Davis Polk advised underwriters represented by Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Société Générale and UniCredit Bank AG in connection with a public offering by International Business Machines Corporation of €1.5 billion principal amount of its 1.875% notes due 2020 and €1 billion principal amount of its 2.875% notes due 2025.

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Ice Miller LLP welcomes veteran transactional attorney, Edward Braum, to its Columbus, Ohio, office. Braum, who joins the firm as a partner in the Business Group, focuses his practice on market leading complex business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and debt and equity investments.

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On November 1, 2013, Bennu Oil & Gas, LLC completed its approximately $700 million acquisition of all the Gulf of Mexico oil and gas assets of ATP Oil & Gas Corporation. The transaction was effected pursuant to a “credit bid” under section 363 of the Bankruptcy Code. Bennu was formed by the lenders under ATP’s debtor‑in‑possession (DIP) credit facility to effect the acquisition. Cravath represented Credit Suisse AG throughout ATP’s bankruptcy case in its capacity as administrative agent under ATP’s DIP facility (including in connection with various litigation matters relating to the case), as well in connection with Credit Suisse’s arrangement of a $350 million credit facility provided to Bennu to finance the acquisition and related transactions.

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Bracewell & Giuliani LLP announced today that Glen A. Kopp, a former federal prosecutor, has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the White Collar Defense, Internal Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement practice. Most recently, Kopp served for almost six years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he led complex domestic and international investigations and prosecutions of high-profile cases involving fraud, terrorism, national security, hostage taking, and narcotics and weapons trafficking.

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On November 4, 2013, Weyerhaeuser Company (“Weyerhaeuser”) announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Weyerhaeuser’s homebuilding subsidiary, Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Company (“WRECO”), will be spun off or split off to Weyerhaeuser’s shareholders and, following the spin‑off or split‑off, will merge with a subsidiary of TRI Pointe Homes, Inc. (“TRI Pointe”) in a Reverse Morris Trust transaction. Cravath represented Weyerhaeuser in connection with this transaction.

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The national law firm of Epstein Becker Green is pleased to announce that Bethany J. Hills, a seasoned FDA and corporate compliance attorney, has joined as a Member of the Firm in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the New York office.

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The Firm represented the underwriters, led by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Morgan Stanley, RBS and Scotiabank, in connection with a public offering by Altria Group, Inc. of $1.4 billion aggregate principal amount of its 4.000% Notes due 2024 and $1.8 billion aggregate principal amount of its 5.375% Notes due 2044.  The offering closed on October 31, 2013.

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Simpson Thacher advised Brixmor Property Group Inc., a Blackstone portfolio company, on its $948.8 million initial public offering of common stock.  BofA Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo Securities were the joint bookrunners and representatives of the underwriters for the offering. The common stock began trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “BRX” on October 30, 2013. Brixmor owns and operates the nation’s largest wholly-owned portfolio of grocery-anchored community and neighborhood shopping centers, with more than 520 properties aggregating approximately 87 million square feet of gross leasable area located primarily across the top 50 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.

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Davis Polk advised Barclays Capital Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC as joint book-running managers and representatives of the underwriters on a public offering by Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) of $400 million aggregate principal amount of 2.5% senior notes due 2018 and $300 million aggregate principal amount of 4% senior notes due 2023.

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On November 1, Willkie client Brookfield Property Partners L.P. announced that it has agreed to acquire additional shares and warrants of General Growth Properties, Inc. for total consideration of $1.4 billion. As a result of the acquisition, Brookfield will increase its fully-diluted ownership interest in GGP to 32%, assuming the exercise of all of the outstanding warrants or approximately 28% on an undiluted basis. Brookfield will continue to hold its interest in a consortium alongside institutional investors who, collectively with Brookfield, will own approximately 40% of GGP on a fully-diluted basis.

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