $473.5m acquisition of Florestal Vale do Corisco by Centaurus Holdings, and advised Alere in the acquisition of Medical Automation Systems. Boston-based business department chair Peter Rosenblum is the lead lawyer for Mill Road Capital Management. Also in Boston, William Kolb is the head of the M&A practice group and a co-managing partner. Kolb provides ‘excellent legal advice that is easy to understand and act on’. Boston-based James Smith is the lead partner for Global Forest Partners, and advises them in their extensive M&A work, primarily outside the US. John Patterson Jr is a senior partner in the business department. He is also the lead relationship partner for Alere, Art Technology Group, and iGATE Patni. He has also been the lead lawyer on numerous M&A transactions. Robert Sweet Jr has been the lead lawyer on many large transactions, including the sale of Art Technology Group to Oracle Corporation. Hemmie Chang joined as a partner in the business department from Ropes & Gray LLP.

Kelley Drye & Warren LLP has extensive experience of the full range of corporate/M&A work, as well as a strong track record in private equity and funds matters, with key industry sectors for the team including IT & outsourcing, financial, healthcare, restructuring and energy. Furthermore, the corporate/M&A team is backed by a strong finance practice. Clients report that ‘the work is executed in a timely and effective manner, and without unreasonable hours charged. I could not be happier with my legal counsel’. Key matters for the practice included representing Telular Corporation, which develops products and services that utilize wireless networks to provide data connectivity among people and machines, in connection with its acquisition of SkyBitz, structured as a merger, and where the consideration from Telular is a combination of cash and stock. Timothy Lavender is recommended, and Thomas Ferguson’s ‘work product and responsiveness exceed the highest expectations’. Andrew Pillsbury is also a key contact.

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton is ‘very adept at spotting and dealing with complex issues, and the value offered is competitive’. The practice represented James River Coal Company in its $475m acquisition of International Resource Partners, and acted for Oldcastle and its subsidiaries in various acquisitions of companies. The practice also advised adidas in its acquisition of Five Ten, a performance brand in outdoor action sports, and assisted Zodiac Aerospace in the acquisition of Heath Tecna, a leader in the design, manufacture and certification of interior products and solutions for passenger aircraft retrofit programs and OEM platforms. Atlanta-based practice leader Richard Cicchillo Jr is ‘very knowledgeable, highly intelligent, interacts well with business people, and is extremely competent’.

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP’s high visibility in technology company M&A stems in large part from its leading emerging companies practice, which represents more than 1,000 emerging companies; and leveraging the expertise within the firm’s energy industry practice, the M&A team continues to be active within the US energy transaction space. The group advised Paddock Laboratories, a privately-held manufacturer and marketer of generic Rx pharmaceutical products, in its acquisition by Perrigo, a global healthcare supplier that develops, manufactures and distributes OTC and generic prescription (Rx) pharmaceuticals, infant formulas, nutritional products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), and pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic products. Other highlights included acting for Acer, the global PC vendor, in its $395m acquisition of iGware, a cloud-service provider; and EchoSign, a provider of electronic signatures and signature automation technology, was assisted in its acquisition by Adobe, a provider of business, web and mobile software, and services. Menlo Park-based Donald Keller heads the team. King Milling, in the New York office, has established a thriving practice in advising on significant Pharma transactions, Sam Haviland arrived in the Seattle office from K&L Gates and New York-based Peter Rooney joined from McDermott Will & Emery LLP. Haviland’s practice is focused on M&A for domestic and foreign companies, notably Microsoft and Rosebud Energy. Rooney represents US and multinational corporations in the acquisitions and sales of public and private companies.

Schiff Hardin LLP’s M&A experience covers a range of industries, including consumer goods, manufacturing, construction and engineering, energy and utilities, real estate, financial services, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, health care, insurance, entertainment, technology and communications. Representative advice includes acting in connection with: Marubeni Corporation’s $250m purchase of a 20% interest in Westlake Financial Services, a national business related to the acquiring and servicing of sub-prime consumer loan contracts on automobiles; Consolidated Communications Holding’s $360m acquisition of North Pittsburgh Systems; Primary Energy’s $335m sale of six industrial projects to American Securities Capital Partners and Private Power; Northern Indiana Public Service Company’s $330m acquisition of Sugar Creek Power Company; Kraft Foods Global’s $280m sale of its Minute Rice(r) brand and assets to Spanish food producer Ebro Puleva; Franklin Electric’s $121m acquisition of Little Giant Pump Company; and Heidrick & Struggles International’s $36m acquisition of Highland Partners. In larger deals, the practice acted in connection with Newell Co’s $6.3bn acquisition of Rubbermaid and NiSource’s $6bn acquisition of Columbia Energy Group. Stephen Dragich is recommended.

In November 2010, Jeryl Bowers joined the Los Angeles/Century City office of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP from K&L Gates in Los Angeles. Bowers concentrates his practice in M&A and general corporate areas. His recent M&A representations include advising Beckman Coulter in the divestiture of its MicroPlate Reader Products Division, assisting Ticketmaster Entertainment in the sale of its IATS division to First American Payment Systems, and acting for Mitek Corporation in the acquisition of Keragis Corporation. Larry Braun, in Los Angeles/Downtown, and Los Angeles/Century City-based Jon Newby are key lawyers. Braun assisted Consolidated Precision Products, an entity owned by Arlington Capital Partners, in its acquisition of Wollaston Alloys. Other significant deals included representing Evolution Robotics Retail in the sale of ERR to Datalogic Scanning Holdings pursuant to a reverse merger, in which ERR Merger Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Datalogic Scanning Holdings, merged with and into ERR, with ERR being the surviving corporation; acting for Anacomp in the sale of certain assets to DocuLynx; and representing Applied Computer Solutions in its sale of substantially all of its assets to ACS (US) and ACS Holdings (Canada) for an initial cash payment, with a guaranteed earn-out over three years and an additional earn-out upon achieving certain milestones over three years. The team also advised Fiesta Mexicana Market and Fiesta Warehouse in the sale of substantially all of their assets to Bodega Latina Corporation, and acted for Raybern Foods in its sale of a controlling interest to TSG Raybern, a subsidiary of private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners.

Squire Sanders LLP’s transactional lawyers are well regarded for M&A and strategic alliances, covering more than 20 focused industry groups from biosciences to natural resources. Cleveland partner Laura Nemeth led the team providing cross-practice counsel to Lassonde Industries, one of Canada’s manufacturers and marketers of fruit juices and drinks, regarding its $390m acquisition of US-based Clement Pappas and Company, the transaction creating a major North American fruit juice and drink manufacturer. Also in Cleveland, Dynda Thomas is the deputy practice leader of the corporate transactions, finance and governance practice group.

