Nadia Murad

Accenture said Tuesday it will acquire Ookla, a Seattle-based provider of internet data products, from Ziff Davis, in a deal that Accenture said will give customers insights into network metrics that are increasingly critical in the age of artificial intelligence. Both Accenture and Ziff Davis announced the deal, with the latter company stating the purchase price as $1.2 billion in cash. Ookla's network intelligence and analytics include data products like Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau and RootMetrics. Accenture said the acquisition will help communications service providers, or CSPs, hyperscalers and enterprises "optimize the mission-critical Wi-Fi and 5G networks that power their digital core." "Network data is no longer just a lifeline for the telecoms industry; it now creates significant value across all sectors," according to Accenture. "As AI scales, the insights captured at the network, device, and application layers are essential to enhance fraud prevention in banking, smart home analytics in utilities, and traffic optimization in retail." Ookla comes with a team of approximately 430 experts specializing in software engineering, radio frequency engineering and data science, Accenture said. By comparison, Accenture, which "helps the world's leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed across the enterprise," said it has approximately 784,000 personnel. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, Accenture said. In a statement, Vivek Shah, CEO of Ziff Davis, called the deal transformative, "representing a significant realization of value for our shareholders and a concrete illustration of the quality of the businesses in our portfolio." Evercore Group LLC and Citi served as Ziff Davis' financial advisers. Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised Ziff Davis, led by partners David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf. Counsel information for Accenture was not immediately available.

Mar 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis LLP represented Wynnchurch Capital in the raising of its fourth private equity fund, Wynnchurch Capital Partners IV, L.P., which announced its final closing at $1.2 billion of limited partner commitments. The fund, which had a target of $900 million, was oversubscribed, resulting in the fund reaching its hard cap closing relatively quickly after its initial launch in September 2014. The Kirkland team was led by private funds partners Bruce Ettelson, Jeffrey Kaplan and Nadia Murad. Wynnchurch has closed four private equity funds since 2000 and has more than $2.3 billion of capital under management. Fund IV investors include state pension funds, investment advisors and family offices from around the globe. More information on the fund is available here. Kirkland’s private funds group has formed more than 740 private equity funds on behalf of approximately 400 private equity sponsors since 1995, raising more than $500 billion. The group regularly represents leading institutional investors in connection with their investments in private funds.

Nov 10

1 min

Kirkland & Ells advised Ziff Davis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZD) on a definitive agreement to sell its Connectivity division to Accenture (NYSE: ACN) for $1.2 billion in cash. Ziff Davis’ Connectivity brands are globally recognized in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi network design, intelligence, insights, testing and incident detection. These brands, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics, empower organizations to optimize networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. The transaction is currently expected to close in the coming months, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf; tax lawyer Sara Zablotney; executive compensation lawyer Rob Fowler; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Zoey Hitzert; antitrust & competition lawyer Daniel Zach; and technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall.

Mar 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised private investment firm Arctos on the close of Arctos Sports Partners Fund II (“Fund II”), the latest iteration of its flagship sports fund. Fund II, along with co-investment and parallel affiliated vehicles, closed with over $4.1 billion in capital commitments from a diverse group of global investors, including some of the world’s leading pension funds, retirement systems, endowments, insurance companies, family offices and global wealth platforms. Approximately 30% of Fund II’s capital has been deployed across several investments, including Smith Entertainment Group, the holding company that owns Utah Jazz; Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, the owner of New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers; Paris Saint-Germain F.C.; and Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. Read the Arctos' press release The Kirkland team was led by investment funds partners Patrick Valenti, Nadia Murad, Sam Scarcello and Jeff Kaplan and associates Margaret Waickman, Ross Greenspan and Heaven Chandler, with involvement from investment funds partners John O’Neil, Daniel Lavon-Krein and John Berger; regulatory partners Alpa Patel and Chris Pristouris; tax partners Don Rocap and Alec Campbell; and employee benefits partner Sabrina Glaser.

