Tyler R. Cox

Simpson Thacher advised KKR in connection with the recapitalization of Drawbridge Realty’s (“Drawbridge”) approximately $1.7 billion portfolio of Class A office properties by Global Atlantic Financial Group (“Global Atlantic”), on behalf of its affiliated insurance companies. As part of the transaction, KKR and Drawbridge have established a new venture that will enable Drawbridge’s investment platform to source a pipeline of attractive investment opportunities for Global Atlantic.~~KKR’s insurance subsidiary Global Atlantic is recapitalizing the entirety of Drawbridge’s portfolio, comprised of approximately 5.4 million square feet of Class A office assets in growth markets, currently concentrated across the West Coast and Sunbelt regions, which are more than 95% leased to high-quality corporate tenants.~~Drawbridge is a San Francisco-based real estate investment company that focuses on acquiring, developing and managing commercial property investments in high growth technology and innovation driven markets across the U.S. KKR and Drawbridge initially partnered in 2014 to recapitalize a portfolio alongside strategic institutional partners. KKR will maintain its ownership stake in the investment manager alongside Drawbridge’s management team following the transaction.~~The Simpson Thacher team included Jason Herman, Beate Krieger, Iram Huq, Lu Wang and Tianye Zhang and (Funds); Christopher May, Tyler Cox and Isaac Syed (M&A); Marcy Geller, Benjamin Rippeon and Jasmine Hay and Shoshana Schorr (Tax); and Scott Kobak and Justin Vilinsky (Real Estate).

Feb 24

1 min

Hedge fund manager Soo Kim is taking his allegations that the Federal Communications Commission and a cadre of media players were part of a racist conspiracy to kill his $8.6 billion merger with broadcaster Tegna Inc. to the D.C. Circuit after a lower court kiboshed the claims last month. The notice of appeal was filed Friday, officially signaling that Kim and Standard General don't plan on dropping the issue. The filing comes exactly one month after U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras dismissed the lawsuit, saying, "absent any facts tying the FCC's actions to race, the court finds these arguments similarly unpersuasive as evincing racial animus." Judge Contreras, unimpressed with the allegations, said "plaintiffs' claims of 'race-based and xenophobic rhetoric in FCC filings' melt away at the slightest of scrutiny." In the opinion, the court pointed to the allegations that the media players, which included unions and advocacy organizations, "stoked fears about 'shadowy foreign investors,' the 'risks to ... democracy' posed by 'anonymous foreign investment in American newsrooms,' and 'China['s] increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait.'" "To begin, that use of 'shadowy foreign investors' clearly referred to the 'involvement of large hedge funds headquartered in the Cayman Islands and the British Virgin Islands,' and not Kim, whose identity everyone knew," the court said; the reference to Taiwan pertains to an unrelated political event. "Read in context, no reasonable person would assume this reference to China was actually an attack on Kim's race." Virginia-based broadcasting behemoth Tegna revealed its plans to go private through a deal with Standard General worth an estimated $8.6 billion in early 2022. The deal immediately generated criticism from unions and lawmakers, who were worried about the takeover's implications for workers and the public. Unions decried the merger as one that would harm competition and lead to massive job cuts, while telling the FCC that the hedge fund's involvement would represent "anonymous foreign investment in American newsrooms," a characterization that Kim slammed as an "inflammatory and personal attack." The FCC had the power to essentially approve the deal since it needed to transfer Tegna's licenses to Standard General for it to be completed, and when it stalled in FCC review, the companies backed out, saying the financing agreement had expired. Kim filed the suit in April 2024, accusing the FCC of favoring Black media company owner, Byron Allen, when deciding who should be allowed to buy Tegna's television stations. "In this case, 'advancing equity' meant killing the chance for a Korean American, Soo Kim, to buy Tegna's more than 60 television stations because Byron Allen wanted them for his black-owned media company," Kim said in the complaint. The court pointed to Kim's allegations that the media players, which included unions and advocacy organizations, "stoked fears about 'shadowy foreign investors,' the 'risks to ... democracy' posed by 'anonymous foreign investment in American newsrooms,' and 'China['s] increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait.'" Kim is represented by Tyler R. Green, Patrick Strawbridge, Jeffrey M. Harris, Taylor A.R. Meehan, Frank H. Chang and Daniel M. Vitagliano of Consovoy McCarthy PLLC. Byron Allen and Allen Media Group are represented by Louis R. Miller, David W. Schecter and Nadia A. Sarkis of Miller Barondess LLP. The FCC is represented by Matthew M. Graves of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and Brian P. Hudak and Jeremy S. Simon of the U.S. Department of Justice. The case is SCGI Holdings III LLC et al. v. Federal Communications Commission et al., case number 1:24-cv-01204, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Sep 24