With more than 100 attorneys in its corporate practice group, Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP is ‘very good for high-end work’. The practice’s strengths include the acquisition of publicly held companies, as well as business development companies and life insurance-related M&A deals. The team represented TransFirst Holdings in connection with its acquisition of Virginia-based Solveras, a provider of electronic payment processing services; represented Spectrum Brands in its acquisition of FURminator, a worldwide provider of branded and patented deshedding products to the pet industry, from HKW Capital Partners III for $140m; and acted for US Security in its sale by merger to a private capital fund. Atlanta-based Eric Fenichel and Cynthia Krus, in Washington DC, are the corporate co-practice group leaders. Washington DC-based Daphne Frydman was recently elected partner to the corporate practice group. Frydman acts on M&A for financial services clients. In 2011, Stephani Hildebrandt joined the Washington DC office as counsel from Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP and Robert Jones, III arrived as counsel in the Atlanta office from Accenture, where he was an in-house products transactional attorney.

Providing ‘competitive billing rates’, Vedder Price’s ‘service level is outstanding. The lawyers are always responsive, timely and thorough in their work. They display a levelheadedness that is appreciated, and the advice we get is consistent and accurate regardless of the level of the attorney. I would recommend the firm for any middle-market transaction whether it is buy-side, sell-side or general corporate work’. The firm’s M&A and private-equity transactions practices are enhanced by its capabilities in regulated industries such as financial institutions and banking, health care, construction, gaming, aerospace and investment services. The practice represented Milestone AV Technologies in a $205m strategic acquisition; and acted for Chicago Growth Properties in the private-equity acquisition of Advanced Pain Management. It also assisted CIT Group in the sale of a Dell-related European vendor finance business to Dell, the transaction involving 17 different countries; represented Clairvest Group in a matter involving the acquisition of a company in bankruptcy; and assisted Royall & Company in its December 2011 sale to CHS Capital. In Chicago, Guy Snyder ‘truly knows how to get a deal done in an efficient and effective manner. He is very strong, and brings a balanced perspective on every issue’. Also in Chicago, Joseph Kye ‘does an excellent job’, William Bettman is ‘helpful and responsive’, and Dana Armagno is ‘very good’. Armagno is ‘respected for her market knowledge and experience in financing matters’. Michael Nemeroff chairs the finance and transactions group. Nemeroff is ‘an extremely strong deal attorney’.

Venable LLP ‘understands the scope of each deal and manages transactions promptly. Its experienced team always gives full service, and communication is clear. The firm’s attorneys are always available to meet the needs of our busy and demanding schedules, and in a very professional way that caters to the client’. The practice represented Metastorm in its merger with a wholly-owned subsidiary of Open Text Corporation for $182m in cash, net of escrow. It also advised online search marketing provider Impaqt, an affiliate of Maryland Corporation Merkle Group, in its recent sale to Merkle; and assisted National Security Partners, an affiliate of private equity firm FedCap Partners, in its acquisition of former subsidiaries of Xedar Corporation, Point One and FuGEN. ‘Amazing attorney’ Alan Epstein represented Arianna Huffington in connection with the €315m sale of The Huffington Post to AOL. Los Angeles-based Epstein acts for the local market’s production and technology companies, digital media businesses, branded merchandising and licensing businesses, and internet companies, all areas that complement the firm’s strong advertising practice. Clients say that Epstein ‘provides excellent service’. Baltimore-based Charles Morton Jr and Sharon Kroupa are co-chairs. Morton is ‘outstanding’. He is ‘extremely knowledgeable regarding the completion of M&A transactions, and is a strong project manager on every transaction. In addition, he is a great negotiator and has an excellent bedside manner’. Also in Baltimore, Michael Baader ‘has a strong business sense and cooperative personality’, and Bryan Rakes ‘has a good, intuitive sense of when to push the other side and when not to’. Thomas Washburne, in Washington DC, is ‘very responsive, to the point, and business-knowledgeable’.

Ballard Spahr LLP’s 70 M&A/private equity attorneys represent buyers (both strategic and financial) and sellers, ranging from small, privately held companies to multinational public companies, in transactions that span the small and middle-markets to multibillion-dollar mergers. The M&A attorneys work closely with their tax, securities, executive compensation, employee benefits, intellectual property and environmental law colleagues to handle every facet of a deal. Phoenix-based practice leader Karen McConnell has, over the last decade, represented buyers and sellers in more than 300 asset and stock-based transactions. Offices are run from Atlanta, Baltimore, Bethesda, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Washington DC, and Wilmington.

Blank Rome LLP’s recent highlights include representing Halifax Security (doing business as North American Video), a private equity firm focused on growing businesses with enterprise values between $25m and $100m, in the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Corporate Security Solutions (doing business as Nexus Technologies Group), a provider of integrated security solutions for corporate and government security markets. The practice also advised A C Moore Arts & Crafts, a specialty retailer of arts, crafts and floral merchandise, in connection with its acquisition by an affiliate of Sbar’s, one of the largest arts and crafts distributors in the US, for approximately $40.4m; represented J F Lehman & Company, a middle-market private equity firm focused on the defense, aerospace and maritime sectors, in its acquisition of US Joiner and Turnbull; acted for StoneMor Partners, the second largest publicly traded cemetery company in the US, in its acquisition of cemeteries and funeral homes in Springfield, Missouri from SCI; assisted Singer NY, a wholly owned subsidiary of Singer Equipment Company, a food service equipment dealer in the US, in the acquisition of certain of the assets of M Tucker Co, a dealer of food service equipment and supplies in the greater New York City market; and represented a California-based manufacturer and distributor of hobby crafts product lines, in connection with its acquisition of a minority interest in a contract manufacturer of hobby crafts products. Other highlights included acting for Lot 26 Studio, a San Francisco-based manufacturer of decorative wall adhesive product lines, with respect to its acquisition by Los Angeles and Montreal-based Artissimo Designs, a provider of wall décor products; and advising Transcend United Technologies, a company that helps organizations optimize their IT and communications infrastructure, in its merger with LiquidSpoke, a technology services firm focused on design, implementation and support services for unified communications and managed services. Philadelphia-based Alan Zeiger serves as the head of the business department. Zeiger represents public and private companies and private equity funds, as well as entrepreneurs.

