Latham & Watkins Advises Aon in US$80 Billion Combination with Willis Towers Watson

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) and Willis Towers Watson (NASDAQ: WLTW) have announced a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock transaction with an implied combined equity value of approximately US$80 billion. The combined company, to be named Aon, will be the premier, technology-enabled global professional services firm focused on the areas of risk, retirement, and health.

Latham & Watkins LLP represents Aon in the transaction with a corporate deal team led by Orange County and New York partner Charles Ruck and Chicago partner Bradley Faris, with associates Max Schleusener, Sean Parish, Oliver Cohen, Omar Ammash, Grant Page, and Henna Jalal, and with assistance from Orange County partner Daniel Rees. Advice was also provided on antitrust matters by Washington, D.C. partners Marc Williamson and Michael Egge and Brussels partners Lars Kjølbye and Héctor Armengod, with associate Tara Tavernia; on intellectual property matters by New York partner Jeffrey Tochner, with associate Deborah Hinck; on securities matters by Chicago partner Christopher Lueking, New York partner Benjamin Stern, and Chicago counsel Manasi Bhattacharyya, with associates Scott Westhoff and Austin Arnett; on tax matters by Washington, D.C. partner Nicholas DeNovio, London partner Sean Finn, and Los Angeles partner Laurence Stein, with associate Pierce Pandolph; on benefits and compensation matters by New York partner Bradd Williamson and Bay Area partner Julie Crisp, with associate Leah Segall; on finance matters by Chicago partner Noah Weiss and Chicago counsel Cindy Caillavet, with associates Colin O’Regan and Ellen Fischer; on export controls and CFIUS matters by Washington, D.C. partner Les Carnegie and Washington, D.C. counsels Annie Froehlich and Rachel Alpert, with associates Zachary Eddington and Allison Hugi; and on compliance matters by New York partners James Brandt and Kevin McDonough.