3 min

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP is advising IPI Partners, a digital infrastructure fund manager, in connection with the sale of its business to Blue Owl Capital Inc., a leading alternative asset manager, for a purchase price of approximately $1.0 billion. The Gibson Dunn corporate team is led by partners Shukie Grossman and Michael Piazza, and includes partners Andrew Friedman, Jesse Myers and Carlos Soto; of counsel Patrick Cowherd, Tyler Cox and David Koch-Weser; and associates Héctor González Medina, Robert Harrington, Houston Morgan, Rachel Spinka, Elise Widerlite and Jeff Xu. Team members advising on additional aspects of the transaction include: partner Brian Kniesly and associates Duncan Hamilton and Nathan Sauers (Tax); partner Attila Borsos and associates Molly Heslop and Elsie Stone (Antitrust); partner Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter and associates Ruby Lang and Peter Moon (Data Privacy); partner Michael Collins (Employee Benefits); partner Meghan Hungate (Intellectual Property); partner Kevin Bettsteller (Investment Funds Regulatory); and partner Stuart Graiwer and associate Ryan Dosh (Real Estate). Download PDF

Oct 7

1 min

Gibson Dunn has elected 42 lawyers to its partnership, effective January 1, 2026—the largest partner class in the firm’s history. The promotions reflect continued growth driven by expanding client demand across key markets and practices.~~“Each member of this incredibly talented group of lawyers does remarkable work on behalf of our clients and makes extraordinary contributions to our firm’s community,” said Barbara Becker, Chair and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “We are thrilled to welcome them to our partnership.”~~The newly promoted partners span 16 offices across the firm’s integrated global platform. 26% of the class is based in London, marking the largest partner promotion group ever in that office. Additionally, 40% of the class is located outside the U.S.—significantly exceeding prior years, underscoring the firm’s strength and continued investment in both domestic and international markets.~~The newly elected partners are:~~Daniel R. Adler (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Los Angeles) handles complex cases in appellate and trial courts across the country and is especially experienced in briefing cutting-edge issues in insurance, securities, and consumer-class-action appeals and in securing discretionary appellate review of pivotal decisions, including class-certification and summary-judgment orders. He earned his JD from Columbia University.~~Michal Baum (Real Estate / New York) has experience in a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions and dispositions, construction and real estate finance, joint ventures, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments, and loan workouts and restructuring for a broad array of asset classes, including healthcare real estate, industrial, hospitality, multifamily, ground-up development, retail, and office. She earned her JD from Rutgers Law School in 2016.~~Valeri Bozhikov (Antitrust and Competition / London) advises on complex EU, U.K. and international competition and foreign direct investment matters. Currently on secondment to KKR, he represents leading private equity firms and global corporates before the European Commission, the U.K. and German authorities, and international antitrust and FDI agencies. He earned his LLM at King’s College London and is admitted in the U.K. and the EU.~~Tom Brower (Finance / Palo Alto) focuses his practice on a variety of domestic and cross-border debt financing transactions, with an emphasis on leveraged and acquisition finance for mid- and large-cap private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies. He earned his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2015.~~David W. Casazza (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Washington, D.C.) is an appellate attorney with experience in bankruptcy, administrative law, and other complex litigation. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 2015.~~James Chandler (Tax / London) advises on all aspects of U.K. taxation and has experience of a wide range of transactional matters as well as complex tax litigation and pre-litigation matters. He received his law degree from University College London in 2011.~~Andy Chen (Finance / Houston) has expertise in acquisition financings and energy sector financings, including reserve-based lending facilities, direct lending transactions, and renewable energy transitions, representing private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies as well as leading financial institutions. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2014.