At Washington DC-based Dickstein Shapiro, the firm’s ‘expertise on all facets of a transaction serves clients very well’. The corporate and finance practice focuses on middle-market transactions in selected industry sectors such as technology, manufacturing, industrial, defense and other government contractors, energy, higher education, food and agricultural products, healthcare, and real estate. ‘I would strongly recommend the firm for M&A’, says one client. Stamford-based Thomas Freed and his team have represented Thomson Reuters Corporation as counsel on numerous M&A transactions, and Christopher Cerrito served as lead attorney in the sale of preferred equity for AX Trading to the investment banking arm of one of the largest global banks. Martin Clarke led the representation of Brynwood Partners in connection with the sale of Richelieu Foods, a packaged food maker with more than 650 workers in four factories. Washington DC-based Kenneth Morrow represented Lincoln Holdings Enterprises in its sale to SKF USA. James Kelly, also in Washington DC, is practice leader.

Fowler White Boggs P.A. is ‘as good as any firm for contracts and M&A, and has been able to refer me to competent advice when specialized issues emerge’. The practice represented a medical products manufacturer in a sale, advised in the disposition of a continuing education provider to a private equity buyer, and assisted in the acquisition of a precast concrete company. It also advised a privately held corporation in the acquisition and disposition of numerous jet aircraft transactions. In Jacksonville, Thomas Gibbs and Daniel Nunn Jr are the corporate practice group co-leaders. Nunn is ‘excellent’. Jason Campbell left the firm in 2011 for Gunster Law Firm.

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP frequently counsels and represents financial institutions in a broad range of strategic transactions, including M&A of other institutions, and purchases or divestitures of branches and related assets. Transactions with which the practice has been involved include purchases of financial institutions for cash, tax-free mergers and stock swaps, purchase and assumption transactions involving branches, loans or other assets, and advice in planning for or defending against hostile takeovers. Kalamazoo-based Phillip Torrence represents both public and private companies in a wide range of sectors, including the medical device and life sciences industries, and the financial services sector. Torrence advised the Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Fremont InsuraCorp in connection with the unsolicited takeover bid received from Biglari Holdings.

New York-based international law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP has represented Daimler in connection with investments in Tesla Motors since 2009, and recently acted for Rockwood Holdings, a global specialty chemicals and advance materials company, in the sale of its AlphaGary plastic compounding business to Mexichem, the sale including substantially all of AlphaGary’s worldwide business operations, including operations in the US, UK and Canada. Other key mandates included advising the joint administrators for Nortel Networks Europe, Middle East and Africa in numerous sale transactions, the most recent transaction being the sale of Nortel’s patent portfolio to a consortium consisting of Apple, EMC, Ericsson, Microsoft, Research In Motion and Sony. Also of interest, the group assisted the Government of Jamaica in the sale by Air Jamaica of certain of its principal routes to Caribbean Airlines in exchange for a 16% stake in Caribbean Airlines and an injection by the Government of Trinidad of $50m of new equity into Caribbean Airlines. New York-based Candace Beinecke, Kenneth Lefkowitz, James Modlin, Charles Samuelson and Avner Ben-Gera are key contacts.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP’s M&A team is made up of 57 attorneys, who represent acquirers and sellers in M&A transactions involving publicly held and private companies. In the last year, the practice was busy closing deals in the banking, healthcare and entertainment sectors. The ‘overall level of service has been superior, with quick response times, and a willingness to work evenings and weekends. The subject matter expertise has been excellent and it has great bench strength’. The team represented Stevco, an independent grower and marketer of table grapes, in the sale of its assets to an affiliate of Teays River Investments, an Indiana-based private equity firm, and was special counsel to the audit committee of the board of directors of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of Sucampo, a Swiss-based patent-holding company, and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sucampo Japan, a patent maintenance company. It also acted for RMG Capital Corporation and Fullerton Community Bank in the sale of Fullerton Community Bank to Opus Bank, a California-chartered commercial bank, and assisted CoxHealth in its acquisition of Springfield Neurological Institute, the largest neurosurgical private practice in Missouri. Key individual practitioners are firm chairman Gordon Bava and partner Richard Maire Jr in Los Angeles, and fellow partner Daniel Higgins in San Francisco. M&A practice head David Grinberg is Los Angeles and New York-based.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.’s M&A practice group is an interdisciplinary group of senior professionals from many different areas of specialization, including tax, employee relations, environmental law, securities, antitrust, intellectual property, and real estate. Led by New York-based Jeffrey Schultz, the team represented a Tennessee-based Homeland Security Capital Corporation, which specializes in the remediation of nuclear materials for the US Department of Energy, US Department of Defense, other federal agencies and commercial customers, in the sale of its largest subsidiary, Safety & Ecology Holdings Corporation, to Atlanta-based Perma-Fix Environmental Services, which provides nuclear waste treatment and onsite services. The practice also served as pro-bono counsel to hopeFound in its merger with the Pine Street Inn, which are both Boston-based organizations dedicated to ending homelessness. Boston-based Jonathan Kravetz is a key contact; and New York’s Joel Papernik, has led the acquisitions of public and private companies in the media, marketing, apparel, biotechnology, and medical device sectors. Papernik has also been involved in acquiring businesses in Chapter 11 proceedings, and has handled several corporate reorganizations.

Munger, Tolles & Olson represents buyers and sellers in a variety of M&A transactions, from public company mergers and going private transactions to privately negotiated investments and significant asset acquisitions. Representative experience includes advising Oaktree in the complex structuring of the acquisition of its substantial interest in Cannery Casino Resorts. It also advised Michael Eisner’s Tornante Group, and Madison Dearborn Partners, in the acquisition of The Topps Company, for approximately $400m. Los Angeles-based Robert Knauss has extensive experience in representing boards of directors, and special committees of boards of directors, in buy-out and other corporate governance matters. Knauss led the advice to Hugh Hefner in his 2011 going private transaction of Playboy, and acted for The Estate of Craig Neilsen in its 2011 sale of majority stock back to Ameristar Casinos for $460m.

