Corporate Partners Named “Dealmakers of the Year”

The American Lawyer has named corporate partners Paul Tosetti, Cary Hyden, and Sean Wheeler as “2015 Dealmakers of the Year” in the magazine’s annual feature that highlights “creative thinking, novel approaches and innovative work… where effective lawyering truly made the difference.” 

Tosetti and Hyden were recognized for advising Allergan, Inc. in its high-profile defense of a hostile takeover bid and the company’s eventual acquisition by Actavis plc for US$71 billion, one of the largest global M&A deals of the past year, which involved a broad team of transactional and litigation lawyers. The American Lawyer coverage called out the takeover defense as “a really brilliant strategy” and detailed a series of legal maneuvers that advanced the client’s interests.

Wheeler was honored for leading the firm’s representation of London-based oil terminal operator VTTI Energy Partners in its US$422 million initial public offering, making it the first master limited partnership (MLP) with most of its assets fixed outside North America to go public in the United States. An article on the transaction noted that to achieve the best possible valuation in the public markets, Wheeler and a cross-border Latham team “devised a contract structure that included a multiyear estimated minimum quarterly distribution, guaranteed by the MLP's sponsor” and “worked with VTTI's tax advisers in London and Amsterdam to resolve cross-border tax issues.”

Also in the April 2015 edition of the magazine, The American Lawyer ranked Latham & Watkins as a leading firm across a range of corporate and finance categories in its 2015 Corporate Scorecard.