Dealmakers

Germany: view to a deal

London law firm SJ Berwin and Vienna-based Wolf Theiss teamed to advise Frankfurt’s ViewPoint Capital Partners on an investment in the Austrian capital’s Tricentis Technology & Consulting.
ViewPoint, a specialised European private equity firm focussed on technology, will boost Tricentis’ marketing efforts to promote the software company into fresh regions.
SJ Berwin fielded a team led by corporate partner Christoph Brenner while Wolf Theiss’ team was led by corporate partners Clemens Philipp Schindler and Martin Abram.

Global: brokers broke

New York-based law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges announced that a $1.4 billion global settlement has been reached between Richard Heis, Mike Pink and Richard Fleming -- the joint special administrators of financial derivatives broker MF Global UK -- and James Giddens, trustee for the SIPA liquidation of MF Global Inc.
Head of Weil’s London restructuring team Adam Plainer said: ‘Our team worked with the joint special administrators, MF Global Inc. and MF Global Holdings to agree on a global settlement that would release funds for distribution in both the client and creditor estates of MF Global UK and would also remove the costly burden of high-value litigation from the estate. Achieving such a settlement in an insolvency of this size and complexity in only 15 months is a testament to the practical and commercial approach of the joint special administrators in seeking solutions rather than problems.’
Weil's restructuring team was led by New York partner and chairnman of the business finance and restructuring department Marcia Goldstein, and partner and head of the London restructuring team Adam Plainer, with assistance from New York partner Debra Dandeneau and London partners Paul Bromfield and Jamie Maples.

UK: Viva Aviva

British insurance group Aviva is to sell its US life and annuities business and related asset management operations to Bermuda and US insurer Athene Holding for $1.8bn.
Aviva will retain the North American asset management activities of Aviva Investors, which are focused on third parties. The company instructed New York law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which fielded a team led by partners Robert Rachofsky and Donald Henderson.

France: down on the farm

New York-headquartered law firm Kramer Levin has advised French agricultural tool manufacturer Agrisem in its acquisition by Polish group Unia.
The privately owned Polish business is a leader in the agricultural tool industry with four plants and a total turnover around €120 million. Unia executives say the group aims to benefit from Agrisem’s innovative solutions and patented tools.
The Kramer Levin team was led by partner Antoine Paszkiewicz, assisted by Ramona Tudorancea. This transaction is part of the development of a specific expertise of Kramer Levin’s Paris office in French-Polish relations.
Unia was advised by Arnaud Jouanjan, the founding and managing partner of Marseilles-based law firm Jouanjan & Partners.

Channel Islands: feel the deal

London law firm Olswang advised beauty e-commerce specialist feelunique.com on its £26 million sale of a majority interest to pan-European growth investor, Palamon Capital Partners.
A leading on-line retailer of premium products in hair and skin care, cosmetics and fragrances, Chanel Islands-headquartered feelunique.com is now expected to expand with support from Palamon.
Olswang corporate partner Rob Willis led the team. London magic circle law firm Slaughter & May advised Palamon and Travers Smith advised Sirius Equity.