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    Alison S. Ressler

    Partner

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    Los Angeles

    +1-310-712-6630

    New York

    +1-212-558-3098

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    resslera@sullcrom.com

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    Alison S. Ressler is a leading authority on M&A, corporate governance and capital markets. She provides advice to U.S. and non-U.S. corporations, boards of directors and special committees of global companies, private equity investors and financial advisers for a wide range of transactions in regulated and unregulated industries.

    Regularly cited at the very top of the legal profession in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance and capital markets, Ms. Ressler has been named American Lawyer’s “Dealmaker of the Week” multiple times and was named American Lawyer’s “Dealmaker of the Year” for advising Barclays in the sale of Barclays Global Investors to BlackRock. Ms. Ressler was named to The Deal’s “Women in M&A: The Powerhouse 20” and has also been recognized as a Law360 MVP in M&A and Private Equity and as one of the 10 most innovative lawyers in North America by the Financial Times. She is regularly recognized by additional leading industry publications, including Chambers USA, Legal 500, IFLR1000, Lawdragon, Euromoney, The Lawyer and M&A Advisor.

    Ms. Ressler serves as co-head of the Global Private Equity Group and is responsible for the Firm’s practice in California. She served as a member of the Firm’s management committee for over 20 years.

    With a career spanning four decades, Ms. Ressler has played a key role in some of the world’s most significant deals.

    Professional Activities and Community Involvement

    • Co-chair of the Dean’s Council, Columbia Law School
    • Board and Executive Committee Member, LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games
    • Member, Corporation of Brown University
    • Harvard-Westlake School Trustee

    Spotlight

    S&C Advises Upbound in $460 Million Acquisition of Brigit

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    Alison Ressler, Vanessa Blackmore and Jacqueline Wenchen Tang Recognized in IFLR1000’s Women Leaders 2024

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    RedBird Capital Partners Reaches Deal to Form ‘New Paramount’

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    California Resources Corporation to Combine with Aera Energy

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    Alison Ressler, Vanessa Blackmore and Jacqueline Wenchen Tang Recognized in IFLR1000’s Women Leaders 2023

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    Experience

    Headline M&A Transactions

    • Purchase of Activision Blizzard shares from Vivendi, as counsel to ASAC II, an investment vehicle led by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and Co-Chairman Brian Kelly 
    • AT&T in its joint venture with DOCOMO
    • ATL Investco’s acquisition of the Atlanta Hawks and in connection with Dyal HomeCourt Partners’ minority equity investment in the Atlanta Hawks 
    • Barclays’ sale of Barclays Global Investors to BlackRock (named “Dealmaker of the Year” by The American Lawyer)
    • California Resources Corporation in its $2.1 billion all-stock combination with Aera Energy; its joint venture with Brookfield Renewable to create a carbon management partnership; its previous successful emergence from Chapter 11; and its $825 million infrastructure joint venture and equity investment with Development Capital Resources

    • Central Pacific Financial Corp.’s unsolicited acquisition of CB Bancshares, Inc. 
    • Chiron Corporation’s acquisition by Novartis AG, representing Novartis’ entry into the global vaccine and diagnostics market 
    • Christopher Cole and certain other executives in connection with the $11.2 billion acquisition of Cole Real Estate Investments by American Realty Capital Properties and Cole Holdings Corporation in connection with its sale to Cole Capital Properties Trust III (thereafter known as Cole Real Estate Investments)
    • Clear Channel Communications’ $23.9 billion acquisition by a private equity group comprised of Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners, as counsel to Goldman Sachs, financial adviser to Clear Channel
    • Cymer’s $3.9 billion acquisition by ASML Holding NV
    • Dell’s acquisition by investor group led by Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners and financed in part by Microsoft, as counsel to Microsoft
    • Dole Foods’ acquisition by an investor group led by Dole Chairman and CEO David Murdock, as counsel to Dole’s special committee
    • eBay’s $1.5 billion acquisition of PayPal
    • Hiltons Hotels’ $26.7 billion acquisition by The Blackstone Group
    • Joe Tsai, chairman and co-founder of Alibaba Group, in his purchase of a 49% interest in the Brooklyn Nets from owner Mikhail Prokhorov
    • Kite Pharma’s $11.9 billion acquisition by Gilead Sciences
    • Philips Electronics in its joint venture with LG Electronics
    • RedBird Capital Partners in connection with Skydance Investor Group’s investment of more than $8 billion as part of Skydance Media and Paramount Global’s agreement to form “New Paramount”
    • SDL’s acquisition by JDS Uniphase Corporation (the largest technology deal at the time)
    • Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype Global from investor group led by Silver Lake, as counsel to both Skype and Silver Lake (recognized as a “Dealmaker in the Spotlight” in The American Lawyer and as a “Dealmaker of the Week” by Am Law Daily)
    • Spieker Properties’ $7.2 billion acquisition by Equity Office Properties
    • Sumitomo Pharma’s $2.9 billion acquisition of Myovant Sciences
    • Twitter’s $44 billion acquisition by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, as counsel to Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, financial advisers to Twitter
    • Valeant’s $15.8 billion acquisition of Salix and $55 billion unsolicited offer to acquire Allergan

