International law firm Bird & Bird today appoints financial services expert Pawel Bajno as a partner and head of the Private Equity team in its Corporate practice, based in Warsaw.

Pawel advises private equity funds in M&A transactions, including public M&A, public to private transactions and exit strategies. He also advises companies on corporate governance matters and Polish capital markets and securities law. Pawel joins from Norton Rose Piotr Strawa where he was a partner and head of the Warsaw Private Equity team.

Slaughter and May is advising RPC Group Plc (“RPC”) on a recommended final cash offer for RPC’s entire issued and to be issued share capital by Rome UK Bidco Limited, a company formed on behalf of funds managed by Apollo Management IX, L.P.
 

Stephenson Harwood (Singapore) Alliance has advised Seacor Marine on its US$46 million acquisition and financing through deferred payment arrangements of three platform supply vessel newbuildings.

The vessels were purchased from the Cosco Zhoushan shipyard in China. Seacor, the U.S. offshore vessel owner, serves the offshore oil and gas exploration and production industry. This deal is part of the business' ongoing strategic initiative to modernise its fleet. The vessels are Rolls Royce UT771CDL designs which have the capacity to upgrade to a battery hybrid power solution.

International law firm Clifford Chance is advising La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ("CDPQ"), a leading long-term institutional investor, on the acquisition from Banagricola S.A. and International Investments S.A. of a strategic minority interest in Grupo SURA’s subsidiary SURA Asset Management ("SUAM").

Long standing client Stonegate Pub Company has acquired Bar Fever Limited, which operates 32 venues comprising late night bars located in towns and cities throughout England. The business operates under a variety of trading concepts such as Fever, Boutique, Zinc and Moo Moo.

In addition, Stonegate has exchanged contracts to acquire a further six bars from Novus Leisure. All six bars are in prime central London locations and follow soon after the initial acquisition of 15 bars from Novus’ late night bar division in July 2018.

Munich based, health startup Kaia Health, which offers an app that tap artificial intelligence (AI) and motion-tracking technology for the treatment of chronic back pain, has raised 10 million US-Dollar in a financing round led by Balderton Capital; alongside Balderton Capital existing shareholders such as the Munich VC 42 Cap and several Business Angels invested. The International law firm Taylor Wessing, led by Berlin partner Norman Röchert, advised Balderton Capital on all legal aspects of the financing round.

Greenberg Traurig advised Gewobag, a Berlin-based housing company, on the acquisition of a majority stake in the real estate fund Pallasseum Wohnbauten KG (Pallasseum). The building complex comprises a total of 514 residential units, 16 commercial units as well as 288 parking spaces and is located in the Tempelhof-Schoeneberg district of Berlin. The acquisition represents Gewobag’s first majority stakeholding in a closed-end mutual fund similar in size. The parties have agreed to keep the purchase price confidential.

Fried Frank advised Cording Real Estate Group in the sale of an office building in the “Science Park” of university town Ulm in Germany to Arminius Group for the special alternative investment fund VB Immo Select of Volkswohl Bund Lebensversicherung a.G., managed by HANSAINVEST Hanseatische Investment-GmbH. The lettable area amounts to 8,736 square meters and is rented out on a long-term basis to an international technology firm. The purchase price is undisclosed.

MinterEllison has acted for SPH REIT Management Pte. Ltd. in its capacity as the Manager of SPH REIT (SPH REIT) and several entities managed by the asset management division of Moelis Australia Limited (“Moelis Australia Asset Management”) on its joint venture acquisition of an 100% interest in Figtree Grove Shopping Centre in NSW.

Figtree Grove Shopping Centre is an established sub-regional shopping centre in the Illawarra region south of Sydney, NSW, and the acquisition enhances SPH REIT's portfolio through geographical diversification.

European law firm Fieldfisher has launched specialist law firm Cummings Fisher focusing on hedge funds, derivatives and the alternative investment management sectors.

Cummings Fisher is led by its three principal partners: Managing Partner Claire Cummings, who founded Cummings Law in 2003, is joined by partners, Ron Feldman leading the derivatives practice and James Tinworth leading the funds practice.