Chesapeake Services and Multi Packaging Solutions announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge the two businesses. This merger of equals will create a leading global provider of print-based specialty packaging. The combined company will have sales of more than $1.4 billion on a pro forma basis, employ over 7,000 people throughout the world, and operate from more than 50 manufacturing facilities on three continents.

Corporate partner Richard Spedding has been leading a cross-departmental team advising Noble Corporation plc as English counsel on its $9.9bn cross-border merger with Noble Corporation (Switzerland). The merger was announced in July this year and became effective today. As of today, Noble Corporation plc is listed on NYSE and has become the holding company for the Noble group.

Noble is a leading offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. Noble performs, through its subsidiaries, contract drilling services with a fleet of 79 offshore drilling units.

Clifford Chance, Perth has advised ASX and TSX-listed Alacer Gold Corp. on the sale of its Australian gold mining operations to Australian company Metals X Limited.

Alacer Gold Corp. is a leading intermediate gold mining company. The sale of Alacer’s Australian operations now allows Alacer to focus on its low-cost Çöpler gold mine and exploration operations in Turkey.

All of Alacer’s former Australian subsidiaries (which together held 100% interests in the Higginsville and South Kalgoorlie mines and processing operations in Western Australia) were included in the sale.

TOKYO, 6 November 2013 – Hogan Lovells has advised Tokio Marine & Nichido Financial Life Insurance Co., Ltd. ("TMNFL"), a group company of Tokyo-listed Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc. ("Tokio Marine") on its absorption merger with another group company, Tokio Marine Nichido Life Insurance Co., Ltd. ("TMNLI"). The merger combines two life insurance operations under Tokio Marine, resulting in a surviving entity which will assume all of TMNFL's and TMNLI's rights and obligations. The transaction was announced on 17 October 2013 and is expected to close on 1 October 2014.

Davis Polk is advising Millicom International Cellular S.A. (Millicom) in connection with the $4.4 billion merger of its Colombian telecommunications business, conducted through Colombia Móvil S.A. (Colombia Móvil), with UNE EPM Telecomunicaciones S.A. (UNE), a subsidiary of Empresas Públicas de Medellín E.S.P. – EPM (EPM). The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, including approval by UNE’s bondholders, is expected to close during the first half of 2014.

City law firm RPC has acted for Dutch based ANV Holdings in the combination of its underwriting business with Jubilee Managing Agency

The merger will see ANV and Jubilee combine their Lloyd's managing agency operations to create an underwriting business, ANV Syndicate Holdings (ASML) with managed capacity of over £400m.  As part of the deal, ANV will hold an 80% stake in ASML, while Jubilee owners, Ryan Specialty Group will own the remaining 20%. A link to ANV's press release is here.

Global legal practice, Norton Rose Fulbright is advising Desire Petroleum plc (Desire) on its merger with Falkland Oil & Gas Limited (FOGL).

FOGL’s recommended all-share offer for Desire was announced on 3 October 2013. The offer represents a 45 per cent premium to the 12.25p closing price of Desire’s shares the day before the announcement. The merged company will have a market capitalisation of approximately US$250 million, based on FOGL’s share price immediately before announcement of the transaction.

Simpson Thacher is representing Goldman Sachs as financial advisor to Applied Materials, Inc. in connection with its execution of a definitive agreement to combine Applied Materials with Tokyo Electron Limited via an all-stock combination which values the new combined company at approximately $29 billion.  The new company will have a new name, dual headquarters in Tokyo and Santa Clara, a dual listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ, and will be incorporated in The Netherlands. 

The Simpson Thacher team includes David Sneider and Sayo Takizawa.

International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges is representing Applied Materials Inc., a Santa Clara, California-based leader in semiconductor equipment manufacturing, in its merger with Japan-based Tokyo Electron Ltd., to create a new company with a combined market capitalization of approximately $29 billion (2.8 trillion yen).

Davis Polk is advising Sterling Financial Corporation in connection with its $2 billion merger with Umpqua Holdings Corporation. The transaction, which is subject to approval by each company’s shareholders, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, is expected to close during the first half of 2014.

Sterling Financial of Spokane, Washington, is the bank holding company for Sterling Savings Bank, a Washington state-chartered and federally insured commercial bank. Umpqua Holdings is the parent company of Umpqua Bank, an Oregon-based community bank.