Stephen L. Ritchie, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis represents leading private equity firm GTCR, which announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Consumer Cellular, Inc. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, Consumer Cellular, provides postpaid wireless services with a focus on the 50+ demographic. The company currently serves approximately four million subscribers nationwide, providing affordable cellular plans and award-winning customer service. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020. Read more in GTCR’s press release The Kirkland team included transactional partners Daniel Guerin, Lauren Yeager and Stephen Ritchie, and associates Edwin Cruz and Benjamin Vizvary, debt finance partners Chris Butler, Tom Dobleman, Mary Liz Brady, and associate Joe Patterson, employee benefits partners Alexandra Mihalas and associate Jack Amaro, environmental partner Sara Webber and associate Tyler Burgess, labor and employment partner Michael Schulman, real estate partner Roberto Miceli and associate Ashley Thompson, technology & IP transactions partners Seth Traxler and Aaron Lorber and associate Jessie Perlman, and tax partners Polina Liberman and Greg Gallagher and associate Paul Hendrickson.

Oct 28

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising GTCR in its definitive agreement to acquire ADT’s Commercial fire and security segment (ADTC) from ADT Inc. (NYSE: ADT), a transaction that values the business at approximately $1.6 billion. ADTC is among the leading national providers of electronic security and fire safety services to commercial enterprises and multi-site national accounts. It was formed through ADT's 2017 merger with Protection 1 (P1), a prior GTCR investment. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2023 subject to customary regulatory approvals. Read GTCR’s press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Daniel Guerin, Kyle McHugh and Stephen Ritchie, and also included corporate associates Christopher Grady, Kate Kennedy, Katie Nagley, Andrew Zeller and Anna Grilley; debt finance partners Patrick Loughery and Thomas Dobleman and associates Alex Straka and Alex Bender; tax partners Mike Carew and Polina Liberman and associate Rory Minnis; executive compensation partner Michael Krasnovsky and associates Lauren Cates and Dillon Jones; employee benefits partner Alexandra Mihalas and associates Mackenzie Packard and Hannah Barlow; technology & IP transactions partners Seth Traxler, Aaron Lorber and Matthew Darch and associates John Poulos and Malia Taqbeem; employment and labor partner Sydney Jones and associates Jaime Wamble and Maayan Sachs; real estate partner Rob Miceli and associate Benjamin Stoyenko; environmental partner Carleigh Trappe-Rodriguez and associate Katie McKeen; litigation partner Aaron Marks; international trade & national security partners Mario Mancuso and Luci Hague and associate Chad Crowell; government contracts partner Boyd Greene; antitrust & competition partners Ian John, Jill Ross and Mike Thorpe and associates Catherine Kordestani and Ben Feis; transactional liability insurance partners Hayley Hollender and Jessica Sicsu; and investment funds partners Sean Malone, Mike Pergler and Katy Kim and associates Devon Salge and Zachary Scott Roemer.

Aug 8

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm GTCR in a new partnership in which funds managed by Blackstone’s GP Stakes business will acquire a minority ownership interest in GTCR. Blackstone’s GP Stakes business specializes in value-added, long-term partnerships with leading private-market alternative asset management firms. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Read the GTCR press release The Kirkland team was led by transactional partners Daniel Lavon-Krein, Michael Reeves, Sanford Perl and Stephen Ritchie and tax partner Dan Meehan; and included investment funds partners Sean Malone and Tana Wilner and associates Christopher Urruela Stauss, Steven Robles and Tarah Perkins; tax partner Alec Campbell and associate Brandon Short; investment funds regulatory partners Norm Champ and Alpa Patel and associate Christopher Pristouris; and employee benefits partner Liz Dyer.

Jul 27

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Cision Ltd. (NYSE: CISN), a leading global provider of software and services to public relations and marketing communications professionals, on its definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Platinum Equity in an all cash transaction valued at approximately $2.74 billion. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Read the company press release The Kirkland team was led by transactional partners Mark Fennell, Joshua Zachariah and Peter Stach, along with Stephen Ritchie.

Oct 22

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis represented GTCR and its portfolio company Optimal Blue in the sale of the company to Black Knight (NYSE:BKI) for an enterprise value of $1.8 billion. Optimal Blue operates the residential mortgage industry's leading digital marketplace, connecting approximately 3,500 mortgage lenders and brokers with 185 mortgage investors through a digital network that facilitates approximately $2 trillion of transactions annually. Read the press release from GTCR The Kirkland team was led by transactional partners Stephen Ritchie and Christopher Thomas and associates Kyle McHugh and Brian Arnfelt.

Jul 27

1 min