Carlo Zenkner, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Gen Digital Inc. (NASDAQ: GEN), a company dedicated to powering Digital Freedom through its family of consumer brands, on the acquisition of MoneyLion Inc. (NYSE: ML), a leading digital ecosystem for consumer finance. The companies announced a definitive agreement on December 10, 2024, and the transaction is expected to close in the first half of Gen’s fiscal year 2026 subject to customary closing conditions. The deal includes $82.00 per share in cash payable at closing, representing a cash value of approximately $1 billion. In addition, for each share owned, MoneyLion shareholders will receive at closing one contingent value right (CVR) that entitles the holder to a contingent payment of $23.00 in the form of shares of Gen common stock (issuable based on an assumed share price of $30.48 per Gen share) if Gen’s average volume-weighted average share price reaches at least $37.50 per share over 30 consecutive trading days from December 10, 2024 until 24 months after close. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Edward Lee, Carlo Zenkner, Dan Li and Alex Adamis; executive compensation lawyers Rohit Nafday, Anthony Ji and Devin Kern; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson, Jennifer Lee, Leia Andrew and Chi Vo Kavanaugh; tax lawyers Sara Zablotney, Maria Smith and Matthew Buono; structured finance lawyers Joel Weinberger and John Harrison; litigation lawyers Stefan Atkinson, Paige Comparato and Christopher Leach; and investment funds lawyers Daniel Kahl, Xiao-Hong Jing and Lena Yoon.

Dec 10

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising alternatives asset manager Castlelake L.P. on a strategic partnership with Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM, TSX: BAM) in which Brookfield is purchasing a 51% stake in Castlelake’s fee-related earnings. The amount of capital to be invested will be approximately $1.5 billion, including capital to be invested in Castlelake’s investment strategies by Brookfield Reinsurance. Castlelake will continue to operate its business independently, retaining its current governance and leadership structure and will retain majority ownership of its performance-related earnings. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team is being led by asset management M&A partners Christopher Gandia, Carlo Zenkner, James Mayne and Daniel Lavon-Krein; tax partners Mark Schwed and Joseph Tootle; investment funds partners David Sherman, Stefan Paulovic, Alpa Patel, Daniel Kahl and Samuel Weber; antitrust & competition partner Matthew Sinclair-Thompson; and financial services regulatory partners Lisa Cawley and Thomas Woodhead.

May 6

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) on a definitive agreement to make a voluntary takeover for all of the issued and outstanding shares of food processing company Marel hf (ICL: Marel). JBT is a global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2024, subject to regulatory clearance and shareholder approvals. Marel shareholders will have the option to elect to receive either all cash, all JBT common stock, or a combination of cash and JBT common stock, subject to a proration feature that will result in Marel shareholders receiving, in the aggregate, approximately €950 million in cash and a 38% ownership stake in the combined company. In connection with entry into the transaction agreement, JBT entered into a €1.9 billion bridge facility to support the transaction, including to fund the cash portion of the offer. Read JBT’s press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners David Klein, Carlo Zenkner and Daniel Wolf and associates Chrissy Pak and Wei Yang and foreign associate Blánaid Corrigan; antitrust & competition partners Jim Mutchnik, Paula Riedel, Sion Davies and Scott Scheele and of counsel Donna Peel; capital markets partners Sophia Hudson, Jennifer Lee and Zoey Hitzert and associate Shelby Brown; debt finance partners Rachael Lichman, Purun Cheong, Chris Shield and Tom Roberts and associates Julia Choi and Jacob Sims; tax partners Mike Carew and Steven Cantor; and executive compensation partners Michael Falk and Jared Whalen and associate Rebecca Kostelak.

Apr 5

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Swedish casino game provider Evolution AB (EVO:STO) on the acquisition of Galaxy Gaming Inc., which was announced July 18, 2024. Galaxy Gaming is a leading developer and distributor of innovative casino table games and enhanced gaming technology solutions. The transaction will help Evolution solidify its presence in the U.S. market and enhance its position as a leading licensor of proprietary table games to the online gaming industry. The transaction has been approved by Galaxy Gaming’s board of directors and is expected to close in mid-2025 subject to stockholder approval and certain required gaming regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Hamed Meshki, Carlo Zenkner and Andrew Norwich; executive compensation partner Rohit Nafday; tax partners Mike Beinus and Vivek Ratnam; debt finance partners Nisha Kanchanapoomi and  Caitlin Bouey; capital markets partners Pippa Bond and Ashley Sinclair; employee benefits partner Justin Coddington; employment & labor partner Jackie Heffernan; technology and IP transactions partners Seth Traxler and Joanna Schlingbaum; international trade & national security partner Luci Hague; antitrust & competition partners Andrea Murino, Matthew Sinclair-Thomson and Shahrzad Sadjadi.

Jul 19

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Amcor plc (NYSE: AMCR; ASX: AMC) on a definitive agreement in which the company will combine with Berry Global Group Inc. (NYSE: BERY) through an all-stock merger. The transaction was announced November 19, 2024. Closing is targeted in the middle of calendar year 2025. The combination brings together two highly complementary businesses to create a global leader in consumer packaging solutions, with a broader flexible film and converted film offering for customers, a scaled containers and closures business and a unique global healthcare portfolio. Berry shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 7.25 Amcor shares for each Berry share held upon closing, resulting in Amcor and Berry shareholders owning approximately 63% and 37% of the combined company, respectively. The transaction received unanimous approval of the boards of directors of both Amcor and Berry and values Berry’s common stock at $73.59 per share. The transaction will create a combined company with an enterprise value of approximately $37 billion. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Jonathan Davis, Carlo Zenkner, Andrew Norwich and Eric Schiele; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Katherine Shaia; debt finance lawyers Rachael Lichman and Brittany Taylor; antitrust & competition lawyers Andrea Murino and Jack Coles; executive compensation benefits lawyers Scott Price and Jared Whalen; and tax lawyer Jared Rusman.

Nov 19

1 min