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Benet O’Reilly

Benet O’Reilly

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Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

United States • M&A/corporate and commercial

1

M&A: large deals ($1bn+)

Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton houses a destination M&A practice, evidenced by its involvement in complex corporate mandates and high-value global deals across Europe, South America, and Asia. Fielding a stellar client base, which comprises well-known brands in the tech, retail, and telecoms sectors, the group undertakes both public and private M&A of international significance, while also guiding clients through regulatory, fiduciary, and corporate governance issues. Recent work highlights include advising Synopsys in its pending acquisition of Ansys, valued at approximately $35bn. The department is co-led by New York-based David Leinwand, and Paul Shim, who has an impressive track record in advising global corporates. Also in New York is Kyle Harris, a key contact for cross-border M&A and joint ventures, Kimberly Spoerri, who handles complex carve-outs on the buy and sell side, and Kelsey Nussenfeld. In the San Francisco office, Christopher Moore is reputed among tech industry clients, while Benet O’Reilly  assists leading corporations on high-value M&A and private equity investments. Nickolas Bogdanovich left the firm in August 2024.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Phone
+1 415 796 4449
Email
[email protected]
Profile
cgsh.com

Profile

Position

Benet J. O’Reilly is a leading M&A lawyer with over two decades of experience advising clients on complex, high-stakes transactions. He focuses on public and private M&A, private equity investments, and restructuring matters, with deep expertise in cross-border transactions.

Benet’s practice spans a range of industries, with a focus on technology, life sciences and healthcare. He is known for delivering strategic, practical counsel on transformative deals and navigating clients through challenging regulatory and business dynamics. His recent matters include representing GSK in its acquisitions of Aiolos Bio and Boston Pharmaceuticals’ lead asset; Synopsys in its $35 billion acquisition of Ansys; American Tower in its $10.1 billion acquisition of CoreSite and $3.5 billion acquisition of InSite; and IFF in its $45.4 billion Reverse Morris Trust merger with DuPont’s Nutrition & Biosciences business.

Other notable clients include Goodyear, Juul Labs, Levi Strauss & Co., Post Holdings and Shionogi. Benet is valued for his strategic judgment, calm under pressure, and ability to navigate complex, multijurisdictional transactions.

Languages
French (Proficient)
Education

New York University, School of Law, J.D.

University of Chicago, A.B.

Content supplied by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Well acquainted with client's needs and practices due to long standing relationships. We greatly value the concise advice and endurance, especially in long-lasting negotiations with aggressive counterparties.' 'Awesome professionals, highly skilled, very fast delivery, proactive and cooperative.'

Key clients

  • American Express Asahi Kasei Ecolab Elanco Animal Health General Mills GSK Henkel AG & Co. KGaA Keurig Dr Pepper OCI N.V. OpenText Roquette Sofidel Surescripts Synopsys Thales T-Mobile Vale W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust

Work highlights

Representing Synposys in numerous transactions, including in its pending acquisition of Ansys in a deal which values Ansys at an enterprise value of approximately $35bn.