Jay Swain

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) advises Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (‘CDPQ’) on its agreement to acquire a minority interest in Aareon, a European provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for the property industry. CDPQ has agreed to purchase Aareon in consortium with TPG Capital from sellers Aareal Bank and Advent International (‘Advent’). Advent will continue its involvement in Aareon with the investment of new equity for a minority interest in the standalone company. The financial terms of the sale are based on an enterprise value for Aareon of approximately €3.9bn. Closing is expected to take place in the second half of 2024, subject to customary closing conditions and approvals. With its Property Management System, Aareon promotes efficient and sustainable property management and maintenance. The company’s portfolio enables seamless, automated end-to-end processes connecting property managers and owners across the residential and commercial real estate sectors. The company is headquartered in Mainz, Germany. The Freshfields team was led by Partner Richard Thexton (Corporate, London), Senior Associate Jay Swain (Corporate, London), Partner Heiner Braun (Corporate, Frankfurt) and Principal Associate Friedrich von der Heydt (Corporate, Hamburg). The Freshfields team also included: Partners: Janina Heinz (Banking Regulatory, Frankfurt), Helen Buchanan (Tax, London), Merit Olthoff (Antitrust, Berlin/Brussels) Counsel: Laurent Bougard (Antitrust, Hong Kong) Associates: Natalie Petersen (Corporate, London), Matthew Everett (Tax, London), Niccolò Piga (Antitrust, Brussels)

Jun 25

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Cinven on its majority investment in Alter Domus, a leading global provider of end-to-end tech-enabled fund administration and corporate services across private equity, real assets, and private debt. Cinven will support the long-term strategic growth of Alter Domus, working in close partnership with Alter Domus’ founders and Permira. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Freshfields team was led by private capital partners Victoria Sigeti and Alastair Brown and senior associate Jay Swain together with financing and capital markets partners Aled Batey and Haden Henderson. James Smethurst was the partner leading on financial regulatory matters, partner May Smith advised on tax matters, partner Martin McElwee on antitrust and partner David Mendel on employment and incentives. This latest acquisition carries on Freshfields’ long-standing relationship with Cinven, having recently advised Cinven on its investment in group.One and its acquisitions of Master Builders Solutions, Netceed and life insurer International Financial Group Limited.

Mar 5

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (‘CD&R’) and its portfolio company Motor Fuel Group (‘MFG’) on its agreement relating to the proposed acquisition of 337 Morrisons petrol forecourts and more than 400 associated sites across the UK for Ultra-Rapid electric vehicle (‘EV’) charging development. The proposed £2.5bn transaction forms a new strategic partnership between the two companies. As part of the transaction Morrisons will take a minority stake of approximately 20% in MFG, and enter into commercial and supply agreements with MFG, underscoring the long-term nature of the commercial partnership. This level of investment will position MFG as one of the largest and most significant ultra-rapid EV charge point operators in the UK. MFG has already committed to completing its market leading £400m EV roll out by 2030, and through this partnership intends to electrify approximately 800 sites with thousands of Ultra-Rapid chargers across the combined estate in that timeframe. The Freshfields team advising CD&R and its portfolio company MFG is led by private equity partner James Scott and senior associate Chris Yarrow. Private equity partner Mark Brewer and senior associate Jay Swain advised on the equity arrangements, and partner David Brooks and counsel Tom Dye led on the commercial and transitional arrangements. Senior associate Emily Szasz advised on tax aspects.

Jan 31

1 min

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) has advised international private equity firm, Montagu Private Equity (‘Montagu’) and its portfolio company, Wireless Logic, on the acquisition of Webbing, a global mobile virtual network operator providing connectivity for enterprise mobility and internet of things (‘IoT’) applications. Webbing provides a leading-edge connectivity service for global customers across sectors including enterprise mobility, automotive and logistics. It offers a global carrier network that delivers best in class coverage, policy control and enforcement, including compliance with any permanent roaming restrictions, as well as security and other features, all through a single global SIM. Wireless Logic is a global software business that has pioneered the IoT and machine-to-machine connectivity market since 2000. It delivers a critical IoT network infrastructure platform, enabling 25,000+ customers to “connect”, “control” and “secure” over 11 million devices across 165 countries to over 750 global networks. The Freshfields team was led by partner James Scott and senior associate Jay Swain. The team also included partners Peter Clements, Giles Pratt and David Mendel and senior associate Emily Szasz in London, partner Paul van den Berg in Brussels, partner Jenn Mellott in Washington DC, partner Richard Bird in Hong Kong, and Adir Waldman, Managing Director of our Israel Focus Group, in Tel Aviv. Freshfields originally advised Montagu on its acquisition of Wireless Logic in 2018.

Aug 23

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised IGS GeboJagema, a global healthcare mould maker and portfolio company of BC Partners, on two acquisitions: ACH Solution, an Austrian specialist in silicone rubber injection moulds, and the medical device operations of FRP, a UK-based rapid prototyping specialist. Together, the acquisitions significantly expand IGS GeboJagema’s ability to serve medical device clients. Read IGS GeboJagema’s press release The Kirkland team for ACH Solution included corporate lawyers Tom Bartram, Jay Swain, Stefano Castoldi, Emma Luo, Adam Thomas Clifford, Keli Huang, Matthew Burner and Caraline Higgins; employee benefits lawyers Matt Antinossi and Mackenzie Packard; employment & labor lawyers R.D. Kohut and Paul Vasiloff; debt finance lawyers James Collins and Marco Convertini; financial services regulatory lawyer Daniel Fallon; real estate lawyers Jennifer Sheehan and Evan Lane; and tax lawyers Alan Walker and Ellen Ronayne. The Kirkland team for FRP included corporate lawyers Tom Bartram, Nikhil Mohindra and Emma Luo; technology & IP transactions lawyers Emma Flett, Ben Zeris and Shareen Dhillon; and tax lawyer Alan Walker.

Jan 9

1 min