Shellie Weisfield Freedman

Kirkland & Ellis advised global alternative asset management firm TPG on a majority investment in Surescripts, the nation’s leading health information network. The transaction was announced October 1, 2024. TPG is investing in Surescripts through TPG Capital, the firm’s U.S. and European private equity platform. The investment will allow Surescripts to develop an array of solutions addressing healthcare’s biggest challenges and accelerate Surescripts’ ability to scale existing Intelligent Prescribing, Benefits and Authorizations, and Clinical Interoperability solutions. The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Michael Weisser, Maggie Flores and Zach Miller; antitrust & competition partner Matt Reilly; tax partners Jared Rusman and Bill Dong; executive compensation partners Stephen Jacobson and Alison Beskin; and technology & IP transactions partners Seth Traxler and Shellie Freedman.

Oct 2

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Virgin Music Group, the global independent music division of Universal Music Group, on the proposed acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings LLC for cash consideration of $775 million (approximately €737 million). A definitive agreement was announced December 16, 2024. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to regulatory approvals. Downtown’s portfolio of businesses includes FUGA, Downtown Artist & Label Services, Curve Royalties, CD Baby, Downtown Music Publishing and Songtrust. Downtown collectively serves over 5,000 business clients and more than four million creators in 145 countries, and its clients were recently recognized with nearly 150 nominations for the upcoming 2025 GRAMMYs. Virgin Music Group and Downtown will offer a broadened and enhanced suite of services to clients, including digital & physical distribution; release marketing; business intelligence; neighboring rights; synchronization; royalties and rights management. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Pete Martelli, Jimin He and Isilay Piskin; music/IP transactions lawyers Seth Traxler and Shellie Freedman; and tax lawyers Sara Zablotney and Grace Nielsen.

Dec 16

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Aleph Capital Partners and Crestview Partners, leading private equity firms based in London and New York, respectively, on their significant equity investment in Saber Interactive, a global leader in interactive entertainment and video game development. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team is led by corporate partners Aprajita Dhundia, Dave Gusella and Jessica Sicsu and associates Shaun Chung, Emily Gamble and Katie Heffernan; technology & IP transactions partners Joanna Schlingbaum, Emma Flett, Max Harris and Shellie Freedman and associates Dan Sotos and Noémie Broussoux-Coutard; international trade & national security associates Billy Phalen and Brandon Ricaurte; tax partner Vincent Thorn and associate Leon Peschel; antitrust & competition partner Mark Gardner and associate Richard Birch; and debt finance partner Grant Bowen.

Sep 20

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm GreyLion Partners LP on a new equity investment in tech-enabled logistics security company Birdseye Security Solutions. The transaction was announced October 15, 2024. The equity investment from GreyLion represents Birdseye’s first institutional capital since the firm’s founding in 2011. The investment will help further scale the company’s technology platform and accelerate growth. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Christian Atwood and Halley Petersen; tax lawyers Liam Murphy and Christian Ekins; technology & IP transactions lawyers Shellie Freedman and Amani Coutinho; executive compensation lawyers Stephen Brecher and Garrick Ehlers; and investment funds lawyers Erica Berthou and Townshine Wu.

Oct 17

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Silversmith Partners-backed Proven Optics on the acquisition of brightfin. Together, the companies form a single, expanded platform, combining Proven Optics’ ITFM capabilities with brightfin’s leading technology expense management solutions. The unified organization delivers a comprehensive view of financial, asset and expense data to help organizations better forecast, manage and optimize technology spend within ServiceNow, their enterprise system of action. The acquisition of brightfin by Proven Optics follows Silversmith Capital Partners’ 2022 majority investment in Proven Optics, and ServiceNow’s growth investment in 2023. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Christian Atwood, Sydney Collins, Emmett DeLaney, Vera Wang and Hayley Hollender; debt finance lawyers Jacob Klapholz, Morgan Sciumbato and Alex LeLouis; tax lawyers Lee Morlock, Joe Morley and Meena Kandallu; and technology & IP transactions lawyers Shellie Freedman and Jeremy Korn.

Jan 7

1 min