Latham & Watkins Wins “European Corporate Deal of the Year”

Latham & Watkins has won “European Corporate Deal of the Year” at The Lawyer’s 2015 European Awards.

The firm “stood out” for its work advising German hospital operator Rhön-Klinikum on the €3bn sale of a portfolio of major assets, including 40 hospitals, to Fresenius/Helios, which The Lawyer called “a landmark deal in the European healthcare sector last year” which was “particularly complex.” The transaction created Europe’s largest private hospital operator.

Following the conclusion of the sale, Latham acted for Rhön on a €1.7bn share buyback program, again using an unprecedented structure in the German market. Latham advised Rhön with a deal team led by German corporate partners Henning C. Schneider and Dirk Kocher.

The firm’s European antitrust practice was also “Highly Commended” at the awards for a major victory achieved on behalf of Groupement des Cartes Bancaires before the European Court of Justice that revisited the concept of “by object” restrictions in competition. The Latham team was led by Paris partner Frédéric Pradelles and Brussels partner Javier Ruiz Calzado.