Firm Assists Client in $965 Million Deal with the Seminole Indian Tribe
(CHICAGO) December 11, 2006 – LAWFUEL – Law News Network – DLA Piper US LLP today announced that it advised The Rank Group Plc, the international gaming and leisure group, on its sale of Hard Rock International Inc. to the Seminole Indian Tribe for $965 million.
The Rank Group announced it has entered into a definitive agreement under which it will sell Hard Rock International, which includes Hard Rock’s Orlando headquarters, 68 company-owned Hard Rock Cafes and retail stores, interest in 56 franchised restaurants and five hotels, and Hard Rock Live! concert venues. The deal is expected to close in March 2007.
“We are pleased to have represented The Rank Group through this complex transaction that represents a significant milestone in the organization’s history, and we look forward to seeing the transaction through to completion,” said Larry Goldberg, partner in the DLA Piper’s Chicago office and leader of the team that advised The Rank Group. “I am proud of our team’s hard work and dedication to complete the deal within a condensed timetable that was of critical importance to The Rank Group.”
In addition to Goldberg, the primary DLA Piper team included Jonathan Klein and Meghan Dougherty in the New York office; and Andrew Sannes, Brandi Van Leeuwen and Brian Parker in the firm’s Chicago office. Anita Molano, Dennis Wilson, Kristin Franceschi and Paul Novak, along with specialists in a variety of areas, also played important roles.
In the U.S., DLA Piper’s Mergers and Acquisitions group consists of an integrated team of more than 180 lawyers who handle complex transactions, including stock-for-stock mergers, management buyouts, tender offers, proxy contests, cross-border acquisitions, and divisional purchases and sales. The firm also represents special committees of boards and advises in contests for control, including hostile bids and proxy contests.
About DLA Piper (www.dlapiper.com)
DLA Piper has 3,200 lawyers in 24 countries and 62 offices throughout the U.S., U.K., Continental Europe, Middle East and Asia. It has leading practices in commercial, corporate and finance, human resources, litigation, real estate, regulatory and legislative, tax, and technology, media and communications.
