Thomas Prommer

Accenture said Tuesday it will acquire Ookla, a Seattle-based provider of internet data products, from Ziff Davis, in a deal that Accenture said will give customers insights into network metrics that are increasingly critical in the age of artificial intelligence. Both Accenture and Ziff Davis announced the deal, with the latter company stating the purchase price as $1.2 billion in cash. Ookla's network intelligence and analytics include data products like Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau and RootMetrics. Accenture said the acquisition will help communications service providers, or CSPs, hyperscalers and enterprises "optimize the mission-critical Wi-Fi and 5G networks that power their digital core." "Network data is no longer just a lifeline for the telecoms industry; it now creates significant value across all sectors," according to Accenture. "As AI scales, the insights captured at the network, device, and application layers are essential to enhance fraud prevention in banking, smart home analytics in utilities, and traffic optimization in retail." Ookla comes with a team of approximately 430 experts specializing in software engineering, radio frequency engineering and data science, Accenture said. By comparison, Accenture, which "helps the world's leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed across the enterprise," said it has approximately 784,000 personnel. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals, Accenture said. In a statement, Vivek Shah, CEO of Ziff Davis, called the deal transformative, "representing a significant realization of value for our shareholders and a concrete illustration of the quality of the businesses in our portfolio." Evercore Group LLC and Citi served as Ziff Davis' financial advisers. Kirkland & Ellis LLP advised Ziff Davis, led by partners David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf. Counsel information for Accenture was not immediately available.

Mar 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ells advised Ziff Davis, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZD) on a definitive agreement to sell its Connectivity division to Accenture (NYSE: ACN) for $1.2 billion in cash. Ziff Davis’ Connectivity brands are globally recognized in fixed broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi network design, intelligence, insights, testing and incident detection. These brands, including Ookla, Speedtest, Ekahau, Downdetector and RootMetrics, empower organizations to optimize networks, elevate digital experiences and ensure faster, more reliable connectivity. The transaction is currently expected to close in the coming months, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions and receipt of required regulatory approvals. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers David Klein, Andrew Norwich and Daniel Wolf; tax lawyer Sara Zablotney; executive compensation lawyer Rob Fowler; capital markets lawyers Sophia Hudson and Zoey Hitzert; antitrust & competition lawyer Daniel Zach; and technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall.

Mar 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Blackstone on AI infrastructure company Firmus’ US$10 billion debt financing facility, led by funds managed by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, Blackstone Credit & Insurance, and affiliated funds, with participation from Coatue. The financing will support the next phase of Project Southgate, enabling the national rollout of Firmus’ AI Factory platform based on NVIDIA’s DSX reference architecture to meet accelerating global demand for high-performance compute. The transaction was announced February 9, 2026. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included structured finance lawyers Thomas Prommer, Michael Urschel, Aaqib Mahmood, Suril Patel, Emma Tall and Wilson Carneiro; debt finance lawyers Michelle Williamson, Patrick Loughery, Charlie Doyle, Jacob Sims, Katie Schneller and Heidi Yin; corporate lawyers Kemal Hawa, Darren Fernandez, Anu Reddy, Brendan Civitello, Jonathan Laifman, Joseph Kunnirickal, Josh Pincus and Josh Stout; tax lawyers Jon Nelsen and Claire Oxford; litigation lawyers Cori Lable and Weng Keong Kok; investment funds ERISA lawyer Jack Bernstein; and investment funds lawyer Joseph Lifsics.

Feb 11

1 min

Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple Florida homeowners associations have ended their dispute in Florida federal court over the associations' more than $230 million insurance claim for Pensacola Beach condominiums damaged by Hurricane Sally. According to their joint dismissal stipulation filed Monday, Westchester Surplus and the homeowners associations have agreed to permanently dismiss their claims against each other. The insurer and the homeowners associations initially told the court in February that they decided to settle their dispute and planned to file a joint dismissal stipulation. Westchester Surplus and 15 other insurers began their suit against the homeowners associations in January 2023. According to their amended suit, an appraiser picked by the defendants filed "an egregiously overinflated" hurricane damages claim for more than $230 million. The insurers alleged that the defendants asked for an appraisal after Hurricane Sally hit and filed a more than $6.4 million sworn proof of loss claim. But, according to the insurers, this claim eventually "ballooned to an amount wholly detached from any actual damage resulting from the hurricane." "In particular, the defendants' selected appraiser submitted estimates to the appraisal panel that include charges that are wholly improper, overstated, unrelated, duplicative, and attempt to turn the defendants' legitimate loss into a once-in-a-lifetime windfall at plaintiffs' expense," the insurers alleged. "Defendants' appraiser increased the value of the claim from the unsolicited sworn proof of loss by over $225 million when he submitted an outrageous $233,030,601.80 claim to the appraisal panel, which raises significant questions concerning the appraiser's interest and honesty, as well as the fraudulent nature of the claim and its supporting documentation," they further alleged. In September 2023, the defendants filed counterclaims against the insurers, alleging that the insurers breached their insurance policies by wrongfully refusing to pay for the appraised hurricane damage. However, in September 2025, the presiding court nixed the defendants' $187 million appraisal award, ruling that the defendants' appraiser failed to properly state how much the condominiums were damaged by Hurricane Sally. Counsel for Westchester Surplus and the defendants didn't respond to requests for comment Tuesday. Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. and multiple other insurers are represented by Alexandra J. Schultz, Juan P. Garrido and John D. Dickenson of Cozen O'Connor. The Portofino defendants are represented by Edward P. Fleming, Matthew A. Bush and Aaron T. McCurdy of McDonald Fleming LLP, Kurtis J. Keefer of Goede DeBoest & Cross PLLC and Charles F. Beall Jr. of Moore Hill & Westmoreland PA. The case is Westchester Surplus Lines Insurance Co. et al. v. Portofino Masters Homeowners Association Inc. et al., case number 3:23-cv-00453, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida.

Mar 3

2 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Quantum Health, the leading creator of healthcare navigation, on the acquisition of CirrusMD, a premier on-demand virtual care company. The acquisition brings together navigation and physician-led virtual care to drive more immediate care integration and stronger outcomes for members across their healthcare journey. This acquisition builds on Quantum Health’s momentum expanding clinically-validated provider steerage through Embold Health and launching its expanded solution suite built on a new agentic AI platform, further strengthening the company’s ability to act earlier, guide members more effectively and deliver measurable savings. Quantum Health is a portfolio company of Warburg Pincus and Great Hill Partners. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team included corporate lawyers Keri Schick Norton and Alice Billmire; technology & IP transactions lawyer Daisy Darvall; healthcare transactions lawyer Robert Kantrowitz; and tax lawyers David Grenker and Vivek Ratnam.

Mar 3

1 min