With nearly 100 M&A attorneys, Perkins Coie LLP has the depth and resources to manage demanding transactions. It is active in a variety of industry segments, including life sciences, wireless, telecommunications, software, media, hotels, real estate investment trusts, retail, energy and manufacturing. The practice also represents emerging growth companies in their exit sales to strategic buyers. Key matters have included serving as corporate counsel to online technology media property company TechCrunch in its acquisition by AOL. Seattle-based Stewart Landefeld is chair of the firm’s business practice.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP’s ‘overall level of service has been phenomenal. I would strongly recommend it as a law firm of choice for corporate and M&A services’. Another client says that ‘the level of service is so good that it’s like having an in-house general counsel’. Key matters included representing Atlas Holdings in the combination of its consumer packaging solution businesses, Shorewood Packaging and AGI World, which closed in early 2012, creating AGI Shorewood, a global consumer packaging giant, with operations in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. In large deals, the team advised Atheros Communications as seller in a $3.18bn merger transaction, by which it was acquired by Qualcomm Incorporated. The practice also has significant experience representing boards of directors and independent board committees in M&A transactions, including special committees, audit committees and compensation committees. New York-based James Kelly leads the LBO team. Kelly ‘has superior knowledge of the market, remarkable deal-making instincts, fantastic communication skills, and laser-focused attention to detail. He is the best I have ever seen’. Also in New York, Stephen Rusmisel ‘not only understands our business and strategic needs, but he also gets the M&A landscape, both internally and externally’. Washington DC-based Robert Robbins heads the corporate and securities practice, and Louis Bevilacqua ‘provides great counsel and gets the job done smoothly’. ‘Effective and deft negotiator’ Christian Salaman, in San Diego, is ‘always very responsive and helpful. He has a variety of strengths and qualities that make him an awesome attorney’. Also in California, San Francisco-based Nathaniel Cartmell III is ‘a great strategic adviser and advocate in our negotiations as well as a general counsel’, and Silicon Valley-based Jorge del Calvo and Allison Leopold Tilley are ‘responsive and flexible’. New York senior counsel Roger Berg joined from Nixon Peabody LLP, and the team was further strengthened by the arrival of private equity and M&A expert Christopher Zochowski in the Washington DC office from McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

Portland-based firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt also has offices in Seattle and Vancouver, Washington, Bend and Salem. The firm is especially known for its forest products and timber law experience, and was involved in several timberland and other forest products related acquisitions. In addition, the practice represents industries such as metals, forest products, manufacturing, winery, distribution, hospitality, entertainment, technology, healthcare, construction, transportation, apparel, green and sustainable businesses, clean technology, funds, trade associations, and nonprofits. Highlights included representing HSW Management Company in connection with the sale of Howard S Wright, one of the oldest contractors on the West Coast, with significant operations in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Phoenix, to Dallas-based Balfour Beatty Construction in an equity and asset transaction. The team also assisted Columbia Analytical Services in its buyout by The ALS Group, a unit of the publicly traded Australian corporation, Campbell Brothers; and advised an independent hygiene and chemical provider in the Northwest in the sale of assets to a publicly traded company and provider of essential hygiene and sanitation products and services. Portland shareholder Carmen Calzacorta is co-leader of the firm’s corporate/business law practice group. Kevin Brannon, Jeffery Bird, Thomas Tongue and Darius Hartwell are well regarded practitioners.

Stoel Rives LLP has an extensive practice in the acquisition, sale, reorganization and restructuring of corporations, partnerships and other business entities, with the team’s financial industry M&A expertise enjoying wide reach. The practice served as counsel to @Once Corporation in connection with the sale of substantially all its assets to Yesmail, a subsidiary of InfoUSA; represented Oregon-based A-dec, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of dental equipment, in its acquisition of the assets of Stelte Dental Systems, a Mukilteo, Washington-based manufacturer of custom dental cabinetry; and acted for Seattle-based AttachmateWRQ, one of the world’s largest privately held software companies, in its sale to a group of private equity funds, consisting of Golden Gate Capital, Francisco Partners and Thoma Cressey Equity Partners; and assisted Bombard Electric, the largest commercial electrical contractor in the Las Vegas area, in the sale of its electrical contracting business to MDU Resources Group. Ruth Beyer is recommended.

Sullivan & Worcester LLP is ‘responsive and knowledgeable, as well as offering good value for the fees charged. The firm gets to know a client’s business needs, and is therefore very capable of giving practical advice. It also often completes complex tasks at substantially lower costs than the larger firms’. The practice represented Iron Mountain, an information management company, in its $380m sale of online backup and recovery, digital archiving and eDiscovery solutions to Autonomy Corporation. It also advised Hospitality Properties Trust, a real estate investment trust that owns 288 hotels and 185 travel centers located throughout the US, Canada and Puerto Rico, in connection with its $150.5m agreement to acquire the companies that own or lease the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Royal Sonesta Hotel in New Orleans. Boston-based co-corporate director Susan Barnard and William Curry are both ‘strong lawyers and excellent business partners’. Curry ‘makes you feel he is your business partner and fully invested in helping you achieve your desired outcome’. New York-based Jon Jenkins is a co-director of the corporate department.

Thompson & Knight LLP’s Houston-based Michael Pierce is the corporate and securities practice group leader. The practice represented Bronco Drilling Company in its $315m sale to Chesapeake Energy Corporation and advised Boots & Coots in its $235m sale to Halliburton. In larger deals, the team represented Brigham Exploration Company in a negotiated tender offer from Statoil to acquire Brigham for a total enterprise value of approximately $5bn, and advised the majority holder of Frac Tech Services in its $3.7bn sale of all its Frac Tech equity to a consortium, led by Singaporean fund Temasek Capital (Private). Anna Marie Dempsey rejoined as a partner in the corporate and securities practice group in Houston from Jones Day; Richard Green joined as a partner in the corporate and securities practice group in New York from Butzel Long; Richard Hemingway Jr arrived as partner in the oil and gas practice group in the Houston office from Gaston, Hemingway & Thanheiser, which he co-founded in 1994; and Douglas Pedigo rejoined as a partner in the Houston office’s corporate and securities group. Pedigo most recently served as senior vice president and president (South Central Region), for NRG Energy. In addition, Gaye White rejoined the oil and gas practice group in the New York and Austin offices as partner, after serving as vice president and senior counsel of USA Compression Partners, a Texas-based gas compression company.

With a client base that ranges from mid-market private businesses to Fortune 500 companies, the ‘extremely timely and pro-active’ Washington DC-based firm Arent Fox LLP is well-versed in transactions with regional, national and international scope, the bulk of the group’s transactional work involving deals in the $25-$500m range. Clients are drawn from industry sectors including technology, manufacturing, sports and entertainment, consumer products, lodging and hospitality, healthcare and government contracts. The practice represented Sunbridge Capital, a private investment-management firm, in its strategic alliance with Comstock Homebuilding, advised Rubicon Partners and HS Real Company on the acquisition of Calumet, an international manufacturer and retailer of professional photographic equipment, and acted for PHC in connection with its approximately $65m acquisition by Acadia Healthcare Company. The team also represented VSE Corporation in acquiring Wheeler Bros for approximately $220m. DC-based corporate head Jay Halpern, Richard Gale, Jeffrey Jordan and Carter Strong are key contacts. Jordan is ‘very responsive, pro-active and cares about the client’.

