On August 1, 2014, Scientific Games Corporation and Bally Technologies, Inc. announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Scientific Games has agreed to acquire all of the outstanding Bally common stock for $83.30 in cash per share, which represents a 38 percent premium to Bally’s closing stock price on July 31, 2014. The aggregate transaction value is approximately $5.1 billion, including the refinancing of approximately $1.8 billion of existing Bally net debt. Cravath represented Scientific Games in connection with this transaction.

Clifford Chance has advised BlackBerry Limited, Waterloo, Ontario (Canada), on the acquisition of high-security voice and data encryption specialist Secusmart GmbH, Dusseldorf (Germany).

The transaction is subject to the approval from the competent authorities. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Secusmart is a leading supplier in the development and implementation of comprehensive anti-eavesdropping solutions for German authorities and organisations with security tasks as well as for government and authorities abroad.

Slaughter and May advised Palamon Capital Partners, one of Europe's leading mid-market private equity firms, on its acquisition of a majority interest in The Simplify Group. The acquisition was announced on 29 July 2014.

The Simplify Group is a newly branded legal group comprising Move with Us and DC Law, leaders in conveyancing, and the probate specialist Chorus Law.

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Slaughter and May is advising ARCADIS N.V (ARCADIS) on a recommended cash offer for the acquisition of Hyder Consulting PLC (Hyder) which values Hyder at approximately £256.2 million. ARCADIS UK Investment B.V. (AUK Investments), a wholly owned subsidiary of ARCADIS, will acquire the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Hyder.

Norton Rose Fulbright has advised ADLER Real Estate AG in connection with a recently completed voluntary public takeover bid in form of an exchange offer to the shareholders of ESTAVIS AG. Through the exchange of approximately 21.5 million no-par value bearer shares of ESTAVIS against shares of ADLER Real Estate at a ratio of 25:14, ADLER Real Estate acquired around 92.7 per cent of the share capital of ESTAVIS.

National law firm Shoosmiths has acted for KBC Advanced Technologies plc (KBC) in a multi-million pound acquisition. KBC has purchased FEESA Ltd (FEESA), a leading UK-based provider of specialised software and services to the upstream oil and gas industry, for a value of £11.2 million - a figure which includes one million KBC shares.

Application will be made for the shares to be admitted to trading on AIM, with admission of the shares expected to occur on 28 July 2014.

Shearman & Sterling is advising Albemarle Corporation on its acquisition of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $6.2 billion. The transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2015.

The Firm is representing J.P. Morgan Securities in its role as financial advisor to CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) in connection with CIT’s announced acquisition of the parent company of OneWest Bank N.A. for approximately $3.4 billion in cash and common stock.  The transaction has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies and is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Global law firm White & Case LLP has advised private equity firm Nordic Capital Fund VIII on its acquisition of a majority stake in Lindorff, the Oslo-headquartered leading European debt collecting company, from Altor and Investor AB.

The transaction’s total enterprise value is €2.1 billion plus a €200 million performance-based shareholder note. Both sellers will retain a minority interest in Lindorff.

A cross-practice, multi-office Dentons team advised Fresenius Medical Care, a Germany-based global health care company, in its US$600 million acquisition of a majority of the equity interests in Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc., one of the leading providers of hospitalist physician services in the United States.