As British industrial technology firm Edwards Group is today (19 August) bought out for $1.6bn by Swedish engineering group Atlas Copco, it is notably being advised by the London office of Wall Street firms Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Davis Polk & Wardwell.
The Weil Gotshal team, which represented Edwards Group on its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange last May, is being led by London-based corporate partner Peter King, assisted by New York corporate partners David Blittner and Jackie Cohen.The firm has a longstanding relationship with the major shareholders of the company, private equity firms CCMP Capital and Unitas. Peter King told Legal Business: ‘We’re very happy to be acting for Edwards on a deal of this size and importance.’
The Davis Polk team is being led by London-based heavyweight corporate partner Simon Witty, who joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in 2012 to launch the firm’s English law capability in London, alongside fellow corporate partner John Banes. Davis Polk represented the underwriters in Edwards’ initial public offering.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman are leading for Atlas Copco with a team led by New York-based corporate partner Stephen Rusmisel.
The deal follows last month’s £3.3bn takeover bid by France’s Schneider Electric for UK engineering firm Invensys, in which Magic Circle firms Linklaters and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer advised the respective companies.
david.stevenson@legalease.co.uk