    Other Recent Transactions

    • Ares’ acquisition of a majority interest in Kuecker Pulse Integration; in connection with Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets’ acquisition of Cincinnati Bell; as a member of a consortium co-led by Ares and Leonard Green & Partners in the acquisition of Press Ganey; $1.45 billion strategic partnership with DuPage Medical Group; and acquisition of a significant stake in American Tire 
    • Ares and Ontario Teachers’ acquisition of a majority interest in TricorBraun 
    • AST SpaceMobile in its strategic investments from and commercial arrangements with AT&T, Google and Vodafone
    • Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing, controlled by Tinicum L.P. and affiliated partnerships managed by Tinicum Incorporated, in its sale to Stanley Black & Decker for up to $1.5 billion 
    • CPG International’s acquisition by Ares and Ontario Teachers 
    • Crescent Capital Group in connection with Sun Life Financial’s acquisition of a majority stake in it
    • DigitalBridge Group in connection with its acquisition of AMP Capital’s global infrastructure equity investment management business (comprising four investment funds with $5.6 billion in fee-earning assets under management) for $316 million; its acquisition of Wafra’s 31.5% ownership in DigitalBridge’s investment management subsidiary for $800 million (which followed its initial $400 million investment); its $3.2 billion sale of its Wellness Infrastructure business to Highgate Capital Investments and Aurora Health Network; and its acquisition of a controlling stake in Vertical Bridge Holdings. 
    • Endo International’s $2.6 billion acquisition of Auxilium
    • Grocery Outlet’s acquisition by affiliates of Hellman & Friedman, as counsel to MacGregor Read and Eric Lindberg, shareholders and co-CEOs of Grocery Outlet
    • Juniper Networks’ acquisition of Apstra, $450 million acquisition of 128 Technology and $405 million acquisition of Mist Systems
    • Key Energy Services’ out-of-court restructuring through a debt to equity conversion
    • Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services’ $1.3 billion acquisition by Advisor Group 
    • Madrone Capital Partners as the largest outside shareholder and lead investor in viagogo’s $4.05 billion acquisition of StubHub from eBay
    • Members of a group of creditors and equity investors in the $3 billion pre-packaged Chapter 11 restructuring of Acosta
    • The parent company of MIRAMAX in its sale of Miramax to beIN MEDIA GROUP
    • NVISION Eye Centers in connection with Ontario Teachers’ acquisition of a majority stake in NVISION
    • Ontario Teachers’ sale of an equity stake in SeaCube Container Leasing to Wren House, its prior acquisition of SeaCube, its strategic investment in Mitratech and its acquisition of PODS
    • A party to the financial reorganization and recapitalization of each of J. Crew, Neiman Marcus and Intelsat
    • Platinum Equity’s acquisition of a controlling equity stake, along with other noteholders, in the reorganization of Key Energy Services
    • PowerA’s $395 million acquisition by ACCO
    • Raintree Systems’ significant investment from Serent Capital 
    • Redbird Capital Partners in connection with its, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s launch of Artists Equity
    • Rent-A-Center’s approximately $1.8 billion acquisition of Acima Holdings and $1.365 billion proposed acquisition by Vintage Capital, as counsel to the Board of Directors of Rent-A-Center, later terminated
    • Saama Technologies in the strategic growth investment and acquisition of a majority stake in Saama by Carlyle and a co-investor group for up to $430 million
    • Shafer Vineyards’ sale of the company and related vineyard real estate to Starfield Properties, a subsidiary of E-Mart
    • A sovereign wealth fund in its acquisition of a minority interest in Sotheby’s whereby Bidfair will also invest additional capital alongside the sovereign wealth fund and remain Sotheby’s majority owner, resulting in a total investment of approximately $1 billion
    • SPO Partners’ $900 million sale of its aggregates business, Aggregates USA LLC, to Vulcan Materials Company
    • Syntel’s $3.57 billion acquisition by Atos 
    • Tinicum’s portfolio company Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing’s acquisition of Bristol Industries, as counsel to Tinicum 
    • Unified Grocers’ $375 million acquisition by SUPERVALU
    • Upbound Group in its $460 million acquisition of Brigit 
    • Valeant’s acquisition of PreCision Dermatology; $1.4 billion sale of aesthetic products to Galderma; acquisition of Medicis; and unsolicited offer for Cephalon
    • Vector Group in its $2.4 billion acquisition by JT Group and previously in connection with Douglas Elliman's spin-off into a standalone, publicly traded company
    • Verily Life Sciences in a transaction whereby Swiss Re exchanged its investment in Granular Insurance for an equity stake in Verily; its $1 billion investment round led by parent company Alphabet; its joint venture with Santen Pharmaceutical Co.; its $1 billion investment round led by Silver Lake; and its $800 million investment by Temasek
    • Versa’s sale of Polartec to Milliken & Company and its acquisition of Sport Chalet 
    • VMware’s $61 billion acquisition by Broadcom, as counsel to Goldman Sachs, financial adviser to VMware 
    • Wasserman Media Group’s acquisitions of Brillstein Entertainment Partners and CSM Sport and Entertainment 
    • Watlow’s acquisition of Eurotherm from Schneider Electric
    • Zynga’s acquisition of NaturalMotion

    News

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    Credentials

    Education

    • Columbia Law School, J.D., 1983
    • Brown University, A.B., 1980

    Bar Admissions

    • California
    • New York

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