Bass, Berry & Sims PLC has over 50 attorneys in its M&A practice. In February 2012, the team acted for health-maintenance organization HealthSpring, in its $3.8bn sale to Health insurer Cigna Corporation. Nashville-based Page Davidson has represented public and private strategic, and private equity, clients with respect to a wide variety of M&A transactions. He has represented publicly traded corporations in both privately negotiated and auction process transactions, and regularly advises his clients on acquisitions or divestitures of operating subsidiaries or divisions. Davidson’s practice often includes coordinating an acquisition with raising the necessary capital to finance the purchase price. Also based in Nashville, James Cheek III has represented numerous private companies in M&A transactions.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP works with both private and public companies in a variety of transactional contexts. Representative matters included advising Global Employment Holdings, a temporary staffing and professional employment organization, in its acquisition of a Virginia-located information technology staffing business; serving as Nevada counsel to HMS Holdings in connection with its acquisition of HDI Holdings; and advising Barden Nevada Gaming in the sale of the Fitzgerald’s Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas. Denver-based Kevin Cudney co-chairs the firm’s corporate and business department. Cudney represented Graham Packaging, a portfolio company of Blackstone Capital Group and global provider of customized consumer product packaging solutions, in its approximately valued $568m acquisition of Liquid Container, a producer of food packaging.

Florida-based Carlton Fields represents publicly held companies in connection with the acquisitions of private companies; private companies in the acquisitions of other businesses, or sales to publicly held companies or private equity firms; and publicly held companies that have been acquired. The practice’s experience includes the acquisition and sale of US-based and overseas businesses across a range of industries, including banks, electric utilities, sports franchises, hospitals and other health care-related entities, broadcasting stations, and advertising agencies; as well as companies involved in activities as diverse as manufacturing, technology, construction, staffing, and seafood processing. Miami-based shareholder Dennis Olle led the advice on a going private deal for a major residential real estate developer, and acted in a private equity investment connected to the sale of an aviation parts company.

Gardere Wynne Sewell’s ‘level of service is excellent in terms of responsiveness and ability’. Highlights included representing longstanding client Bristow Group, a publicly-traded provider of international helicopter services, in connection with the disposition of its interest in a joint venture that operates in Mexico, providing counsel on the legal issues related to the unwinding of an international joint venture, and the sale and lease of related aircraft and space parts. The team was also counsel to Eastman Parks Micrographics during the acquisition of Eastman Kodak Company’s micrographics and conversion businesses, and acted for BP America Production Company in the approximately $575m sale of the Wattenberg Gas Plant to Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Larry Stevens III is ‘as good a business lawyer as anyone in Houston, and I have used many of them’; and Houston-based Eric Blumrosen and Steven McNamara are ‘fine lawyers’. Daniel Cohen, also in Houston, and Lawrence Goldstein in Dallas, are co-chairs of the corporate/M&A practice group. ‘The service received from Cohen is exceptional. He has good business sense and industry knowledge’.

Holland & Hart LLP is ‘fantastic’. The largest firm in the Mountain West, for one client, ‘the practice is more efficient than others we have used’. Recent experience includes representing The Williams Companies in the acquisition of the Bakken oil play assets; acting for Aggregate Industries and sister company Holcim (US) in their acquisition of Lattimore Materials Corporation; assisting TRIRIGA, a producer of sustainable software that reduces the duration and cost of large-scale construction jobs, in its sale to IBM; and advising BMB Munai in its sale of substantially all of its assets to a subsidiary of MIE Holdings Corporation. In Colorado, Boulder-based Scott Berdan is the corporate practice group leader. Salt Lake City-based Matthew Wells is ‘a trusted advisor who is thorough and practical. He also has great judgment’. Also in Salt Lake City, David Broadbent is ‘highly regarded, very responsive and easy to interact with’; and Marc Porter ‘does a great job of moving things forward’. Reno-based David Garcia’s ‘depth of business and legal knowledge is tremendous, and we are extremely confident that he has our best interests in mind when advising us. We see him as an extension of our organization’. Betty Arkell, in Denver, is ‘a real partner to our company, as opposed to a supplier’. In Billings, Elizabeth Nedrow and Boise-based Nicole Snyder ‘demonstrate tremendous knowledge and service levels’.

At the start of 2012, Ice Miller merged with Schottenstein Zox and Dunn, the fourth-largest Columbus, Ohio-based law firm, creating a firm of 314 lawyers with offices in Indianapolis, Columbus, Chicago, Cleveland, DuPage County, and Washington DC. Clients served by the practice in M&A transactions include companies in the manufacturing, services, life sciences and technology sectors, as well as banks and bank holding companies, insurance and insurance holding companies, sports organizations and sports-related businesses. Indianapolis-based Steven Humke acted for Cardinal Ventures in the sale of BFG Supply; assisted ExactTarget in the purchase of Co-Tweet; and represented a private equity search fund in the $32m acquisition of a food redistribution business.

Irell & Manella LLP represented telecommunications equipment maker CPI International, which provides microwave, radio frequency, power, and control solutions for critical defense, communications, medical, scientific and other applications, in its approximately $600m sale to a private equity fund. The practice also acted for Madison Tyler Holdings in connection with the signing of a definitive agreement to merge with Virtu Financial, forming one of the world’s preeminent financial technology companies. Los Angeles-based partners Richard Wirthlin and Ian Wiener, and of counsel Elliot Freier are respected attorneys.

Nixon Peabody LLP represents institutional and entrepreneurial clients in strategic and financial acquisitions, divestitures, and investments that have values ranging from a few million to billions of dollars. Recent highlights include Rochester-based Deborah McLean advising Corning in the acquisition of Maryland-based Mediatech, which develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of cell culture media and molecular biology reagents related to tissue and cell culture application. David Martland, the Boston-based leader of the firm’s global business and transactions practice group, and former business and finance chair Philip Taub are recommended.

