Herbert Smith Freehills has advised Reliance Worldwide Corporation Limited (RWC) on its GBP687.5 million (A$1.22 billion) acquisition of John Guest Holdings Limited (John Guest) in the UK, as well as the Australian equity and debt financing arrangements for the acquisition.

RWC is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of premium-branded engineered water delivery, control and optimisation products and solutions for residential and commercial plumbing applications and is the leading manufacturer in the world of brass push-to-connect (PTC) plumbing fittings.

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Nomad Foods on the agreement to acquire Aunt Bessie’s Limited from William Jackson & Son Limited. The value of the acquisition is approximately €240 million.

The purchase price is expected to be funded through cash on hand and debt. The transaction is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2018, subject to certain closing conditions including obtaining any necessary regulatory approvals.

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised the management team of global socially-led creative agency, We Are Social, on its acquisition of the Middle East’s largest social media agency, Socialize.

With offices in New York, London, Paris, Milan, Munich, Berlin, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing and Sydney, this majority-stake acquisition means that We Are Social will now extend its network into the Middle East and North Africa.  The alliance will bring We Are Social’s team to 700+ people working from 11 offices in nine countries.

Addleshaw Goddard's Corporate team has advised Rathbone Brothers Plc on its acquisition of Speirs & Jeffrey, Scotland’s largest independent wealth manager, for an initial consideration of £104m.

The acquisition will enable Rathbones to establish a much stronger presence in Scotland, with Glasgow becoming the Group’s largest office after London following the transaction. The transaction will also further enhance Rathbones’ position as one of the UK’s largest wealth managers.

Davis Polk is advising Comcast Corporation on its superior proposal to acquire the businesses that Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. has agreed to sell to The Walt Disney Company for $35.00 per share in cash. The superior proposal represents a premium of approximately 19% to the value of Disney’s all-stock offer as of 12:00 p.m., noon (Eastern Time) on June 13, 2018.

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised Smoothwall, a Tenzing Private Equity portfolio company, on the acquisition of Future Digital, a digital safeguarding business.

A market-leading provider of dynamic web filtering technology for the education and public sectors, Smoothwall has an established UK presence and a footprint in the US, covering over 10,000 schools worldwide.

von Poll Immobilien is a leading residential real estate agency focusing on premium properties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Deutsche Beteiligungs AG (DBAG), a Frankfurt, Germany-based private equity firm specializing in direct and fund of fund investments, acquired a stake in von Poll Immobilien GmbH (von Poll Immobilien), a leading real estate agency specializing in premium residential properties in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Pfaffikon (Switzerland)/Frankfurt, June 11, 2018 - Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has advised Ufenau Capital Partners on Swiss IT Security AG's acquisition of a majority stake in ExpertCircle. Swiss IT Security AG, a Switzerland-based company of the investment group Ufenau Capital Partners, has become the majority shareholder of the German IT company ExpertCircle GmbH. With this acquisition, the group active in the area of IT security has further established itself in Germany.