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.

Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. Albemarle employs approximately 3,900 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc., based in Princeton, NJ, is a leading global developer, manufacturer and marketer of technologically advanced and high value-added specialty chemicals. It is a leading integrated and low cost global producer of lithium and lithium compounds used in lithium-ion batteries for electronic devices, alternative transportation vehicles and future energy storage technologies, meeting the significant growth in global demand for these products. The company is also the second largest global producer of products and services for metal processing, servicing the aerospace, general and European luxury automotive industries.

The Shearman & Sterling team was led by New York M&A partners John Marzulli and Eliza Swann and included associates Cody Wright (New York-Mergers & Acquisitions), Michael Dockery (New York-Mergers & Acquisitions), Robert Giannattasio (New York-Corporate) and Julia Twarog (New York-Corporate). Other lawyers advising on the transaction included partners Laurence Bambino (New York-Tax), Beau Buffier (New York-Antitrust), Alan Goudiss (New York-Litigation), Lisa Jacobs (New York-Capital Markets), Doreen Lilienfeld (New York-Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits), Steven Sherman (New York-Finance), Philip Urofsky (Washington, DC-Litigation), and Samuel Waxman (New York-Intellectual Property Transactions); counsel Jason Pratt (New York-Environmental); and associates Kelly Karapetyan (New York-Antitrust), Fraser Hartley (New York-Capital Markets), Derek Kershaw (New York-Tax), Daniela Bowry-Blum (London-Antitrust), Amy Gluckman (New York-Finance), Nader Dabbo (New York-Intellectual Property Transactions), Michael Jokic (New York-Intellectual Property Transactions), Jennifer Stadler (New York-Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits), Jack Mellyn (Washington, DC-Antitrust), Laura Mulry (New York-Environmental), Alison Welcher (Washington, DC-Litigation), Juliana Clay (New York-Litigation), Regina Park (New York-Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits) and Joshua Steinberger (New York-Intellectual Property Transactions).