Pryor Cashman LLP’s ‘work is excellent. The attorneys are extremely efficient, knowledgeable and reasonable in their opinions’. The firm is also praised for ‘not having a large firm attitude, which also means more reasonable fees’. A principal strength of the corporate group is its ability not only to act as outside general counsel for the day-to-day legal concerns of its clients, but also to handle their large and complex M&A transactions. Recent matters include representing AVM Software/Paltalk, a real-time, video-based community, in its acquisition of substantially all of the assets and business of Camshare and its affiliates; acting for Brite Media Group in the acquisition by its wholly-owned subsidiary, Brite Promotions, from Alloy Media and Marketing of its New Jersey and Los Angeles experiential marketing divisions; assisting Henry Schein, the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, in connection with the acquisition of Alpha Scientific Medical, a privately held company, which distributes traditional medical, surgical, pharmaceutical and laboratory products to approximately 2,000 physician offices and medical laboratories; and advising Delta Galil Industries, the global manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label apparel products for men, women and children, in its acquisition of the assets of KN Karen Neuburger, which is a lifestyle brand of women’s sleepwear, loungewear, robes, accessories and home products that is sold through Russell-Newman department store channels. The practice also represented The Murjani Group and its subsidiaries in the sale to the Tommy Hilfiger Group, which is wholly owned by PVH Corporation, of a direct interest in the Tommy Hilfiger business in India, the transaction including the buyout of the Murjani Group’s license for the Tommy Hilfiger trademarks in India and the acquisition of its 50% interest in Arvind Murjani Brands. New York-based Eric Hellige heads the corporate and securities practice. He works extensively with both public and private clients and a number of the country’s largest financial institutions. Also in New York, John Crowe, Richard Frazer and Edward Normandin are key contacts. Crowe is ‘very caring, detail oriented and diligent’.

Seward & Kissel LLP continues to advise on transactions within the two industries where the firm has an international reputation for excellence, namely investment management and shipping. Two other areas where the firm regularly handles complex middle-market deals are the media industry and international sell-side M&A. Highlights included advising emerging markets hedge fund manager Emerging Sovereign Group, in its sale of a 55% stake to The Carlyle Group; and acting as lead counsel for hybris in its combination with Canadian e-business systems developer iCongo in a buyout transaction, creating the largest independent, global multi-channel commerce software solution company. The team also assisted OceanFreight and the special committee of its board of directors in OceanFreight’s merger with DryShips. In New York, James Abbott and Craig Sklar are co-heads of the business transactions group. Michael Timpone was promoted to partner and Nick Katsanos elevated to counsel.

Although historically known for its labor and employment practice, Seyfarth Shaw’s corporate presence in its Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC offices has expanded in terms of capabilities and national presence. Clients praise ‘the exceptional service. The lawyers I use are extremely responsive, smart, focused, and provide practical advice and assistance. The practice stands out in that it is truly a partner with us on our transactional work’. Another client rates ‘the down-to-earth approach of the firm’s lawyers. They have the ability to translate difficult legal issues into everyday language that helps me to understand the issues they advise on. They also offer a caring and compassionate outlook to their clients; I never feel like just another number when I seek their counsel’. The firm has an established middle-market M&A practice, tending to provide counsel to privately and publicly held companies in deals ranging in size from $10m-$500m. The team represented Cequel Communications, which operates as Suddenlink Communications, in the $350m acquisition of NPG Cable, and its subsidiaries, from News-Press & Gazette. Chicago-based Suzanne Saxman chairs the firm’s national M&A practice. Saxman is ‘very bright and diligent, and does a terrific job representing her client. She is also a pleasure to work with’. Saxman also has ‘an innate sense of business, and has the ability to put herself in the client’s position and figure out the best solutions, as well as being a very good negotiator’. Andrew Lucano, in New York, is vice-chair of the national M&A practice. Lucano is ‘an excellent attorney, extremely knowledgeable about M&A, and easy to get along with. We value his advice, loyalty and hard work on our matters’. New York-based Stanley Bloch and Joel Handel, Theodore Cornell III, in Chicago, and Joel Cartee and Clayton Sparrow Jr in Atlanta, are also key contacts. Bloch has ‘an ability to provide insight to both sides of an issue, and a gentle, reassuring way that impresses the seller as well as the buyer’. Cornell is ‘great to work with, is very bright, and has tons of experience that he often draws upon’. Cartee is ‘exceptionally good; he is a very practical, responsive, smart and sensible business lawyer’. Sparrow is ‘an outstanding person and attorney. He is very intelligent and perceptive, and customer service seems to be of utmost significance with him and all his associates’.

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP’s attorneys are familiar with asset acquisitions and dispositions, mergers for cash or stock, or a combination of both, and stock purchases and sales involving both public and private companies. Recent matters include Atlanta-based Hans-Michael Kraus and Thomas Hong leading the firm’s advice to photovoltaic power plant developer Belectric, in the sale of a California-located 30-megawatt DC solar generation project to Constellation Energy, which supplies power, natural gas and energy products and services to homes and businesses across the US. Hong has represented multinational corporations and financial investors from across Europe, Asia and Latin America with acquisitions and investments in the US. Kraus works almost exclusively in the field of international business transactions. He has particular expertise in structuring cross border investments, corporate acquisitions and joint ventures in Europe, Asia and Australia. Atlanta-based partner Arthur Jay Schwartz advises clients in all types of M&A transactions, including going private and leveraged buyout deals, representing both buyers, sellers and financing parties. In addition, Schwartz has an active practice in business acquisition and divestiture transactions, and has extensive experience working with technology companies.

Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young’s ‘breadth and depth of talent, and ability to move at the speed of light is why we value our relationship; and despite the firm’s US-only location, it also services, via affiliates, our international work’. The practice’s recent deal list includes: representing American Water in its acquisition of Environmental Management, a Missouri contractor that operates industrial and municipal water and wastewater systems; advising a global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of spices, seasonings and flavors to the food industry, in the $37.5m acquisition of the assets of a producer of stocks, for use in soups, sauces and other recipes for consumer use; acting for The Johns Hopkins Health System, a global academic medical center, in connection with its affiliation transaction with Florida-located All Children’s Health System; assisting a publicly-held baking company in connection with its $165m sale to another publicly-held baking company, following an auction process conducted by an investment banking firm, the sale transaction structured as a tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of the seller, and consummated through a short-form merger of the shares that did not tender. The practice also represented The Advisory Board Company, a global research, consulting and technology firm for hospital and university executives, which acquired substantially all of the assets of PivotHealth, a Tennessee-based physician practice management firm. Washington DC-based Theodore Segal, who joined the firm in 2011, is the ‘excellent team head’. Segal is the former head of DLA Piper LLP’s Washington DC office. Also in Washington DC, of counsel Alycia Vivona likewise arrived from DLA Piper LLP; and of counsel Ranan Well joined from Bingham McCutchen LLP.

