The Week at Ropes & Gray: Six Significant Transactions; Special Report on Credit Funds; FCPA Enforcement & International Risks; Honoring John Codman Ropes

In The News
May 25, 2018

Weekly highlights of what’s happening at Ropes & Gray:

  • Our clients announced several significant transactions this week, particularly in markets outside of the U.S., including:
    • Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) has announced a £1.3bn joint partnership investment – alongside HG Saturn Fund – into IRIS, a leading provider of business-critical software and services in the UK. The deal is the largest private equity software buyout ever in the UK and the third largest in Europe. Ropes & Gray advised ICG on the transaction.
    • Nordic Capital successfully closed its ninth fund. The oversubscribed fund raised €4.3bn and exceeded its €3.5bn target by 23% in seven months. Ropes & Gray advised Nordic Capital on the fundraising.
    • Aretex Capital Partners, a global private equity firm, will acquire Dallas-based Alerian, the market leading provider of energy infrastructure indices and market intelligence. Ropes & Gray advised Aretex Capital Partners on the acquisition.
    • Epiris, a UK-based private equity group, has acquired The Club Company, the UK’s leading country club operator, from a company affiliated with Lone Star Funds. A London-based cross practice team of Ropes & Gray attorneys advised Epiris on the acquisition.
    • Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm, announced the £106.8m sale of Hawthorn Leisure Holdings, the 298-strong UK pub group, to leading UK property investor NewRiver. Ropes & Gray advised Avenue Capital Group on the sale.
    • Partners Group, a global private markets investment manager, will acquire an ownership stake in GlobalLogic Inc., a leader in digital product engineering services valued at over $2 billion, from private equity firm Apax Partners. Ropes & Gray represented Partners Group, which acted on behalf of their clients in the acquisition.
  • How are credit fund managers navigating today’s debt landscape? Ropes & Gray and Debtwire conducted a survey of 100 senior professionals within US- and UK-based credit funds to find out. “As credit funds have grown into their own asset class, that in and of themselves are unique, the lending landscape has seen dramatic shifts and is increasingly diversified,” stated Ropes & Gray private funds partner Jessica O’Mary. For more data-driven insights, download the full report here.
  • Companies with significant operations overseas must contend with a large number of laws and regulations, particularly those that relate to bribery and sanctions. In this video, Alex Rene, co-chair of Ropes & Gray’s anti-corruption / international risk practice discusses recent FCPA enforcement activity, as well as international risks facing companies, such as those in connection to economic sanctions, export controls and import laws.
  • The Massachusetts Historical Society has awarded departing Harvard University president Drew Faust its first John Codman Ropes award. The co-founder of Ropes & Gray was a lawyer, renowned Civil War historian, and founder of the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts. Ropes & Gray worked with the historical society to create the award as a way to recognize “extraordinary service to history.”
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