Partner, New York Phone +1-212-558-3275 Fax +1-212-558-3588 Add to Address Book

Audra Cohen is a partner in Sullivan & Cromwell’s Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Ms. Cohen represents buyers, sellers, boards of directors and financial advisors in a broad range of merger and acquisition transactions, including public company mergers, negotiated sales of private companies (including subsidiaries and divisions), spinoffs and complex corporate restructurings.

Recent Representations

Ms. Cohen’s recent experience includes representing:

• the transaction committee of the board of directors of PepsiAmericas in its pending sale to PepsiCo
• the Independent Director Committee of Dynegy Inc. in its pending sale of five peaking and three combined-cycle generation assets and its interests in a project under construction to LS Power
• Wachovia in its merger with Wells Fargo
• Reed Elsevier in connection with its acquisition of ChoicePoint
• a director and member of the Bancroft family in the sale of Dow Jones to News Corp.
• Ohio Casualty in its sale to Liberty Mutual
• independent directors and Strategic Review Committee of First Data Corporation in connection with buyout by KKR
• Moore Wallace Incorporated in its combination with RR Donnelley & Sons Company
• RR Donnelley & Sons Company in numerous transactions including its proposed acquisition of Quebecor World, Inc. and its acquisitiosn of Von Hoffmann Corporation, Perry Judd’s Holdings, Banta Corporation and Office Tiger Holdings Inc.
• the chairman and controlling stockholders of West Corporation in connection with the sale of West to T.H. Lee and Quadrangle
• the board of directors of Albertson’s, Inc. in the sale of Albertson's to SUPERVALU Inc., CVS and Cerberus
• the special committee of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in its recent charter amendments to its dual class capital structure
• General Growth Properties, Inc. in its acquisition of The Rouse Company
• Deloitte Consulting in its proposed separation (which was subsequently abandoned) from Deloitte & Touche
• Diageo plc (and its predecessor Grand Metropolitan PLC) and The Pillsbury Company in numerous transactions including the sale of The Pillsbury Company to General Mills, Inc., the dispositions of Pearle, Inc., Van de Kamps frozen seafood business, and various alcoholic beverage brands and in their acquisition of Pet Incorporated
• Hershey Foods Corporation in numerous transactions, including the proposed sale of Hershey by the Hershey Trust (which sale was subsequently abandoned) and Hershey’s acquisition of the gum and mints business of Nabisco, Inc.
• the special committee of Springs Industries, Inc. in the recapitalization of Springs
• 360networks inc. in its acquisition of GlobeNet Communications Group Limited
• Eastman Kodak Company in its disposition of the ethical pharmaceutical business of Sterling Winthrop Inc. to Sanofi and its disposition of the over-the-counter pharmaceutical business of Sterling Winthrop Inc. to SmithKline Beecham plc

Ms. Cohen was recently named as a leading lawyer for M&A in New York Super Lawyers (2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006).