Matthew H. O'Brien, P.C.

Kirkland & Ellis advised Bain Capital on a $250 million minority growth investment in Sikich LLC, a global technology-enabled professional services company. This investment positions Sikich to leverage Bain Capital’s deep resources while accelerating continued and aggressive growth, enhancing operational excellence and cementing its professional services leadership position in an industry undergoing rapid consolidation. Sikich maintains majority control of the company and its existing executive and leadership teams, led by Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Geier. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partner Adam Clifford, debt finance partner Thomas Dobleman and capital markets partner Tommy Felix; and included capital markets associates Sara Šepac and Van Whiting; corporate partner Matthew O’Brien and associates Brandan Matthews and Ben Martin; debt finance associate Matthew Kita; tax partner Mike Carew and associate Natalie Kannan; and executive compensation partners Jackson Phinney and R.D. Kohut.

May 9

1 min

Kirkland advised Bain Capital Private Equity on its $1.1 billion acquisition of Brazilian steakhouse brand Fogo de Chão from private equity firm Rhône Capital, which took the restaurant chain private in 2018. The transaction was announced on August 15, 2023, and is expected to close in September 2023. Fogo de Chão is a leading international fast-experiential restaurant brand offering Brazilian cuisine with 76 locations worldwide. Read the Fogo de Chão press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Matthew O’Brien, Laura Steinke and Ben Dionne, and associates Kendahl Mordini, Matt Suhosky, Tamara Zehentbauer and George Colligan; debt finance partners Melissa Hutson, Yuli Wang and Timothy Hughes and associate Yinan Guo; tax partners Mike Carew and Meg Dewar and associate Katherine Karnosh; employment & labor partner Peter Mee and associates Paul Vasiloff and Maayan Sachs; executive compensation partners Scott Price and Matthew Wood and associate Tom Kotlowski; technology transactions & intellectual property partner Vladimir Khodosh and associates Seth Pritchard and Amani Coutinho; employee benefits partner Alex Mihalas and Mackenzie Packard; environmental partner Jonathan Kidwell and associate Max Anderson; ESG & impact partner Alexandra Farmer and associate Menaka Nayar; international trade partners Kim Nemirow and Nick Niles and associate Zach Sommers; antitrust partner Michael Thorpe and associate Catherine Kordestani; ex-US filings partners Paula Riedel and Athina Van Melkebeke and associate Richard Birch; and real estate partner Rob Miceli and associates Mark Lipschultz and Bob McAuliff.

Aug 16

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Bain Capital Private Equity portfolio company Rocket Software, Inc., a global technology leader driving modernization for the world’s largest companies, on its definitive agreement to acquire the Application Modernization and Connectivity business of OpenText (NASDAQ: OTEX) (TSX: OTEX), for a total purchase price of $2.275 billion. The combined entity will offer a compelling portfolio of solutions to support the world’s largest companies in their modernization and hybrid cloud journeys. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2024, subject to receipt of applicable regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Read Rocket Software’s press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Chris Elder, Matthew O’Brien and Andrew Struckmeyer and associate Zoe Quick; technology & IP transactions partners Martin Schwertmann and Vladimir Khodosh and associate Derek Ventling; debt finance partners Andrew Idrizovic and Lee Discher and associate Matt Stummer; capital markets partners Sophia Hudson, Julia Danforth and Alborz Tolou; tax partners Polina Liberman, Mike Carew and Alan Walker; and executive compensation partner Deidre Kalenderian.

Nov 28

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Bain Capital-backed Varsity Brands, a leader in team sports, athletics and spirit, on the sale of Varsity Brands by Bain Capital to KKR. As the new majority owner of Varsity Brands, KKR will support the company as it continues to grow its business. The Varsity Brands platform offers an extensive range of high-quality, customized solutions, services and experiences that support school and team sports, athletics and spirit programs, reaching over eight million athletes and students annually. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Matthew O’Brien, Laura Steinke and Valentine Bleicher; capital markets partners Joshua Korff and Michael Kim; debt finance partners Maureen Dixon and Patrick Loughery; and tax partners Mike Carew and Polina Liberman.

Aug 26

1 min