Thompson Hine LLP runs offices from Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, New York, and Washington DC. Recent activity included representing Griffin Industries in its sale to Darling International. Other representative experience includes advising Teradata in its acquisition of Aprimo; acting for Robbins & Myers in its acquisition of T-3 Energy Services; assisting PharMerica in its purchase of Lone Star Pharmacy; representing Ventyx, an ABB company, in its acquisition of Obvient Strategies; advising Emmi Roth USA in its acquisition of Cypress Grove Chevre; and acting for Babcock & Wilcox Company in its acquisition of a GE emissions monitoring business.

Thorp Reed & Armstrong, LLP’s business practice group is headed by Pittsburgh-based Peter Blume. Blume’s experience includes assisting in the merger of two SEC-registered investment companies. Pittsburgh partner Kimberly Ward Burns has acted for the purchaser of a company that operates textile manufacturing and finishing facilities, and represented the holding company of a regional bank in a merger with a larger regional bank. Also in Pittsburgh, Douglas Gilbert was counsel to the principal investor, in connection with the purchase of a majority interest in an Ohio-located bank holding company, and advised the sellers of a large amusement park enterprise, with facilities in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire, to a publicly held Spanish corporation, the size of the transaction valued at $220m. In addition, Gilbert was counsel to the seller of limited liability company interests in a copper products manufacturing company to a Japanese enterprise, and acted for a regional bank in connection with its $300m sale of a leasing portfolio.

Troutman Sanders’ M&A group’s experience covers a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, telecommunications, media, pharmaceuticals and health care, energy and natural resources, airlines, public utilities, retail, consumer products, financial services, defense, accounting, and consulting services. Richmond-based David Meyers is practice group leader. His representative experience includes serving as general outside counsel to one of the largest publicly traded coal companies, his advice including acting in connection with its sale to a competitor. Also in Richmond, Mason Bayler Jr represented a telecommunications company in connection with its sale to two private equity funds.

Atlanta-based Arnall Golden Gregory LLP’s M&A advisory experience includes: the $600m-plus acquisition of an investment management company by a Dutch-owned corporation; the purchase of a publicly held software company by another publicly held software company in a $400m-plus SEC-registered pooling-of-interests transaction; and the acquisition of a publicly held retail video store chain by another publicly held retail video store chain in a $200m-plus SEC-registered merger transaction. Co-practice leader Adam Skorecki is experienced in the acquisition and sale of healthcare facilities. In addition, he is noted for logistics and distribution industry deals. Co-practice leader Jonathan Golden is also recommended.

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC’s Atlanta shareholder Mark Carlson is the M&A practice leader. Carlson’s industry experience includes transactions and strategic initiatives in manufacturing, private equity, financial services, drug/biomedical devices and infrastructure. Carlson’s representative matters included advising the seller in the acquisition of a publicly-traded financial services holding company; representing a middle-market printing company in the sale of a business; and acting for an Indian corporation in the acquisition of a US-based medical device manufacturer. Nashville shareholder Jason Epstein is noted for technology-related transactions. He has represented the procurement department of a Fortune 200 company in various purchasing and technology transactions. Steven Eisen, a shareholder in the Nashville office, represents a significant number of financial institution buyers or sellers in M&A and asset sales. Eisen also represents many non-bank companies in M&A, and expansion transactions.

Barnes & Thornburg has a national and international corporate transactions practice, with its attorneys typically managing over 300 deals each year. Deal highlights included leading multiple acquisition transactions for a growth-oriented dedicated transportation and logistics services provider, and a portfolio company of an Atlanta-based private equity firm, in connection with the $50m leveraged acquisition of all the outstanding equity of four businesses, which were collectively engaged in the freight transportation, brokerage, warehousing, distribution, logistics, leasing and transportation services businesses; acting for a Fortune 50 automotive industry client in the sale of related operations to two purchasers; and advising a client in an insurance agency merger. The practice also represented Horizon Bank and its holding company in the merger with Alliance Banking Company and its holding company. David Millard is chair of the corporate department and a partner in the Indianapolis office. Millard advised Zipp Speed Weaponry in its sale to SRAM Corporation.

Brown Rudnick LLP’s corporate lawyers in Boston, New York and Washington DC work closely with the firm’s London-based solicitors to give the firm a distinctive geographic footprint, and the group’s focus on the representation of early-stage venture capital-backed companies and hedge fund portfolio companies, combined with cross-border representation, has positioned the firm to grow its M&A practice in the technology, life sciences and hedge fund sectors. Client say that ‘the overall level of service is superb, particularly on acquisitions and major transactions. I highly recommend the firm’. Highlights included acting for longstanding client Hologic in a number of recent matters, such as the $125m cash acquisition of Interlace Medical, a developer and manufacturer of hysteroscopic tissue removal system; and the acquisition of Sentinelle Medical for $85m, plus a two-year contingent earn-out. In addition, the practice advised K-Splice in its sale to Oracle, the transaction requiring the co-ordination of several practice groups including corporate, intellectual property, tax and executive compensation; and successfully assisted Cambridge-based internet marketing software company HubSpot, in its acquisition of marketing automation company Performable. Boston-based department head Samuel Williams is recommended. Boston partner Edwin Pease is ‘terrific for M&A, particularly complex matters involving multiple parties. He has great business sense, and is responsive, efficient and completely reliable’.

BuckleySandler LLP is noted for its handling of M&A activity in the financial services sector, representing nine of the 10 largest banks in the US, leading mortgage servicing companies, large credit card lenders, and many community banks and non-bank financial services companies. The practice was engaged to advise Discover Bank on transactional issues connected to its purchase of certain assets and assumption of certain liabilities related to the mortgage loan business of LendingTree Loans, the deal marking the bank’s entry into the mortgage industry. The team also assisted Eagle Bancorp, the parent company of EagleBank and Alliance Bankshares Corporation, with respect to a definitive merger agreement, pursuant to which Alliance will be merged into Eagle, the merger expected to accelerate Eagle’s growth in Northern Virginia with the addition of Alliance’s six branches. Washington DC-based Christopher Witeck, David Baris and New York-based Stephen Ambrose Jr are recommended. Witeck is ‘extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with. He gives responsive and practical advice’.

