Ashley Young

Willkie advised Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, on the sale of its portfolio company Law Business Research to global asset manager Intermediate Capital Group (ICG). On May 20, LLCP and ICG announced a strategic partnership with Law Business Research, under which LLCP will return significant capital to its investors while remaining a shareholder in Law Business Research alongside ICG. Law Business Research is a technology-driven information services business powering the global legal, intellectual property and governance, risk, and compliance markets. It provides a combination of proprietary data and analytics, expert research and insight, and sophisticated tools, with a suite of products that includes Lexology, Legal Monitor, MBL Seminars, IAM and Docket Navigator. Law Business Research is headquartered in London with offices in Hong Kong, New York, Austin, and Washington, D.C. Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, LLC is a middle-market private equity firm that currently manages $9.6 billion of assets and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Charlotte, Miami, London, Stockholm, The Hague and Frankfurt. The Willkie team was led by partners David Arnold and Andrew Gray and included partners Ashley Young, Komal Raina, Jane Scobie and Rahul Saha.

May 22

1 min

Willkie advised Baloise Belgium NV (Baloise) on an asset-intensive reinsurance transaction opposite Reinsurance Group of America (RGA). The underlying portfolio consists of approximately 57,000 individual life insurance policies with guaranteed minimum returns and total reserves of approximately €900 million. This transaction, which closed on February 1, achieves the transfer of financial and biometric risks of the portfolio to RGA and makes use of collateral arrangements to secure RGA’s obligations in favor of Baloise. Willkie’s Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice is recognized as an industry leader and the Baloise transaction leverages the firm’s experience advising funded reinsurance transactions in the UK market. Baloise is a leading insurance company headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, with subsidiaries in Belgium, Germany and Luxembourg. The Willkie deal team was led by partner Kirsty Maclean and included partners Melanie James and Ashley Young and associates Magdi Adab and Dillon Siebert.

Feb 5

1 min

Willkie advised Freshstream Investment Partners LLP on its investment in MCR Group, a rapidly growing outsourced services company based in Ireland. The MCR Group is a leading provider of cleaning, security, engineering and personnel services in Ireland. The company serves a diversified client base across various sectors, including commercial, pharmaceutical, construction and retail, as well as the public sector. MCR Group is headquartered in Dublin, with a workforce of more than 3,000 employees. Freshstream is a private equity firm headquartered in London that invests in growing businesses based in Western Europe, with a particular focus on the UK and Benelux markets. The Willkie team was led by partners Claire McDaid and Ashley Young and included associates Lindsay Murray, Meghal Mehta, Jack Michaels and Daniel Pront.

May 30

1 min

Willkie advised Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited, a London-based insurance and reinsurance group, in connection with the transaction. On July 25, Willkie client Fidelis Insurance Holdings Limited announced its intention to create a new Managing General Underwriter (Fidelis MGU) which, subject to regulatory approvals, will be separated from the existing balance sheet insurance companies sitting within Fidelis. This new structure will allow each entity to focus on its core functions and specialisms, and provide the relevant services to the Fidelis clients, brokers and other stakeholders. The newly created Fidelis MGU will be one of the largest managing general underwriters globally, with plans to originate and underwrite across a range of specialty insurance and reinsurance classes of business. Fidelis is a privately owned, London and Bermuda-based holding company, which, through its subsidiaries, is a global provider of property, bespoke and specialty insurance and reinsurance products. The cross-border Willkie team was led by London partner Joseph Ferraro and included partner Jennifer Tait and attorneys from Willkie’s global insurance, tax and competition groups. Partners Ashley Young, Komal Raina and Jonathan Zane advised on the debt financing.

Jul 25

1 min

On June 17, RSK Group Limited, a global leader in the delivery of sustainable solutions, announced that it entered into an agreement to receive a £500 million preferred equity investment from a consortium led by Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. and Ares Management Corporation funds. Willkie acted for Searchlight on the investment. RSK works with more than 8,000 clients in 40 countries on six continents. Its family of more than 200 environmental, engineering and technical services businesses and 15,000 employees work together to provide practical solutions to some of the greatest challenges societies have ever faced. Searchlight is a global private investment firm with more than $14 billion in assets under management and offices in London, New York, Miami and Toronto. The Willkie team was led by partners Gavin Gordon and Andrew Gray and included partner Ashley Young, counsel Timothy Sawyer, and associates Meghal Mehta, Ashley Braham and Lachlan Johnson.

Jun 17

1 min