European Corporate

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's European Corporate Group advises public and private companies around the world on all aspects of their businesses and at every stage of their growth and development.  Orrick has a long tradition of representing clients in the full range of corporate transactions.  Lawyers in our European offices represent European, North American, Asian and African companies, both public and private, in a variety of industries and sectors.  Our experience includes: 

• mergers and acquisitions
• joint ventures and strategic alliances
• strategic technology transactions
• corporate formations
• financings at all stages of company development
  restructurings
• general corporate counseling 

Our corporate lawyers regularly draw upon the experience of other practice groups across the firm to provide assistance with antitrust tax, executive compensation and employee benefits, intellectual property, employment, real estate, and litigation issues, among others.

Transactions in which lawyers in Orrick’s European offices have played a major role include the representation of:

• VINCI S.A., a French construction company, in its acquisition of the remaining 77 percent stake in Autoroutes du Sud de la France, a French toll-road network operator, for approximately €8.9 billion.
• Vivendi S.A. and its related entities in a number of merger and acquisition transactions, including advising:
  • Vivendi and Energies USA S.A.R.L in the disposition and transfer of Vivendi’s and EUSA’s contractual rights and obligations of certain international assets of Sithe Energies, Inc.  The sale was to Marubeni Corporation in a deal valued at $180 million; and
  • Vivendi in the sale of 15 percent of the share capital of Veolia Environnement, a large water and environmental services company, for approximately €1.5 billion.
  • Elektrim Telekomunikacja, a joint venture between Vivendi Universal S.A. and Elektrim S.A., in the disposition of Telefonia Polska Zachod Zp.s o.o. and Elektrim TV-Tel Sp.a o.o. to EVL Poland Sp.z o.o. for €10 million and in the disposition of a cable television business to Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst for €110 million.
• A consortium led by Citigroup in the €5 billion unsuccessful bid for the acquisition of Telecom Italia’s Seat Pagine Gialle (Yellow Pages business). 
• S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. on the acquisition of Bayer’s household insecticides business unit, which included insect control, cleaning and air freshener products in 46 countries.  The transaction was valued at $733 million for all 46 countries.
• Renault S.A. in the renegotiation of agreements with General Motors Corporation regarding the development, manufacture, assembly and sale of light utility vehicles in two manufacturing sites located in the United Kingdom and Spain.  The vehicles are currently distributed throughout Europe under the Renault, Opel, Vauxhall and Nissan trademarks.
• Capgemini France SAS in one of the largest corporate technology transactions in Europe, a €1.6 billion outsourcing transaction with Schneider Electric Industries SAS, which involved a significant cross-border acquisition component across 32 countries.
• UPC, a European cable group and subsidiary of Liberty Media, on a price adjustment pursuant to its $650 million acquisition of Suez Lyonnaise Télécom, France’s largest cable company, from Suez.
• Micrus Endovascular Corporation, a developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable and disposable medical devices used in the treatment of cerebral vascular diseases, in its acquisition of Neurologic UK Limited, a privately held distributor of Micrus products in the United Kingdom.
• MTS S.p.A., a group of companies which collectively comprise the primary European electronic market in fixed-income securities, in its acquisition by a joint venture between Euronext NV and Borsa Italiana S.p.A.
• Amplifon in a number of matters, including:
  • its acquisition of the second-largest German hearing aid manufacturer;
  • its acquisition of a U.S. hearing aid retailer; and
  • a joint venture agreement with Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH for product supplies, software licenses and outsourcing services.