David E. Owen

Latham & Watkins has advised Doral Renewables, a leading US developer, owner, and operator of renewable energy and storage projects, on a US$400 million minority equity investment by Dutch pension APG on behalf of the largest Dutch pension fund ABP. Doral Renewables is an independent power producer specializing in partnerships with farming communities across the US to build large-scale, greenfield projects that meaningfully advance the energy transition. The investment by and partnership with APG will accelerate the development and construction of Doral Renewables’ energy pipeline. The Latham team was led by New York corporate partners David Owen and David Kurzweil and London corporate partner Joshua Kiernan, with New York associates Natasha Burnett, Aubrey Steiger, and Tess Cobrinik, with Washington, D.C. associate Taylor Allison and Tel Aviv associate Gilad Zohari. Advice was also provided on tax matters by Houston partner Jim Cole and Bay Area associate Gregory Conyers; on executive compensation and employee benefits matters by New York partner Max Raskin and Chicago associate Kevin Matheny; on real estate matters by New York counsel Lisa Brabant and associate Chika Onyejiukwa; on environmental matters by Los Angeles/Houston partner Joshua Marnitz and associate Reilly Nelson; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Tyler Brown and counsel Anna Biegelsen; on intellectual property matters by New York counsel Carrie Girgenti; on labor matters by Chicago partner Nineveh Alkas and Boston associate Jocelyn Wexler; on representation and warranty insurance matters by Los Angeles partner Harrison White; on CFIUS matters by Washington, D.C. partner Les Carnegie, with counsel Zachary Eddington and associate Sara Castiglia; and on anti-money laundering matters by partner Eric Volkman.~~

Jun 27

1 min

Technology-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo on Tuesday unveiled plans to acquire third-party logistics provider WWEX Group from a consortium of investors that includes CVC Capital Partners, and also announced a plan to merge WWEX Group with its existing portfolio company Auctane once the acquisition closes. While financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed in Tuesday's announcement, a representative for Thoma Bravo confirmed that the deal is worth $5 billion. Thoma Bravo is acquiring Dallas-based WWEX Group from a group including CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII, Providence Equity Partners, Ridgemont Equity Partners, and PSG, according to the statement. "This combination brings together two complementary leaders at a pivotal moment for the logistics industry," said Thoma Bravo partner Brian Jaffee. "Auctane's category-defining shipping software and WWEX Group's scaled parcel and freight service offerings create an integrated solution with the data, distribution and volume necessary to help customers drive smarter decision-making and superior execution across the logistics life cycle." As part of the deal, CVC funds and other WWEX Group shareholders will roll over part of their equity in the company and keep a "significant" minority position in the merged business, the statement added. "We are thrilled to continue our journey with WWEX Group as part of this new, expanded platform," said CVC managing partner Aaron Dupuis. "By uniting WWEX Group's commercial engine with Auctane's global software footprint, we are creating a logistics technology leader with the scale to innovate faster and serve customers more effectively than ever before." WWEX Group provides parcel and freight services, with brands including Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, Unishippers, JEAR Logistics, and BLX Logistics. Auctane is a global technology company that offers shipping and fulfillment solutions through products such as ShipStation, Stamps.com, Metapack, and Packlink. "Today's announcement is a significant milestone for us," said WWEX Group CEO Tom Madine. "By combining WWEX Group's brands and our position as a leading provider of parcel and freight services with Auctane's global ecosystem of e-commerce shipping software, we are creating a platform of tremendous potential." The parties said that the merged company will be "one of the largest and most diversified" logistics and shipping technology platforms, bringing together leaders in shipping software and physical freight brokerage to create an artificial intelligence-enabled end-to-end logistics solution. "Our mission has always been to enable our customers' growth," said Auctane CEO Al Ko. "By uniting Auctane's intelligent shipping platform with WWEX Group's parcel and freight service offerings and scale, we are creating the most powerful end-to-end logistics ecosystem in the market, one that will redefine what's possible for modern shippers." The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is advising Thoma Bravo and Auctane. Latham & Watkins LLP is advising CVC and WWEX Group, with a corporate deal team led by partners Paul Kukish, Michael Vardanian, and Matthew Villar.

Mar 3

2 min

Ørsted has announced that it has closed a transaction with Energy Capital Partners (ECP), a leading energy transition-focused investor, to divest a 50 % ownership stake in a portfolio consisting of three onshore wind farms and one solar farm in the US. The value of the transaction is approximately US$410 million. Latham & Watkins represented Ørsted in the transaction with a corporate team led by New York partner David Owen, with associate Alyssa Galinsky. Advice was also provided on tax matters by New York partner Eli Katz and Houston partner Jim Cole; on project finance matters by San Diego partner Omar Nazif; and on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Tyler Brown.~~

Oct 31

1 min

PowerFlex, an EDF Renewables North America (EDFR) affiliate and a national provider of intelligent solar, storage, and electric vehicle charging solutions for commercial and industrial customers, announced a US$100 million investment from Manulife Investment Management (Manulife IM) on behalf of investors. Latham represented EDFR in connection with the sale of a minority stake in PowerFlex to Manulife IM, as well as a separate acquisition by Manulife IM of a portfolio of operational distributed solar generation and storage projects developed by PowerFlex. EDFR retains a controlling stake in PowerFlex following the closing. The Latham deal team was led by Washington, D.C./Houston M&A partner Ethan Schultz, with New York partner David Owen and associates Daley King, Matt de Bernardo, and Jordan Wampler. Advice was also provided on tax matters by Houston partner Jim Cole, with associate Andrea Herman; on employee benefits matters by Washington, D.C. partner Matt Conway; on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partner Jason Cruise; on energy regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Tyler Brown; and on data and tech transactions matters by New York partner Steven Betensky, with associates Andrew Abokhair and Dewey Kang.~~

Dec 14

1 min

EnergySolutions (the “Company”) has announced that current shareholder TriArtisan Capital Advisors LLC has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the remaining ownership interest in the Company from its current majority owner ECP. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Latham & Watkins LLP represents EnergySolutions and ECP in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York partners David Kurzweil and David Owen, with associate Alyssa Galinsky.~~

Nov 23

1 min