Apr 2

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that 75 attorneys will be promoted to partner effective October 1, 2011. Seven attorneys of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP will also be promoted to partner. The names, practice groups and office locations of the attorneys follow. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration, corporate and tax, restructuring, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C. Kirkland & Ellis LLP Name Practice Area Office Suzanne Milne Alexander Litigation Chicago Uma M. Amuluru Litigation Chicago James P. Bartley Real Estate Chicago Harper Batts Intellectual Property Palo Alto Derek Bentsen Litigation Washington, D.C. Brittany Whitesell Biles Litigation Washington, D.C. Robert C. Blaustein Corporate New York Daniel A. Bress Litigation Washington, D.C. Bryce A. Budin Intellectual Property Chicago William H. Burgess Intellectual Property Washington, D.C. Jason Choy Intellectual Property Los Angeles Kenneth S. Clark Litigation Washington, D.C. Michael I. Cohen Intellectual Property Chicago Ian R. Conner* Antitrust Washington, D.C. Christa C. Cottrell Litigation Chicago Jennifer W. Cowen Litigation Chicago Amy E. Crawford Litigation Chicago John K. Crisham Litigation Washington, D.C. Thad W. Davis Tax Chicago David R. Dempsey Litigation Washington, D.C. Scott M. Edenfield Litigation Chicago Eunnice H. Eun Litigation Washington, D.C. David B. Feirstein Corporate New York Colleen M. Garlington Intellectual Property Chicago Leo M. Greenberg Corporate New York Melissa K. Grouzard Litigation Chicago Michael J. Gulliford Intellectual Property New York Andrew G. Heinz Intellectual Property; Litigation New York Jordan M. Heinz Intellectual Property Chicago Sarah P. Herlihy Litigation Chicago Matthew J. Hertko Intellectual Property Chicago Dana E. Hill Litigation Washington, D.C. Edward Holzwanger Employment & Labor Washington, D.C. Karen Tu Huoth Intellectual Property Palo Alto Christopher M. Kaiser Intellectual Property Chicago Jessica C. Kaiser Intellectual Property Chicago Elizabeth M. Kim Litigation Los Angeles Rebecca A. Koch Litigation Washington, D.C. Nancy L. Kowalczyk Corporate Chicago Jess M. Krannich Litigation Chicago John C. Krocak Corporate Chicago Anh B. Lee Corporate Chicago J. John Lee Intellectual Property Washington, D.C. Fred N. Lim Corporate San Francisco Elizabeth M. Locke Litigation Washington, D.C. Michele Luburich Corporate Chicago Nathan S. Mammen Intellectual Property Washington, D.C. Jennifer L. Marines Restructuring New York Sean M. McEldowney Intellectual Property Washington, D.C. Mercedes McFarland Corporate Chicago David P. Milligan Corporate Chicago Daniel C. Moore Litigation Chicago Nadia Murad Corporate Chicago Hunter Murdock Litigation New York Kate S. O'Scannlain Litigation Washington, D.C. Jason R. Parish Litigation Washington, D.C. Carolina Hungria Paschoal Intellectual Property New York D. Joseph Piech Litigation Chicago Karin Wray Preusse Intellectual Property Chicago Mark W. Rasmussen Litigation New York Brenton A. Rogers Litigation Chicago David A. Rosenberg Real Estate Chicago Jacob P. Sheehan Corporate Chicago Matthew J. Shiels Intellectual Property Chicago Michael J. Shipley Litigation Los Angeles Sienna R. Singer Restructuring Chicago Gregory L. Skidmore Litigation Washington, D.C. Steve Toth Corporate Chicago R. Roy Wang Intellectual Property Palo Alto Sara Michaelchuck Webber Environmental Washington, D.C. Paul Wierbicki Restructuring Chicago Nathan M. Wilda Corporate Chicago Jennifer Peters Wilson Corporate Chicago Stefanie Merry Wool Corporate New York Joshua M. Zachariah Corporate New York Kirkland & Ellis International LLP* Name Practice Area Office Pierre-Luc Arsenault** Corporate Hong Kong Christopher Braunack Corporate Hong Kong Markus Feil** Corporate Munich Victoria Pickett Corporate London Angela Rohman Russo** Tax Hong Kong Christopher Shield Corporate (European Finance Group) London Cedric Van den Borren** Corporate London * Move from Of Counsel to Partner ** All Partners of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP in Hong Kong and London who are not solicitors have to be registered with the Law Society of England & Wales, and those in Munich have to be registered as Exempt European Lawyers before they are allowed to become partners.

Sep 15

3 min