John Guccione

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

Latham & Watkins LLP advised Swiss Life Asset Managers (Swiss Life AM) and Gelsenwasser AG (Gelsenwasser) on the acquisition of Infrareal GmbH (Infrareal), the owner and operator of two growing life science industrial parks in Germany. Swiss Life Asset Managers and Gelsenwasser will support Infrareal’s investment program over the next 10 years and spearhead management’s efforts in growing best-in-class site operations as well as technical and logistics services for blue-chip life science companies. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Infrareal is the owner and operator of two prime life science-focused industrial parks in Marburg and Jena, Germany. Infrareal helps its clients focus on their core manufacturing and R&D competencies, providing them with all-encompassing infrastructure support which includes buildings, utilities, technical services, logistics and IT solutions. With its attractive loca-tions and high-quality asset base, Infrareal is well-positioned to capture the growth in out-sourced infrastructure in the life science industry. Swiss Life AM offers its asset management expertise to third-party clients in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the UK. As at 31. December 2020, assets managed by Swiss Life AM on behalf of third-party clients amounted to €85 billion. The team has advised 30 infrastructure investments in Europe and North America across the renewables, energy, regulated utilities, transportation, and communication sectors. Gelsenwasser is a major German utility company with a main focus on infrastructure, service and supply, from water and wastewater to energy (gas, electricity, wind, PV, heat) and to the digital area. The cross-border team was co-led by London finance partner Conrad Andersen, London corporate partner John Guccione and Düsseldorf corporate partner Tobias Larisch with support from Düsseldorf corporate associates Katharina Intfeld, Alexander Belk, Jaschar Mirkhani, Felix Gasten, and Ivo Wanwitz. Advice was also provided on finance matters by Frankfurt associate Martina Eisgruber, Hong Kong associates Lynsey Edgar and Tirmzi Zarmina; on regulatory matters by Frankfurt counsel Joachim Grittmann and associate Alexander Wilhelm, on antitrust matters by Düsseldorf partner Jan Höft, Hamburg counsel Jana Dammann de Chapto and Düsseldorf associate Leonie Spangenberger, on tax matters by Hamburg partner Tobias Klass and associate Verena Seevers, on real estate matters by Frankfurt partner Otto von Gruben, on corporate/IP matters by Frankfurt partner Susan Kempe-Müller and associate Pia Sösemann, on employment matters by Munich partner Tobias Leder, and on data privacy matters by Frankfurt associates Wolf-Tassilo Böhm and Isabelle Brams.~~

Jul 28

2 min

Latham & Watkins LLP is advising Swiss Life Asset Managers (Swiss Life AM) and Vauban Infrastructure Partners on the public offer to acquire Aves One AG (Aves One), one of the leading holders of rail assets in Europe. Rhine Rail Investment AG, the special purpose vehicle set up by Swiss Life AM and Vauban Infrastructure Partners, will make a cash offer of €12.80 per share to the shareholders of Aves One. The offer price represents a premium of approximately 38.6 percent over the volume-weighted average share price of the last three months prior to the publication of the decision to make an offer. A group of shareholders owning more than 85 percent of the company have irrevocably committed to tender their shares. Aves One and Rhine Rail Investment AG have signed an investment agreement in relation to the takeover offer. The Management Board and the Supervisory Board of Aves One have agreed, subject to the review of the published offer document, to support the offer. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Aves One is one of the largest owners of railcars and swap bodies in Europe. The Company is listed on the regulated market (Prime Standard) of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Swiss Life AM has more than 160 years of experience in managing capital on behalf of the Swiss Life Group and its clients. The investment philosophy of Swiss Life AM focuses on principles of long-term strategic approach, capital preservation, generation of consistent and sustainable returns as well as a responsible approach to risks. Swiss Life AM offers its asset management expertise to third-party clients in Switzerland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the UK. As at 31 December 2020, assets managed by Swiss Life on behalf of third-party clients amounted to €85 billion. Together with the investment mandates for the Swiss Life Group, total assets under management by Swiss Life AM stood at €249 billion, of which CHF 7.3 billion is managed by the Infrastructure Equity Business area. Swiss Life AM has a dedicated infrastructure team of more than 40 investment professionals, focusing on investments in global infrastructure assets including renewables and a proven track record in creating value for its clients. Swiss Life AM employs more than 2300 people in Europe. Swiss Life Asset Managers employs more than 2300 people in Europe. Vauban Infrastructure Partners is a leading Infrastructure Asset Manager focused on the European core infrastructure investments. Vauban Infrastructure Partners has raised around €6 billion across five funds in Core infrastructure and has invested in over 50 assets in mobility, utilities, social & digital infrastructure across different geographies. The cross-border team was co-led by Düsseldorf corporate partner Tobias Larisch, London corporate partner John Guccione, and London finance partner Conrad Andersen, with support from Düsseldorf corporate counsel Sebastian Goslar and associates Steffen Augschill, Katharina Intfeld, Jaschar Mirkhani, Felix Gasten, and Ivo Wanwitz. Advice was also provided on finance matters by Frankfurt associate Martina Eisgruber and London associate Amanda Fortuna; on antitrust matters by Düsseldorf partner Jan Höft, Hamburg counsel Jana Dammann de Chapto and Düsseldorf associate Leonie Spangenberger; on corporate/IP matters by Frankfurt partner Susan Kempe-Müller and associate Pia Sösemann; on employment matters by Munich partner Tobias Leder; on compliance matters by Hamburg associate Stefan Bartz and Düsseldorf associate Julia-Bianka Schenkel; on data privacy matters by Frankfurt associates Wolf-Tassilo Böhm; and on regulatory matters by counsel Joachim Grittmann and associate Alexander Wilhelm.~~