~~Tyler R. Cox (Private Equity / Houston) has experience in a broad range of corporate transactions and regularly represents and advises private and public companies, private equity sponsors, management teams, and portfolio companies in connection with a variety of transactions, including mergers, equity and asset acquisitions, recapitalizations, dispositions, joint ventures, and other strategic business combinations. He earned his JD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2014.~~Delyan M. Dimitrov (Transnational Litigation / New York) focuses his practice on cross-border disputes, energy and climate litigation, foreign judgment and arbitral award enforcement, complex commercial disputes, and international arbitration. He teaches the international moot court advocacy course at Columbia Law School, from which he graduated in 2008.~~Joseph Edmonds (Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort / Orange County) is a trial and appellate litigator with experience handling complex commercial disputes, mass torts, class actions, transnational litigation, and environmental litigation. He received his law degree from Brigham Young University in 2011.~~Osvaldo A. Galeano (Mergers and Acquisitions / London) focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, particularly for private equity and corporate clients in the infrastructure space. He received his law degree from the Catholic University of Asuncion and earned master’s degrees from Harvard Law School and the University of Oxford.~~Dione Garlick (Litigation / Los Angeles) is an experienced trial lawyer with a practice focused on real estate litigation, where she advises and represents clients across the real estate industry and through all phases of disputes, from deal negotiations to litigation. She earned her law degree from UCLA School of Law in 2013.~~Jonathan Griffin (Litigation / London) is a U.K. solicitor-advocate specializing in transnational litigation, white-collar investigations, and U.K. public takeover and U.K./EU technology regulatory matters. Jonathan graduated with a First Class MA in Law from the University of Cambridge (2006) and Distinction from BPP Law School.~~Graham Haselgrove (Real Estate / London) advises lenders and sponsors on real estate backed investment and development financings (both secured senior and mezzanine financings) in the U.K. and across continental Europe. His practice covers a wide range of asset classes and sectors, including hotels and leisure, offices, retail, industrial and build to rent. He received his law degree from the University of Birmingham (U.K.) in 2010.~~Tom Jackson (Transportation and Space / London) advises clients on a broad range of complex financing and corporate transactions in the transportation sector. He regularly represents underwriters, lenders, borrowers, lessors, credit insurers and equity and debt investors on their most innovative transactions. He completed the LPC at Kaplan Law School and received his BSc from the London School of Economics & Political Science.~~Claude Jiang (Projects / Singapore) specializes in the development and financing of energy (including power, oil & gas and energy transition (i.e. batteries, hydrogen projects, CCUS)) and broader infrastructure (telecoms, data centers, water desalination, waste treatment, ports etc.) projects in Asia and the Middle East. He received his LL.B from Nanjing University School of Law in 2006 and LL.M from Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis in 2007.~~Melanie L. Katsur (Antitrust and Competition / Washington, D.C.) is an experienced litigator whose practice focuses on complex high-stakes antitrust litigation, representing clients in state and federal courts, including at the trial and appellate levels. She received her law degree, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law in 2001.~~Sameera Kimatrai (Fintech and Digital Assets / Dubai) focuses her practice on the regulation of financial services, fintech, and digital assets, and has experience advising governments, regulators, and financial institutions on complex regulatory issues across the Middle East. She received her law degree from the University of Law in 2013, after completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in 2011.~~Derek K. Kraft (Litigation / Washington, D.C.) focuses his practice on complex civil litigation, with a focus on class actions and civil litigation with a governmental nexus. He has experience in all stages of litigation, including motions to dismiss, class certification, summary judgment, trial, and settlement. He received his law degree from Georgetown University in 2013.~~David M. Kusnetz (Litigation / New York) represents a broad array of clients in high-stakes securities, complex commercial, and entertainment litigation. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 2014.