Our regular roundup of transactions involving Irish law firms. Submit your offers to newsdesk@irishlegal.com.
DLA Piper advises Mount Street on £50bn deal with Aviva
DLA Piper advised Mount Street on a 10-year strategic agreement with Aviva Investors for asset management deals totaling £50 billion in assets under management (AUM).
The deal will see Mount Street, together with HSBC, assume all fund administration and debt servicing functions on behalf of Aviva Investors’ real asset strategies.
Mount Street and HSBC were selected following a competitive process based on the breadth of their combined service offerings, coupled with their global expertise in real estate assets, credit and equity markets.
The DLA Piper team included partners Marc Ragsdale and John Magee and senior partner Elizabeth Sharkey in the intellectual property and technology team in Ireland, as well as legal director Liam Mills in the finance, projects and restructuring team.
The team also included UK lawyers Paul Grayclient relationship partner in finance, projects and restructuring; Helen Hall, employment legal director; and Rob Arnisonreal estate consultant.
Mr. Rasdale, Head of Intellectual Property and Technology Ireland, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support leading solutions provider, Mount Street, in this important transaction and to continue to do so as they find new opportunities to expand their offer in Ireland, the UK and beyond.
Eversheds Sutherland advises WP Engine on expansion
Eversheds Sutherland advised WP Engine on the opening of its new office in Limerick.
The tech company has a team of 120 people in Limerick that helps big brands and small businesses win on WordPress, the open source ecosystem that underpins 43% of all websites.
The new office was designed to support the company’s working culture, with several employee breaks and lounges, including the provision of free food and beverages.
The Eversheds Sutherland team was led by a corporate partner Gavin O’Flaherty and Senior Real Estate Partner michelle stuart.
A&L Goodbody advises Premier Sports on proposed sale of UK operations
A&L Goodbody advises Premier Sports on the proposed sale of its UK operations to the Viaplay group.
Premier Sports is a television channel operator and sports streaming service provider in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
ALG has a long-standing relationship with Premier Sports and its founders, having previously advised on the sale of Setanta Ukraine and Setanta Eurasia.
The law firm team was led by Richard Gray and Eoghan Brown with the support of Daniel Talbot and Kim McGraneall in the corporate team.
Expert advice was provided by Alan McCarthy in the EU, competition and markets; Emma Creven and Claire Boulman in business and technology; Philippe McQueston and Cian Ryan in taxation; Rob Tubman and Bernard Martin employee; Grace O’Malley in retreats; and Emma Dunn in ownership.
Holmes advises Citylink on acquisition of operator GoBus.ie
Holmes O’Malley Sexton LLP advised ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink Limited on its successful acquisition of Evobus and Coach Limited, which operates the GoBus.ie coach service.
ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink is one of the largest coach operators in Ireland and the UK. It has operated in Ireland since 1991 and currently operates a fleet of 33 buses across the country.
GoBus is an intercity coach service with a fleet of 31 buses. This acquisition will make ComfortDelGro Irish Citylink the third largest intercity coach operator in Ireland.
The Holmes team advising Citylink on the legal side of the deal included business partners George Kennedy and Shane Costelloassisted by a trainee lawyer Ciara Downes.
Mullany Walsh Maxwells advises Insurance Shop Limited on sale
Mullany Walsh Maxwells LLP advised the sale of Insurance Shop Limited to LHK Group.
Founded in Dublin in 1997, The Insurance Shop offers a unique, bespoke insurance package for retail businesses, convenience stores, newsagents, supermarkets and petrol stations.
The Insurance Shop also offers travel insurance, gadget insurance, wedding insurance and pet insurance.
The MWM team included Managing Partner Conor Mullany and associate lawyer Elaine Keane.
Tony Cunningham, former director of Insurance Shop Limited, said: ‘Conor and Elaine were recommended to us by our accountant to act on our behalf when we were approached to sell our business.
“This was one of the best recommendations we have ever received as Elaine walked us through the intricacies of the sale in a friendly and professional manner and was always helpful and available to help us achieve a very satisfactory outcome.
“We would have no hesitation in highly recommending Elaine and Conor to anyone about to go through the process of selling or buying a business.”
Addleshaw Goddard advises REInvest on €65m property investment
Addleshaw Goddard advised Luxembourg firm REInvest Asset Management SA on its first investment in Ireland, acquiring a prime office building in Dublin.
The seven-storey, 4,700 sq m property at 5 Harcourt Road is fully leased to WeWork for an annual rent of 3 million euros and has been sold for 65 million euros.
Addleshaw Goddard’s team was led by Kathi O Riainpartner and head of the real estate team, led the team in Ireland with the support of Siobhan Kennylegal director within the construction and engineering team.
