Chad G. Rolston

Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) has announced that it is acquiring D&D Beyond, the leading digital toolset and game companion for the Company’s groundbreaking fantasy franchise, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, from Fandom. Fandom, the world’s largest fan platform, has owned and operated D&D Beyond since 2019 and has grown the direct-to-consumer business to be the leading role-playing game (RPG) digital toolset on the market with close to 10 million registered users. This strategic acquisition, for US$146.3 million in cash, will further strengthen Hasbro’s capabilities in the fast-growing digital tabletop category while also adding veteran talents to the Wizards of the Coast team and accelerating efforts to deliver exceptional experiences for fans across all platforms. Latham & Watkins LLP represents Fandom in the transaction with a M&A team led by Bay Area partner Chad Rolston, with associate Rachelle Polsky, and a corporate team led by Bay Area partners Jim Morrone and John Williams. Advice was also provided on intellectual property and data privacy matters by Bay Area partner JD Marple, London partner Fiona Maclean, and Houston counsel Robert Brown, with associates Adriana Beach, Caroline Omotayo, Jane Bentham, and Lorenzo Meusburger; on tax matters by Bay Area partner Grace Lee, with associate Jeremiah Cowen; on benefits and compensation matters by Bay Area partner James Metz, with associate Niveda Anandan; on compliance matters by Bay Area partner Scott Joiner and Washington, D.C. counsel Andrew Galdes, with associates Erin Eckles and Sara Castiglia; and on antitrust matters by Bay Area partner Joshua Holian and Washington, D.C. counsel Peter Todaro.~~

Apr 14

1 min

ProService, a leading provider of bundled HR solutions, has announced that Silver Lake, a global leader in technology investing, has partnered with the ProService management team and employee owners to invest in and drive the company’s next chapter of innovation and growth. Latham & Watkins LLP represented Silver Lake in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by New York partner Justin Hamill, Bay Area partner Chad Rolston, and New York counsel Robert McGuire, with associates Rachelle Polsky, Kevin Schunk, and Suhansi Perera. Advice was also provided on insurance matters by New York partners Gary Boss and Kirsten Gaeta and New York counsels Dean Agnos and Benjamin Lee; on debt finance matters by New York partners Joshua Tinkelman and Seniz Yakut, with associate Sara Shahmiri; on tax matters by Bay Area partner Katharine Moir, with associate Abigail Friedman; on employment, benefits, and compensation matters by New York partner Erin Murphy, Chicago partner Nineveh Alkhas, and Chicago counsel Sandhya Chandrasekhar, with associate Victoria Wolfe; on intellectual property matters by Los Angeles partner Ghaith Mahmood and Bay Area counsel Arielle Singh, with associates Nicole Nour, Nick Goshgarian, and Jesse Kirkland; on data privacy matters by Bay Area partner Robert Blamires, with associates Deborah Hinck and Sanjana Parikh; on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partner Amanda Reeves and New York partner Katherine Rocco, with associates Charles Sprague and Yilin Shao; on securities matters by Orange County partners Michele Johnson and Kristin Murphy; on FCPA compliance matters by New York partner Benjamin Naftalis, with associate Lauren Sun; and on sanctions matters by Washington, D.C. counsel Andrew Galdes, with associate Matthew Crawford.~~

May 19

1 min

Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data center campuses, has announced that is has completed a US$9.2 billion equity investment led by Silver Lake, the global leader in technology investing, and investment vehicles managed by DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE: DBRG), the leading global alternative asset manager dedicated to investing in digital infrastructure. The capital raise was significantly oversubscribed and upsized by US$2.8 billion with participation from multiple global investors, bringing the completed investment to US$9.2 billion. Latham & Watkins LLP represented Silver Lake in the transaction with a cross-border corporate deal team led by New York partner Justin Hamill, Bay Area partner Chad Rolston, and London partner Farah O’Brien. Advice was also provided on tax matters by Bay Area partner Katharine Moir and Century City partner Pardis Zomorodi, and on real estate matters by New York partner Michelle Kelban.~~

Jun 14

1 min

Bay Area partners Tad Freese and Chad Rolston have been named to Business Insider’s list of Top Eleven Lawyers for Fintechs, which showcases the top-tier lawyers “helping big-name fintechs… go public, raise rounds and cut deals.” Tad Freese, who currently serves as the Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco offices, and previously served as Vice Chair of Latham & Watkins' Global Corporate Department, advises clients on both significant transactions and key strategic legal issues to enable them to grow and succeed. Business Insider noted that Freese draws on over 25 years of experience guiding technology companies on complex transactions. Recent highlights include representing Hippo on its SPAC merger, Alkami Technology on its initial public offering and Blend on its acquisition of Title365. Chad Rolston, represents private and public companies and private equity firms and their portfolio companies on strategic market-leading transactions. As noted by Business Insider, Rolston brings prior software sales and engineering experience to his practice of law representing clients such as Hippo and Intuit on multi-billion dollar M&A deals as well as working with private equity firms like Silver Lake on its US$640 million investment in Klarna. Business Insider’s list is based on a number of factors, including feedback from company executives and an analysis of lawyers who have been particularly active on recent high-profile deals.~~

Sep 8

1 min