Steven M. Choi

Kirkland is advising Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) on an agreement to acquire industry-leading parking reservation app SpotHero, bringing parking reservations onto the Uber app. Since launching in 2011, SpotHero has helped millions of drivers easily find affordable parking at more than 13,000 garages, lots, and valets across more than 400 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Uber plans to offer a native, in-app parking reservation experience, powered by SpotHero, with a focus on parking for commuters, as well as at events, venues, and airports. In time, Uber One members can also expect to see parking benefits as part of their membership. In turn, parking operators working with SpotHero will benefit from access to Uber’s large consumer base and network of vehicle charging and fleet partners. The acquisition is subject to the receipt of regulatory approval and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Edward Lee, Steven Choi, Arjun Mocherla, Hayley Haggard, Anne Hicks and Hayley Hollender; executive compensation lawyers Rohit Nafday, Anthony Ji and Sooah Kim; tax lawyers Sara Zablotney and Margot Solmssen; technology & IP transactions lawyers Seth Traxler and Kevin Jacobsen; employment & labor lawyers Jackie Heffernan and Jon Link; employee benefits lawyers Justin Coddington and Amin Hamza; and antitrust & competition lawyers Andrea Murino and Sadé Harper.

Feb 23

1 min

Kirkland advised KKR and its portfolio company CIRCOR International, Inc., a provider of mission critical flow control products and services for the industrial and aerospace and defense markets, on the sale of CIRCOR’s severe-service industrial valve providers DeltaValve and TapcoEnpro to SCF Partners. Their products are used in more than 50 countries to enhance automation and employee safety, reduce equipment failures, improve process reliability and efficiency. The transaction was announced September 3, 2024. Financial terms were not disclosed. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Jennifer Perkins and Steven Choi and associates Natalia Halista, Logan Cotton and Bria Manlove; debt finance partners Adam Shapiro and Taylor Andrews and associates Kelsey Fuller and Tommy Kagerer; technology & IP transactions partners Joanna Schlingbaum, Shellie Freedman and Seth Traxler and associates Leonor Suarez and Josh Ellis; and tax partners Vivek Ratnam and Mike Beinus.

Sep 4

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private equity firm Butterfly Equity on a definitive agreement to purchase North America’s premier luxury wine company The Duckhorn Portfolio (NYSE: NAPA) in an all-cash transaction that values the company at $1.95 billion. The transaction was announced October 7, 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Duckhorn shareholders will receive $11.10 per share in cash. Following the completion of the transaction, Duckhorn will become a privately owned company. The transaction, which was unanimously approved by the Duckhorn Board of Directors, is expected to close this winter, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Duckhorn shareholders and the receipt of required regulatory approvals. Butterfly is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food and beverage sector. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Ravi Agarwal, Sean Rodgers and Steven Choi; debt finance lawyers Melissa Hutson and Tim Hughes; executive compensation lawyer Scott Price; tax lawyer Ben Schreiner; and investment funds lawyer David Sherman.

Oct 7

1 min

Home health and hospice provider Enhabit Inc., advised by Jones Day, on Monday unveiled plans to go private following a sale to middle market private equity firm Kinderhook Industries LLC, led by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in an all-cash deal valued at roughly $1.1 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Kinderhook will pay $13.80 per share for Enhabit, representing a roughly 24.4% premium to the company's closing stock price on Friday, according to a Monday statement. Once the deal closes, Enhabit will delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange. "Following a thorough evaluation and extensive deliberations in consultation with our independent advisers, we are pleased to reach this agreement with Kinderhook," said Enhabit Chairman Jeffrey Bolton. "The board evaluated the current state of the business, its outlook and opportunities, and is confident this transaction maximizes value for our stockholders and is in their best interest." Enhabit is a national home health and hospice provider with a nationwide footprint of 249 home health locations and 117 hospice locations across 34 states. Kinderhook said it has secured financing for the deal, with a debt financing commitment letter from "certain lenders" and equity commitment letters from Kinderhook-advised funds, the statement said. "We have long admired Enhabit's leadership, patient-centric culture and strong market position in home-based care. Kinderhook has a successful 20-year track record of investing in industry-leading companies and partnering with world-class management teams," said Kinderhook Managing Director Chris Michalik. "Enhabit exemplifies exactly the kind of organization we seek to support — and the kind of team we are excited to partner with," Michalik said. Once the deal closes, Enhabit will continue to operate under its name and brand. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approvals. The Jones Day team advising Enhabit was led by partners Andy Levine and Darcy White and included partner Ferrell Keel. The Kirkland team advising Kinderhook included corporate partners Marshall Shaffer, Tom Marbury, Steven Choi and Kartik Khanna; debt finance partners Yongjin Im and Justin Greer; executive compensation partner Stephen Brecher; healthcare partners Dennis Williams and Micah Desaire; tax partner Ben Schreiner; antitrust and competition partners Ian John and Sam Morelli; employee benefits partner Chris Chase; labor and employment partner Mari Stonebraker; and technology and IP transactions partner Daisy Darvall.

Feb 23

2 min

Home health and hospice provider Enhabit Inc., advised by Jones Day, on Monday unveiled plans to go private following a sale to middle market private equity firm Kinderhook Industries LLC, led by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in an all-cash deal valued at roughly $1.1 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Kinderhook will pay $13.80 per share for Enhabit, representing a roughly 24.4% premium to the company's closing stock price on Friday, according to a Monday statement. Once the deal closes, Enhabit will delist its shares from the New York Stock Exchange. "Following a thorough evaluation and extensive deliberations in consultation with our independent advisers, we are pleased to reach this agreement with Kinderhook," said Enhabit Chairman Jeffrey Bolton. "The board evaluated the current state of the business, its outlook and opportunities, and is confident this transaction maximizes value for our stockholders and is in their best interest." Enhabit is a national home health and hospice provider with a nationwide footprint of 249 home health locations and 117 hospice locations across 34 states. Kinderhook said it has secured financing for the deal, with a debt financing commitment letter from "certain lenders" and equity commitment letters from Kinderhook-advised funds, the statement said. "We have long admired Enhabit's leadership, patient-centric culture and strong market position in home-based care. Kinderhook has a successful 20-year track record of investing in industry-leading companies and partnering with world-class management teams," said Kinderhook Managing Director Chris Michalik. "Enhabit exemplifies exactly the kind of organization we seek to support — and the kind of team we are excited to partner with," Michalik said. Once the deal closes, Enhabit will continue to operate under its name and brand. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approvals. The Jones Day team advising Enhabit was led by partners Andy Levine and Darcy White and included partner Ferrell Keel. The Kirkland team advising Kinderhook included corporate partners Marshall Shaffer, Tom Marbury, Steven Choi and Kartik Khanna; debt finance partners Yongjin Im and Justin Greer; executive compensation partner Stephen Brecher; healthcare partners Dennis Williams and Micah Desaire; tax partner Ben Schreiner; antitrust and competition partners Ian John and Sam Morelli; employee benefits partner Chris Chase; labor and employment partner Mari Stonebraker; and technology and IP transactions partner Daisy Darvall.

Feb 23

2 min