Latham’s Capital Strategies Practice Advises on IFLR Americas Deals of the Year
Latham & Watkins’ Capital Strategies Practice advised on two transactions named Deals of the Year at the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) 2026 Americas Awards, earning recognition for Loan Deal of the Year and Private Equity Deal of the Year. Latham won a total of 11 awards, including Transatlantic Law Firm of the Year, at the awards ceremony in New York.
These recognitions highlight Latham’s leadership on sophisticated, cross-border transactions spanning public and private capital and demonstrate the unmatched strength of the firm’s fully integrated approach to helping clients navigate increasingly complex financing needs.
Loan Deal of the Year: Sycamore Partners/Walgreens Boots Alliance Acquisition Financing
A Latham team led by partners Stelios Saffos, Global Chair of Latham’s Capital Markets and Hybrid Capital practices, Dan Seale, Global Chair of the Banking & Private Credit Practice, Alfred Xue, Global Vice Chair of the Banking & Private Credit Practice, Michael Benjamin, Global Chair of the Retail & Consumer Products Industry Group, and Peter Sluka, Global Co-Chair of the Hybrid Capital Practice, advised the financing sources, comprising dozens of investment banks and private capital providers, in connection with Sycamore Partners’ US$23.7 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance, one of the largest healthcare LBOs in history.
Latham advised a large and diverse group of banks and private capital providers across the spectrum of financing solutions, including syndicated lending, direct lending, high-yield, hybrid capital, and asset-based financing, to execute the highly complex, consequential acquisition financing.
Private Equity Deal of the Year: HPS Investment Partners/BC Partners GardaWorld Security Corporation Minority Stake Acquisition
A cross-border team led by partners Saffos, Sluka, Alex Kelly, Global Co-Chair of the M&A and Private Equity practices, and Salvatore Vanchieri and counsel Alyssa Galinsky represented HPS and Oak Hill Advisors in connection with investments in support of the acquisition of the majority equity stake in GardaWorld from BC Partners by a group led by GardaWorld CEO Stephan Crétier and minority investors HPS, Oak Hill Advisors, One Investment Management, and others, valuing GardaWorld at C$13.5 billion.
Together, the landmark transactions highlight the unrivaled excellence of Latham’s Capital Strategies platform, which brings together elite practices across Banking and Finance, Capital Markets, Hybrid Capital, Liability Management, Private Credit, Restructuring, and Structured Finance. We empower our clients to make capital decisions with the deepest real-time market intelligence and unrivaled insight across products, structures, and deal opportunities. Latham advises on the highest volume of transactions across each segment of the capital structure by a wide margin and has broader relationships across the public and private markets than any other law firm. We use our scale to deliver unparalleled perspective and a competitive advantage to our clients.