Laura J. Steinke, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis is advising investment firm New Mountain Capital and its portfolio company Classic Collision on the sale of the collision repair platform to alternative asset management firm TPG. Classic Collision’s management team will remain invested in the company. The transaction was announced April 3, 2024 and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024. Read the transaction's press release The Kirkland team is being led by corporate partners Laura Steinke, Keli Huang and Peter Martelli and associates Michael Nester, Asal Yunusov, Sneha Darbha; debt finance partners Omar Raddawi and Melissa Hutson; tax partners Sara Zablotney and Vivek Ratnam and associate Margot Solmssen.

Apr 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced today that one of the industry’s leading young private equity lawyers, Laura Steinke, has joined the Firm as a partner in New York. “Laura is an extremely talented and fast-rising star in the private equity legal world,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “This is another example of Kirkland continuing to invest in our platform in order to attract market-leading talent. We’re very excited to have Laura join us.” Ms. Steinke’s practice focuses on representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in the structuring and negotiation of leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, strategic investments and dispositions. “Laura represents some of the most prominent private equity sponsors in the world, and has built a reputation as a go-to advisor for complex deals,” said Peter Martelli, a corporate partner in the New York office and a member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “We are thrilled to welcome her to our team.” Ms. Steinke was one of eight lawyers profiled in a 2019 Business Insider story about the “must-know deal lawyers advising private equity firms” and who are the future of the profession. In 2020, she was recognized as a “Notable Practitioner” by IFLR1000. She holds a degree from The University of Queensland, and joins Kirkland from the New York office of Ropes & Gray, where she was a partner. Kirkland has the largest and most active private equity practice in the world, serving more than 500 private equity sponsors and generating the largest deal flow of any law firm. With approximately 260 partners focused on private equity M&A around the world, Kirkland‘s global platform continues to attract the industry’s brightest talent, such as Ms. Steinke. The Firm consistently ranks #1 for legal advisers to private equity buyouts in the U.S., Europe and Asia, and was named “Private Equity Law Firm of the Year” by Chambers & Partners for its 2021 USA Awards.

Sep 27

1 min

Kirkland advised Bain Capital Private Equity on its $1.1 billion acquisition of Brazilian steakhouse brand Fogo de Chão from private equity firm Rhône Capital, which took the restaurant chain private in 2018. The transaction was announced on August 15, 2023, and is expected to close in September 2023. Fogo de Chão is a leading international fast-experiential restaurant brand offering Brazilian cuisine with 76 locations worldwide. Read the Fogo de Chão press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Matthew O’Brien, Laura Steinke and Ben Dionne, and associates Kendahl Mordini, Matt Suhosky, Tamara Zehentbauer and George Colligan; debt finance partners Melissa Hutson, Yuli Wang and Timothy Hughes and associate Yinan Guo; tax partners Mike Carew and Meg Dewar and associate Katherine Karnosh; employment & labor partner Peter Mee and associates Paul Vasiloff and Maayan Sachs; executive compensation partners Scott Price and Matthew Wood and associate Tom Kotlowski; technology transactions & intellectual property partner Vladimir Khodosh and associates Seth Pritchard and Amani Coutinho; employee benefits partner Alex Mihalas and Mackenzie Packard; environmental partner Jonathan Kidwell and associate Max Anderson; ESG & impact partner Alexandra Farmer and associate Menaka Nayar; international trade partners Kim Nemirow and Nick Niles and associate Zach Sommers; antitrust partner Michael Thorpe and associate Catherine Kordestani; ex-US filings partners Paula Riedel and Athina Van Melkebeke and associate Richard Birch; and real estate partner Rob Miceli and associates Mark Lipschultz and Bob McAuliff.

Aug 16

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) on the $3.8 billion acquisition of global medtech company Baxter International Inc.’s (NYSE:BAX) kidney care segment, which will be named Vantive. The transaction was announced on August 13, 2024. Under the terms of the definitive agreement, subject to certain closing adjustments, Baxter will receive approximately $3.5 billion in cash with net after-tax proceeds currently estimated to be approximately $3 billion. Carlyle’s investment in Vantive is being made in partnership with Atmas Health, a collaboration among three industry executives founded in September 2022 to focus on acquiring and building a market-leading healthcare business. Baxter announced the intention to create a standalone kidney care company in January 2023 as part of its broader strategic realignment designed to enhance future performance and create value for all stakeholders. In March 2024, the company announced that it was in discussions to explore a potential sale of the segment. The transaction is expected to close in late 2024 or early 2025, subject to receipt of customary regulatory approvals and satisfaction of other closing conditions. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team is being led by corporate partners Armand Della Monica, Laura Steinke and Nils Remole; debt finance partners Jason Kanner and Justin Greer; tax partners Dean Shulman and Adam Kool; and technology & IP transactions partners Matt Lovell and Kevin Jacobsen.

Aug 13

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Bain Capital-backed Varsity Brands, a leader in team sports, athletics and spirit, on the sale of Varsity Brands by Bain Capital to KKR. As the new majority owner of Varsity Brands, KKR will support the company as it continues to grow its business. The Varsity Brands platform offers an extensive range of high-quality, customized solutions, services and experiences that support school and team sports, athletics and spirit programs, reaching over eight million athletes and students annually. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Matthew O’Brien, Laura Steinke and Valentine Bleicher; capital markets partners Joshua Korff and Michael Kim; debt finance partners Maureen Dixon and Patrick Loughery; and tax partners Mike Carew and Polina Liberman.

Aug 26

1 min