Alice M. Drayton

Latham & Watkins is advising EQT and senior management on the sale of Rimes to Five Arrows, the private equity arm of Rothschild & Co. Rimes is a global leader in enterprise data management solutions for the investment industry. Founded in 1996, Rimes is a trusted partner to the world's largest asset managers and asset owners, with its customers representing more than US$75 trillion global assets under management. Latham advised EQT on their initial investment into Rimes in 2020 and continues to advise Rimes, including on two add-on acquisitions, through the lifetime of EQT’s investment. The Latham team was led by London corporate partner David Walker and associate Alice Drayton, with London corporate partners Tom Evans and Katie Peek, and associates Aimee Godfrey, Will Temple-Smith, Helen Robertson, and Nima Pourdad.~~

Apr 9

1 min

FNZ Group (FNZ), a global platform-as-a-service provider, has secured an investment from Temasek. Temasek joins existing investors Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Generation Investment Management LLP (Generation), who acquired a majority stake in FNZ in October 2018, in a deal that valued the company at nearly £1.7 billion. This was the first investment from the CDPQ-Generation partnership, who came together to make large-scale, long-term sustainable investments. FNZ, which specialises in wealth management technology and serves many of the world’s largest financial services companies, will benefit from Temasek’s significant presence and experience in Asia as it looks to grow its business in the region over the coming years. Latham & Watkins advised CDPQ in the transaction, led by London corporate partners Linzi Thomas, Mike Bond, and James McCrory, with associates Laura Kichenside, Jon Fox, Stephanie Dellosa, Alice Drayton, and Faris Shoubber. London partner Nicola Higgs, with associates Sam Maxson and Brett Carr, advised on regulatory matters.~~

Feb 26

1 min

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told two prosecutors their careers in public service will continue on Broward County benches this week. James Robert Harris was appointed to the 17th Judicial Circuit and Jeremy Franker was named to the Broward County Court bench. Harris replaces Judge Jonathan D. Lott, who was elevated to the Fourth District Court of Appeal last year. He’s been an assistant statewide prosecutor in the Florida Attorney General’s Office since June 2020, according to his LinkedIn, and previously spent more than a decade at Cole, Scott & Kissane. The soon-to-be-judge graduated from Florida State University College of Law in 2003 and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 2004. Harris was not immediately available for an interview Friday morning and AG James Uthmeier’s office did not immediately return the Daily Business Review’s request for comment. Franker is a career prosecutor who’s had stops in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Justice. For the last year, he’s been deputy director of Joint Task Force Vulcan—the U.S. government’s efforts against the gang MS-13. He told the Daily Business Review in a phone interview Friday afternoon that his work has largely focused on large-scale investigations into organized crime and gang activity. He thinks his nearly two decades of public service is what’s best prepared him for the bench. As a judge, Franker said he will look to uphold civility and respect in his courtroom. “In my experience as an attorney, the judges I really enjoyed appearing in front of were the ones that really appreciated the lawyers that were civil to one and other, that even if they disagreed about the law or the evidence or the facts, that they could do so respectfully,” Franker said. “And that’s something that’s incredibly important to me as an attorney and I’ll carry that onto the bench with me.” Franker got the call from the governor’s office during a meeting Wednesday. The first person he phoned was his wife and high school sweetheart, Kara. The Kansas City native got his undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2007. He takes the place of former Judge Mardi Levey Cohen, who resigned at the end of last year after facing suspension and reprimand for improper conduct during her 2022 reelection campaign. DeSantis made a flurry of appointments at the tail end of 2025 and in early 2026, including naming his sixth justice to the Florida Supreme Court. With less than a year left in the governor's mansion, he still has at least a few more chances to leave his mark on the state's judiciary.

Feb 27

2 min

Zimmer Financial Services Group (Zimmer), whose businesses include insurance and investment management, announced the sale of its specialty legacy insurance provider, Carrick Specialty Holdings. Founded by Zimmer in 2019, Carrick quickly grew operations in the United States, United Kingdom, and Bermuda, establishing a strong record of deals in the legacy market. Under the terms of the transaction, Carrick was purchased at a premium to book value by Northlight QIAIF plc, an Irish-regulated company managed by Northlight Group LLP, a London-based investment manager. Latham & Watkins LLP represented Zimmer in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York partners Gary Boss and Kirsten Gaeta and London partner Sam Newhouse, with associates Alice Drayton and Antonina Semyachkova. Advice was also provided on insurance matters by New York partner Analisa Dillingham, London counsel Tim Scott, and New York counsel Dean Agnos; on benefits and compensation matters by New York partners Bradd Williamson and Megan Alessi and New York counsel Sandra Benjamin, with associate Charity Wyatt; and on tax matters by Bay Area partner Katharine Moir and London partner Aoife McCabe, with associate Christine Mainguy.~~

Jan 11

1 min

Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors, has announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Calypso Technology, Inc., a cloud-enabled provider of cross-asset front-to-back solutions and managed services for financial markets, from international private equity group Bridgepoint and global growth investor Summit Partners. The deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Latham & Watkins LLP represents Calypso, Bridgepoint, and Summit Partners in the transaction with an M&A team led by Paris partner Olivier du Mottay and London partner Farah O’Brien, with associates Allison Kramer, Alice Drayton, and Nick Fisher. Advice was also provided on foreign direct investment matters by Paris partner Charles-Antoine Guelluy and Hamburg counsel Jana Dammann, with associate Delphine Van Damme; on finance matters by Paris partner Xavier Farde, with counsel Carla-Sophie Imperadeiro; and on antitrust matters by Brussels partner Luca Crocco, with associate Marine Dewaele.~~

Mar 22

1 min