~~Eli M. Lazarus (Antitrust and Competition / San Francisco) helps clients navigate all aspects of antitrust civil litigation and investigations in front of courts and competition regulators across the globe, with particular focus on digital markets and supporting clients in Japan, utilizing his abilities to speak, read, and write Japanese. He received his JD from Yale Law School in 2011.~~Mark Leverkus (Transportation and Space / London) acts for financiers, leasing companies and equity investors on a range of international financing, leasing and asset trading transactions (as well as related M&A and restructurings), involving aircraft, satellites and other moveable equipment. He received his law degree from the University of Durham in 2010.~~Jeff Lombard (Securities Litigation / Palo Alto) focuses his practice on the representation of companies and their officers and directors in securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, and disputes related to merger and acquisition transactions. He graduated summa cum laude from Santa Clara University School of Law in 2012.~~Shaun A. Mathur (Litigation / Los Angeles) focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation at the trial and appellate levels and has helped clients across a variety of industries navigate intellectual property, antitrust, class action, and other disputes. He earned his JD from the University of Utah in 2015.~~Anna M. McKenzie (Labor and Employment / Washington, D.C.) is an experienced litigator and trial attorney who specializes in employment disputes involving senior executives and class claims; she also has extensive experience advising clients on a wide range of employment-related issues, including those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2012.~~Ning Ning (White Collar Defense and Investigations / Hong Kong) focuses her practice on white collar investigations and compliance counseling, serving multinational companies and global private equity firms that operate and invest in Asia Pacific. Ning was educated in both China and the United States. She earned her JD from the University of Illinois in 2015.~~Katherine Nobbs (Antitrust and Competition / Brussels) advises global clients on EU competition law, digital regulation, and trade defense, with a focus on cross-border investigations, compliance mandates, and regulatory strategy before the European Commission and national authorities. She earned her MPhil at the University of Cambridge and her legal qualifications at the University of Law in London. She is admitted to the Brussels Bar.~~Charles Peugnet (Business Restructuring and Reorganization / Paris) focuses his practice on restructuring, especially in the context of LBOs and complex debts restructuring. He developed specific experience assisting clients (debtors and creditors alike) in cross-border restructuring, including in coordination with chapter 11 and Chapter 15 proceedings. He received his law degree from the University of La Sorbonne School of Law in 2013.~~Laura J. Plack (White Collar Defense and Investigations / Denver), a former Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, represents clients in regulatory and criminal investigations, congressional inquiries, government enforcement actions and prosecutions, and related complex civil litigation. She graduated in 2012 from the University of Virginia School of Law.~~Brian Richman (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Dallas) represents clients in complex regulatory and appellate litigation, with a focus on challenges to agency rulemakings, enforcement actions, and sensitive commercial disputes. He earned his JD from Yale Law School in 2016.~~Ankita Ritwik (International Arbitration / Washington, D.C.) focuses on international arbitration—both investor-State and commercial disputes—and arbitration-adjacent litigation, including enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and judgments. She has experience in a broad range of industries (including energy, mining, and telecommunications), geographies (including Latin America and Asia), and arbitral institutions (such as ICSID, UNCITRAL, ICC, and LCIA). She received her JD from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2013.~~Rachel W. Robertson (Litigation / Dallas) represents clients in a wide range of complex, high-profile commercial litigation in federal and state courts and is particularly experienced in employment and class actions. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2015.~~Prerak Shah (Litigation / Houston), a former senior official at the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Congress, and Texas Attorney General’s Office, represents clients in high-stakes government litigation and investigations, with a particular expertise in state attorney general investigations and enforcement actions. