On 29 December 2017, advised by King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), Baidu Online Network Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. and Beijing Baidu Netcom Science Technology Co., Ltd. (collectively “Baidu” ) achieved its first success in the first instance over a series of high-profile patent infringement litigation cases regarding input method (the “Case”) in Shanghai Intellectual Property Court.

TLT has worked with Ecotricity to deliver a three turbine wind park located at Alveston in South Gloucestershire.

The 6.9MW project, which became operational in December 2017, is expected to provide enough clean energy to power more than 3,000 homes every year for the next 30 years.

Slaughter and May is advising Corsair Capital on the acquisition of the majority of RGI, one of the leading providers of core software solutions to the insurance market, from Ardian.

Slaughter and May worked as an integrated team with BonelliErede in Milan.

Cooley advised the management team of publisher Law Business Research (LBR), a leading provider of research news, data and insight on international business law and legal markets, on its sale to Levine Leichtman Capital Partners. Cooley private equity partner Stephen Rosen led the team. The deal saw private equity firm Bowmark Capital, which acquired LBR in 2013, exit the business.  

Osborne Clarke has advised the management team of leading Portuguese low-cost gym business, Fitness Hut S.A. (“Fitness Hut”), on its buyout by Viva Gym (“Viva”), a leading Spanish low-cost gym business, in a deal led by specialist sustainable and impact investor Bridges Fund Management (“Bridges”).

Macfarlanes has advised the management team of UK-based IT services company Northgate Public Services Limited on its £475m sale to Japanese multinational NEC Corporation from private equity firm Cinven.

Ropes & Gray has advised the founders of TCP LifeSystems - a software solutions provider to life and pensions insurance companies – on their sale of the company to iPipeline UK, a leading provider of business intelligence to the UK life, pension and investment markets.

The financial terms of the deal, which was announced on 3 January 2018, have not been disclosed.

The Firm advised KKR in the establishment of KKR Private Credit Opportunities Partners II ("PCOP II"). PCOP II is a global fund with $2.24 billion in capital commitments that focuses on privately negotiated subordinated debt securities, corporate mezzanine investments as well as asset-backed and specialty finance investments.

DLA Piper has advised BEWi, one of the leading players in the Nordics for the development and production of insulation products and customized packaging solutions made from cellular plastic, EPS, on its acquisition of Ruukin EPS, a Finnish manufacturer of insulation material.

This transaction provides BEWi a stronger geographical presence in Finland and enables it to offer insulation material and packaging solutions in expanded polystyrene (EPS) as it does in the rest of the Nordics.

Hamburg – Mayfair Beteiligungsfonds II GmbH & Co. KG, a private equity firm held by the Günter Herz and Daniela Herz-Schnoekel families, has sold its 36.5% stake in DNV GL Group AS, the parent company of the DNV GL Group. The shares were acquired by Det Norske Veritas Holding AS, which is owned by the Det Norske Veritas Foundation.