Butzel Long provided legal advice to a major life insurance company in relation to merger matters; acted in the $75m acquisition of US and non-US assets, the deal involving the acquisition of stock and assets located in North America, Europe, Asia and South America; and was counsel in the international acquisition of a software company, the deal including multi-jurisdictional asset transfers, export controls issues, and special licensing and development agreements. Detroit-based shareholder Robert Hudson serves as chair of the corporate department. Hudson’s industry expertise includes manufacturing, high-tech (including software, internet and computer services), financial services, automotive, and real estate investment trusts. Also in Detroit, shareholder Arthur Dudley II’s experience covers a variety of industries, including automotive manufacturing and IT services. He has also worked on transactions involving assets and businesses located in North, South and Central America, Europe and Asia.

Crowell & Moring LLP’s corporate practice focuses primarily on middle-market transactions, with deal sizes typically ranging from $10m to $500m. Partly due to the strength of the firm’s government contracts and healthcare groups, a large percentage of the practice’s transactions involve the defense, government contracting, healthcare, and life sciences industries. It also has substantial expertise in the financial services and financial technology industries, and has handled deals for investment banks, financial institutions, and financial services firms. In addition, the team is skilled at acquiring companies and assets out of bankruptcy. Washington DC-based Mitchell Rabinowitz has represented several clients in the financial services sector, including Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan. Rabinowitz acted for NYSE Euronext in its acquisition of Wombat Financial Software; advised ICAP in its purchase of Traiana; assisted FXall in its acquisition of LavaFX and its foreign exchange electronic trading platform from Citigroup; and represented Citigroup in its acquisition of Lava Trading.

Pittsburgh-based Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC’s recent M&A transactions include acting in the $100m-plus acquisition of the fiber optic network and related assets of a telecommunications company; the representation of hotel owners, operators and managers in the acquisition of various hotels throughout the US; the disposition of a publicly owned broadcast media company; and advising several broadcast media companies in the acquisition of both television and radio stations. Philadelphia member Gary Miller is recommended. Boston member John Talvacchia is a senior corporate lawyer who advises clients on M&A issues specific to growth companies. Talvacchia represents manufacturers, retailers and service providers in the technology, commercial printing, land use, banking and broadcasting industries.

Frost Brown Todd LLC advises public and private companies on all types of M&A transactions, assisting with strategic planning for buyers, sellers, strategic investors and venture capitalists, management groups, independent committees of directors and investment banking firms. Cincinnati member Neil Ganulin has represented clients mainly in the telecommunications, outsourced services, banking, manufacturing and technology industries. Louisville member Edward Glasscock has represented clients predominantly from the telecommunications, outsourced services, banking, manufacturing and technology industries.

Mid-sized firm Garvey, Schubert & Barer has an active domestic and international M&A practice that crosses many industries from fishing and maritime to clean technology, and from services to consumer goods. Seattle-based Brent Jones chairs the business group. Jones represented North Star Utilities Group in its acquisitions of several petroleum distribution companies, including Delta Western and Maui Petroleum; advised Nautilus in its acquisition of Pearl Izumi USA; acted for a venture-backed genetic testing services provider in its $90m sale to a publicly traded buyer; and assisted Brooks Sports in its sale to Russell Athletic. Also in Seattle, Bruce Robertson has extensive experience in M&A. He acts as general counsel to several public and privately held companies, and is also noted for international business transactions.

Gunster Law Firm’s recent mandates include acting as Florida counsel to Coleman Cable, an Illinois-based public company, in connection with its $51.5m acquisition of Technology Research Corporation, a public company based in Florida; and representing HCBF Holding Company, a thrift holding company, in the acquisition of two Florida chartered banks. In addition, the practice was engaged by BocaInternet Technologies to represent the company, and its shareholders, in connection with the $40m sale of 100% of its outstanding stock to SmartBear Software.

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.’s M&A team routinely assists clients with asset acquisitions or divestitures, sales of stock and other equity interests, tender offers, going-private transactions, reorganizations, recapitalizations, spinoffs, roll-ups, exchange offers, management-led buyouts, cross-border acquisitions, and proxy contests for corporate control. The practice, led by Dallas partners Tom Harris and Garrett DeVries, acted for Fossil in its 2012-announced agreement to acquire Skagen Designs, an international company offering contemporary Danish design accessories (including watches, jewelry, sunglasses, and clocks), and certain of its international affiliates, for approximately $225m in cash, and 150,000 shares of Fossil common stock. Houston’s Jeff Dinerstein led the representation of Loomis Armored US in its acquisition of Oregon Armored Service, a privately-held armored service business. Houston-based Steven Buxbaum is a key contact.

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP’s New York partner David Landau concentrates his practice in corporate law, which includes M&A. Landau’s recent transactions include the representation of iStar Financial, in its purchase of a substantial interest in Oak Hill Advisors and its affiliates. In Chicago, Jeffrey Patt, who co-chairs the M&A practice, is also recommended. Patt’s M&A practice spans a variety of public and private transactions. He has represented financial and strategic buyers in transactions that involve varying forms of consideration and tax structures, and has served as special committee counsel in connection with a number of going private transactions.

Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A. led the $630m acquisition of a portfolio of 29 senior care facilities from US Assisted Living Facilities III and Sunrise Senior Living Investments, through a joint venture between CNL Lifestyle Properties and Sunrise. Orlando-based Peter Reinert heads the corporate and securities practice group, which department comprises 27 professionals.

Operating out of New York, Boston, Hartford and Stamford, Robinson & Cole LLP focuses primarily on strategic transactions, with particular strength in the areas of technology, media, telecommunications and internet; consumer products, including food and beverage and apparel; financial services; and manufacturing. One client’s business and legal teams ‘give the practice very high marks for its knowledge of our business and the issues we care about, the speed of turnaround and quality of advice, and appropriateness of staffing. We consider the firm’s attorneys to be high-value providers, and very cost-effective’. The practice acted for Affinion Group in the acquisition of Prospectiv Direct, an online performance marketing company with expertise in connecting women to brands; represented IM Ready-Made, Isaac Mizrahi’s design and licensing business, in connection with the sale of substantially all of its assets to Xcel Brands; assisted The Nielsen Company in connection with its acquisition of an equity interest in Neurofocus, a company specializing in neuromarketing research; and advised Reflexite Corporation in its merger with ORAFOL Europe, intended to create one of the world’s leading reflective materials, graphic products, and industrial tapes groups. Stamford and New York-based Eric Dale chairs the business transactions group. Dale’s ‘skills, commitment and work are outstanding’.