Aug 12

2 min

Latham & Watkins and The Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi have advised EIG Pearl Holdings S.à r.l. (EIG Pearl) on its inaugural dual-tranche bond offering, comprising US$1.25 billion 3.545% Senior Secured Bonds due 2036 and US$1.25 billion 4.387% Senior Secured Bonds due 2046. The bonds are rated A (stable) by Fitch and A1 (stable) by Moody’s. EIG Pearl Holdings S.à r.l. is the owner of a 49% shareholding in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company which leases from Saudi Aramco a pipeline network containing all current and future pipelines used for transporting stabilized crude oil within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An aggregator vehicle managed by EIG owns approximately 89% of EIG Pearl, while the remaining 11% is held by a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company PJSC. The bonds monetize projected equity distributions from Aramco Oil Pipelines Company to be generated from minimum contracted tariff payments due from Saudi Aramco for the right to use and operate the pipelines leased to Aramco Oil Pipeline Company. The issuer intends to use the proceeds for repayment of indebtedness incurred in connection with its acquisition of its shareholding in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company. Citi and J.P. Morgan were Global Coordinators. BNP Paribas, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Mizuho, MUFG, and SMBC Nikko acted as Joint Bookrunners. The Latham team was led from London by finance partners Conrad Andersen, Steve Curtis, and James Burnett, with associates Misa Schmiederova, Hamaad Mustafa, and Alyssa Wu. The Law Office of Salman M. Al-Sudairi advised on Saudi law matters, with a team led by counsel Amar Meher with associates Homam Khoshaim, Wassim El Mardini, and Mashal Al-Assaf. Advice was also provided on hedging matters by London partner Dean Naumowicz with London associate Delyth Hughes, and on corporate matters by London partner John Guccione.~~

Jan 27

1 min

Latham & Watkins LLP advised IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, advised by IFM Investors (together IFM) on a longterm partnership with Deutsche Telekom. IFM will acquire a 50 percent stake in group subsidiary and fiber roll-out company GlasfaserPlus GmbH. The resulting Joint Venture, aims to roll out additional gigabit-capable FTTH (fiber to the home) to over four million homes in rural and subsidized areas in Germany by 2028. Subject to pending merger control and other applicable approvals by the relevant authorities, the joint venture is expected to roll out fiber networks from 2022 and also participate in government subsidy tenders. The resulting network will be opened up to Deutsche Telekom as well as its competitors on a non-discriminatory basis. GlasfaserPlus GmbH will offer attractive bitstream access (BSA) services to Deutsche Telekom and third-party providers on a wholesale basis. IFM Investors was established more than 25 years ago and is owned by a group of Australian pension funds. IFM Investors manages funds of €108bn (as at June 30 2021) on behalf of pension funds and other like-minded institutional investors, who represent more than 30 million pension fund members globally. IFM Investors actively engages on ESG issues with the companies in which it invests with the aim of enhancing their net performance while minimising investment risk. Latham represented IFM with a team jointly led by London corporate partner John Guccione and Düsseldorf corporate partner Tobias Larisch as well as London finance partner Conrad Andersen, with Düsseldorf corporate associates Katharina Intfeld, Alexander Belk, and Ivo Wanwitz. Advice on regulatory matters was provided by Frankfurt counsel Joachim Grittmann and associate Alexander Wilhelm; and on antitrust matters by Hamburg counsel Jana Dammann de Chapto and Frankfurt associate Nicolas Jung.~~

Nov 5

1 min