Andrew Norwich

Kirkland & Ells advised Ziff Davis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZD) on a definitive agreement to sell its Connectivity division to Accenture (NYSE: ACN) for $1.2 billion in cash. Ziff Davis’ Connectivity brands are globally recognized in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi network design, intelligence, insights, testing and incident detection. These brands, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics, empower organizations to optimize networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. The transaction is currently expected to close in the coming months, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf; tax lawyer Sara Zablotney; executive compensation lawyer Rob Fowler; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Zoey Hitzert; antitrust & competition lawyer Daniel Zach; and technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall.

Mar 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Crown Laboratories, Inc., a privately held, global innovative leader in the skincare industry, on a definitive merger agreement to purchase Revance Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVNC), a biotechnology company aimed at setting the new standard in healthcare with innovative aesthetic and therapeutic offerings. The acquisition was announced August 12, 2024 and is expected to close by the end of the year. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by Revance’s Board of Directors, Crown will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Revance’s common stock for $6.66 per share in cash for an overall value of $924 million. The purchase price represents a premium of 89% over Revance’s closing market price on August 7, 2024, and a 111% premium to Revance’s 60-day volume-weighted average price. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Marshall Shaffer and Ed Lee, along with Josh Kogan, Andrew Norwich and Steven Choi and associates Monica Ruiz and Matthew Burner; investment funds partners Jordan Murray, Juliet Anderson and Justin Samson and associate Chris Stoj; debt finance partners Jason Kanner, Chad Davis and Angela Hagerman and associates Kaitlin Schock and Daly Brower; executive compensation partners Scott Price and Anthony Ji and associate Grace Zagorskis; capital markets partners Julia Danforth and Pippa Bond and associate Van Whiting and Sarah Yang; and antitrust & competition associate Mariana del Carmen Fernandez.

Aug 12

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Swedish casino game provider Evolution AB (EVO:STO) on the acquisition of Galaxy Gaming Inc., which was announced July 18, 2024. Galaxy Gaming is a leading developer and distributor of innovative casino table games and enhanced gaming technology solutions. The transaction will help Evolution solidify its presence in the U.S. market and enhance its position as a leading licensor of proprietary table games to the online gaming industry. The transaction has been approved by Galaxy Gaming’s board of directors and is expected to close in mid-2025 subject to stockholder approval and certain required gaming regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Hamed Meshki, Carlo Zenkner and Andrew Norwich; executive compensation partner Rohit Nafday; tax partners Mike Beinus and Vivek Ratnam; debt finance partners Nisha Kanchanapoomi and  Caitlin Bouey; capital markets partners Pippa Bond and Ashley Sinclair; employee benefits partner Justin Coddington; employment & labor partner Jackie Heffernan; technology and IP transactions partners Seth Traxler and Joanna Schlingbaum; international trade & national security partner Luci Hague; antitrust & competition partners Andrea Murino, Matthew Sinclair-Thomson and Shahrzad Sadjadi.

Jul 19

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Amcor plc (NYSE: AMCR; ASX: AMC) on a definitive agreement in which the company will combine with Berry Global Group Inc. (NYSE: BERY) through an all-stock merger. The transaction was announced November 19, 2024. Closing is targeted in the middle of calendar year 2025. The combination brings together two highly complementary businesses to create a global leader in consumer packaging solutions, with a broader flexible film and converted film offering for customers, a scaled containers and closures business and a unique global healthcare portfolio. Berry shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 7.25 Amcor shares for each Berry share held upon closing, resulting in Amcor and Berry shareholders owning approximately 63% and 37% of the combined company, respectively. The transaction received unanimous approval of the boards of directors of both Amcor and Berry and values Berry’s common stock at $73.59 per share. The transaction will create a combined company with an enterprise value of approximately $37 billion. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Jonathan Davis, Carlo Zenkner, Andrew Norwich and Eric Schiele; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Katherine Shaia; debt finance lawyers Rachael Lichman and Brittany Taylor; antitrust & competition lawyers Andrea Murino and Jack Coles; executive compensation benefits lawyers Scott Price and Jared Whalen; and tax lawyer Jared Rusman.

Nov 19

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Vista Equity Partners on the $8.4 billion acquisition of workplace collaboration software maker Smartsheet, which was announced September 24, 2024. Funds managed by Vista and Blackstone agreed to purchase the company in an all-cash transaction. Under terms of the agreement, the buyers would acquire all the outstanding shares held by Smartsheet's shareholders for $56.50 per share in cash, which represents a premium of approximately 41% to the volume weighted average closing price of Smartsheet's stock for the 90 trading days ending on July 17, 2024, the last full trading day prior to media reports regarding a possible sale transaction. The transaction is currently expected to close in the fourth quarter of Smartsheet’s fiscal year ending January 31, 2025, subject to the approval of Smartsheet’s shareholders, the satisfaction of required regulatory clearances and other customary closing conditions. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Jonathan Davis, Ari Levi, Andrew Norwich and Stuart Casillas and associates John Sheridan, Hayley Gilbert and Mark Keohane; debt finance partners Sonali Jindal and Austin Glassman and associate Jae Ha; capital markets partner Bob Goedert; executive compensation partners Rohit Nafday and Katherine Nemeth; tax partners David Kung and Heidi Yuen; technology & IP transactions partners John Lynn and Daisy Darvall; and antitrust & competition partners Marin Boney and Mark Gardner.

Sep 24

1 min