DLA Piper has announced that Joel Athey has joined the firm's Litigation practice as a partner in Los Angeles.

Athey, who previously served as the managing partner of Holland & Knight LLP's Los Angeles office, focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, US Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement, private securities litigation, internal corporate investigations, banking and regulatory investigations and litigations, consumer protection matters and complex civil litigation.

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised J.P. Morgan as Global Co-ordinator, and Banca IMI, Santander, Banca Akros and Kommunalkredit, on a landmark project bond financing for the construction of the Superstrada Pedemontana Veneta toll road in the Veneto region of Italy.

The transaction comprises the issuance of €1.221 billion variable rate senior secured amortizing notes and €350 million step-up subordinated secured notes in an innovative "bond only" capital structure where the junior notes provide a capital cushion during the construction phase.

White & Case LLP has advised Goldman Sachs Private Capital, as mandated lead arranger and original lender, on the facilities agreement for a term loan facility, multicurrency super senior revolving credit facility and multicurrency uncommitted accordion term loan facility, entered into by Goldman Sachs and Corsair Capital as borrower to part finance the acquisition of RGI S.p.A., an independent software developer of systems and platforms for insurers, agents, brokers and financial consultants.

Skadden is advising L1 Retail, the retail arm of the LetterOne Group, on the increase of its shareholding in Distribuidora Internacional de Alimentación, S.A.

Skadden is representing DIXY Group in connection with a buyout of approximately 20 percent of PJSC DIXY Group shares from funds managed by Prosperity Capital Management.

Morrison & Foerster served as sole counsel to SoftBank in facilitating the successful close of SoftBank’s primary and secondary investment in Uber, the largest ever private secondary transaction in the technology space.

The MoFo deal team was led by Suz Mac Cormac, a partner in the firm’s San Francisco office, and included partner Alex Kaufman (Palo Alto), partner Noah Carr (Tokyo) and Ken Siegel, managing partner of the firm’s Tokyo office.

The shares represent approximately 7.78% of the enlarged share capital of China Jinmao.

Latham & Watkins has advised Chinese property developer, China Jinmao Holdings Group Limited (China Jinmao), on its placing of existing shares and top-up subscription of new shares.

Hunton & Williams, Bangkok assisted East Coast Furnitech Public Company Limited (ECF: Bangkok), a manufacturer and distributor of particle board and rubber wood furniture to nationwide stores such as Tesco Lotus, Big C and Home Pro, on the issuance and allocation of 30,000,000 newly-issued ordinary shares at the offering price of THB 5.58 per share worth THB 167,400,000 or approximately USD 5 million to specific investors, Macquarie Bank Limited and One Asset Management Limited, who will allocate such shares to the 29 mutual and provident funds under their management.

Covington advised Bacardi Limited in its definitive agreement to acquire Patrón Spirits International AG and its PATRÓN® brand, the world’s top-selling ultra-premium tequila, from John Paul DeJoria, a founder of Patrón. The transaction reflects an enterprise value for Patrón of $5.1 billion. The transaction follows the successful relationship the companies have had for nearly a decade since Bacardi’s initial acquisition of a significant minority stake in Patrón in 2008.

Cleary Gottlieb is advising the Chilean Codelco Group in the sale of its shares in Deutsche Giessdraht GmbH to Aurubis AG.

Prior to the transaction, Codelco’s stake, via its German subsidiary Codelco Kupferhandel GmbH, represented 40 percent of the joint venture. The remaining 60 percent was already held by Aurubis. The joint venture produces roughly 240,000 tons of copper wire rod per year, and it has a workforce of approximately 110 employees.