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2010.~~Claire Shepherd (Antitrust and Competition / London) centers her antitrust and foreign investment practice around complex strategic M&A for multinational corporations, antitrust counselling for large technology firms, and a broad range of transactional matters for private equity, financial sponsor and restructuring clients. She is qualified in England & Wales and received her law degree from the University of Nottingham in 2010.~~Michael S. Skouras (Private Equity / London) advises European and U.S. financial sponsors and other private capital investors on cross-border leveraged M&A, including private acquisitions and disposals, co-investments, minority and growth capital investments, restructurings, and various portfolio company matters (including governance arrangements, disputes, and management equity plans). He received his B.A. (Politics) from Exeter University (2012), GDL from the University of Law (2013), and LPC from Kaplan Law School (2014).~~Matthew Squire (Business Restructuring and Reorganization / London) focuses his practice on cross-border restructuring and finance, advising clients in connection with in-court and out-of-court restructurings, liability management transactions, as well as distressed and new money financings. He completed his law degree at McGill University and is qualified to practice law in both England and Wales and the State of New York.~~Alana Tinkler (Antitrust and Competition / London) focuses her competition law practice on complex, multi-jurisdictional merger control matters (particularly for private equity, asset manager and lender clients, as well as strategic investors), foreign investment & national security screening, and antitrust investigations. She is a dual-qualified solicitor in England & Wales and New Zealand, and received her law degree from the University of Auckland in 2010.~~Lauren Traina (Real Estate / Los Angeles) focuses her practice on real estate planning and development, with expertise in real estate transactions and project development in the energy, infrastructure, utility, and data center sectors, while also supporting land use group and institutional real estate clients with entitlement applications, diligence, and navigating regulatory and permitting challenges. She received her JD from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in 2014.~~Jennafer M. Tryck (Litigation / Orange County) specializes in defending employers and insurers in high-stakes Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) litigation. She also dedicates a significant portion of her practice to advising clients on limiting litigation exposure for ERISA and non-ERISA benefit plans. Jennafer earned her JD from UC Irvine School of Law in 2012.~~Trenton J. Van Oss (Appellate and Constitutional Law / Washington, D.C.) is an appellate litigator with experience across a wide range of subject matters, including data privacy, class actions, securities, telecommunications, gaming, and separation-of-powers issues. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 2017.~~Friedrich A. Wagner (Transnational Litigation / Munich) maintains a broad litigation and arbitration practice centered in Germany, encompassing cross-border disputes, with a focus on mass litigation, post-M&A disputes, and disputes involving European data and technology regulation. He received his law degree from the University of Passau in 2011 and his PhD in 2015.~~Carissa H. Zidell (Real Estate / Century City) represents real estate funds, developers, and investors in all aspects of real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, preferred equity investments, and financings, across a variety of asset classes, ranging from hospitality, student housing, multi-family, office, industrial, and data center. She received her law degree from UCLA School of Law in 2017, and was elected to the Order of the Coif.~~Download PDF~~

Dec 17

11 min

Gibson Dunn advised Constellation Wealth Capital on its strategic investment in BIP Wealth, a Registered Investment Advisor headquartered in Atlanta with over $5.5 billion in assets under management.~~Our corporate team was led by partners Michael Piazza and Tyler Cox and included associates George Hang and Muriel Hague. Partner Andy Chen and associate Patrick Perrier advised on financing aspects. Partner Daniel Zygielbaum, of counsel Kate Long, and associate Eytan de Gunzburg advised on tax aspects; and partner Sean Feller and associate Spencer Bankhead advised on benefits. Partner Kevin Bettsteller advised on regulatory aspects. Partner Cassandra Gaedt-Sheckter and associates Ruby Lang and Jennifer Grecco advised on data privacy aspects. Partner Daniel Angel and associates Andrew Hartman and Carli Zimelman advised on IP aspects.~~Download PDF~~

Feb 24

1 min