Reed Smith LLP, a leading international law firm, today announced the addition of Jeff Legault as a partner in its firmwide Corporate & Securities practice in the firm’s New York office.

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Davis Polk is advising MSCI Inc. in connection with its $23.5 million acquisition of Investor Force Holdings, Inc. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2013, subject to customary closing conditions.

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Davis Polk is advising Aetna Inc. on its sale of Missouri Care, its Missouri Medicaid business, to WellCare Health Plans, Inc. Financial terms were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. The sale of Missouri Care is related to Aetna’s pending acquisition of Coventry Health Care, Inc., which was announced in August 2012.

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Davis Polk is advising Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. in connection with the acquisition from OM Group, Inc. of a large scale cobalt refinery in Kokkola, Finland through a newly formed joint venture to be held by Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Lundin Mining Corporation and La Generale des Carrieres et des Mines for total consideration of up to $435 million. The sale is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2013.

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Simpson Thacher is representing Laureate Education, Inc. in connection with the $150 million investment in its common stock by IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the IFC African Latin American, Caribbean Fund. Laureate is the largest private international network of degree-granting higher education institutions with approximately 700,000 students in 24 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the Middle East and North Africa and Asia.

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Simpson Thacher is representing Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. in connection with its acquisition of a 24.9% interest in Nephila Capital Ltd. (“Nephila”). Nephila is a leading investment manager focused on investing in natural catastrophe and weather risk.

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International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that Paul J. Wessel has joined its New York office as a partner and leader of the Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits practice group.

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Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, represented RBC Capital Markets in connection with financing Confie Seguros, a leading national insurance broker primarily focused on the insurance needs of the Hispanic consumer, acquisition by ABRY Partners VII, LP, an affiliate of ABRY Partners.

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The international law firm Chadbourne & Parke LLP today announced that Margarita Oliva Sainz de Aja, a leading banking and finance lawyer, has joined the firm as an international partner in Chadbourne’s Latin America group. She will divide her time between Chadbourne’s New York, Mexico City and São Paulo offices.

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William L. Sturman has joined Covington & Burling’s corporate practice as a partner, strengthening the firm’s private equity fund formation capabilities. He will be resident in Covington’s New York office.

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