Acquisition of Brownes Dairy and Juice Business
Firm: Freehills
Lead Lawyers: Damian Hazard, Louise Capon, Philip Podzebenko, Kristin Stammer, Paul Hughes
Client: Archer Capital (acquirer)
Firm: Minter Ellison
Client: Fonterra
Firm: Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Client: Financiers

• This business was acquired by Dairy West, in association with minority shareholder Industry Funds Management
• Freehills has a long standing relationship with Archers, a client which it regularly advises on its asset portfolio. The firm also recently acted for Archer Capital in relation to its acquisitions of Ausfuel and Gull Petroleum

Other recent deals:

Origin Energy Pro Rata renounceable entitlement offer – A$2.3bn
Firm: Clayton Utz
Lead Lawyer: Stuart Byrne
Client: Origin Energy
Firm: Mallesons Stephen Jaques
Lead Lawyers: David Friedlander, Shannon Finch
Client: Underwriters JP. Morgan, Macquarie Capital Advisers and Merrill Lynch International (Australia)
• Origin has announced this entitlement offer to raise funds for its $3.26bn acquisition of Integral Energy and Country Energy retail businesses and the Eraring energy Gen Trader arrangements. The deal uses a new equity raising structure, Pro Rata Accelerated Institutional, Tradeable Retail Entitlement Offer (PAITREO), developed by Merrill Lynch in  conjunction with Origin Energy
• This deal is one of a series where Clayton Utz has advised Origin and is a follow on from the firm’s general advisory role advising Origin on its NSW asset sale
• Mallesons has acted for the various underwriters in various other transactions, including J.P Morgan’s 2009 purchase of ANZ’s custodian services business and Macquarie Capital Advisers’ entitlement offer to raise $294m for Macquarie Media Group, also in 2009

Paddy Power acquisition of remaining interest in Sportsbet – A$132.6m

Firm: Gilbert + Tobin
Lead Lawyer: Marko Komadina
Client: Paddy Power
Firm: Minter Ellison
Lead Lawyer: Nick Broome
Client: Sportsbet

• This deal will see Paddy Power obtain the remaining 39% interest it didn’t already own in Sportsbet, making the Australian on-line bookmaker a wholly owned subsidiary of LSE listed Paddy Power
• Gilbert + Tobin also advised Paddy Power on the acquisition of the first 51% of Sportsbet in 2009, and when Sportsbet acquired International All Sports by scheme of arrangement, also in 2009 and when a further 10% of Sportsbet was acquired, for a total of 61%, in February 2010
• Minter Ellison also advised Sportsbet on the acquisition of International All Sports in 2009 and considers Sportsbet a relationship client

For a full list of details and other recently completed deals, click here