- FTX Trading Ltd. in connection with multiple M&A deals arising from its Chapter 11 filing to generate funds for the estate, including its agreement to sell its interest in Mysten Labs and its sale of its stake in Sequoia Capital
- Oaktree Capital in Aspiration’s $315 million equity financings from Oaktree and affiliates of Steve Ballmer; its up to $600 million investment in TPI Composites; its $250 million investment in Priority Power Management; its investment in Albertsons alongside funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management and other investors for an aggregate of $1.75 billion; its investments in Healthy Spot and Thrasio; and the underwriters in its IPO and follow-on offering
- Ares Management in its acquisition of a majority interest in Kuecker Pulse Integration; the senior preferred equity financing in connection with Ferrellgas Partners’ restructuring transactions; 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; its $1.45 billion strategic partnership with DuPage Medical Group; and its acquisition of a significant stake in American Tire Distributors
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in its strategic investment in Mitratech, acquisition of a minority stake in Epic Games, acquisitions of PODS and SeaCube Container Leasing; and PODS and SeaCube in ongoing corporate advice
- Parkland Corporation in its acquisition of Conrad & Bischoff and its related companies
- Arconic Corporation in its $300 million senior secured second lien notes offering; Rule 144A/Reg S offering of $700 million senior secured first lien notes; and in ongoing corporate advice
- Ares Management and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in their acquisition of a majority interest in TricorBraun and acquisition of CPG International (The AZEK Company); and The AZEK Company in its acquisitions of Versatex and UltraLox; its IPO, Rule 144A/Reg S offering of $350 million senior notes, $956 million secondary offering of common stock; and in ongoing corporate advice
- Royal Philips in its acquisition of BioTelemetry and acquisitions of the Healthcare Information Systems business of Carestream Health, Respiratory Technologies, The Spectranetics Corporation, Electrical Geodesics, Wellcentive and Volcano Corporation; and its participation in a private placement by Corindus Vascular Robotics
- Juniper Networks in its acquisition of Apstra
- Delaware Life Insurance Company in the debt recapitalization of Sculptor Capital
- PowerA in its $395 million acquisition by ACCO Brands
- Crescent Capital in Sun Life Financial’s $338 million acquisition of a majority stake in Crescent
- Lion Capital in its affiliate’s DIP financing for and acquisition of John Varvatos in a Section 363 sale process; and its acquisition of a minority interest in Authentic Brands Group from certain existing shareholders
- MUFG Union Bank in its acquisition of Intrepid Investment Bankers
- CapGen Capital, as a 22% holder of Xenith Bankshares, in Xenith’s acquisition by Union Bankshares; and in the sale of its shares in Seacoast Banking Corporation of Florida, the parent company of Seacoast National Bank
- Pabst Brewing on general corporate and strategic advice
- Ares Management and Ascribe Capital as creditors in Boart Longyear’s restructuring
- SPO Partners in the $900 million sale of Aggregates USA to Vulcan Materials; and its agreement with Liberty Media to invest $1.55 billion in subscriptions for newly issued shares of Series C Liberty Media common stock in Liberty’s acquisition of Formula 1
- 1st Century Bancshares in its acquisition by Midland Financial
- FilmYard Holdings in MIRAMAX’s acquisition by beIN MEDIA GROUP
- Tinicum Capital in its sale of Enesco to Balmoral Funds
- Versa Capital in the acquisition of Sport Chalet; Versa and Lubert-Adler in their acquisition of Central Parking; and in the sale of Central Parking to Standard Parking
- Optimer Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals
- Goldman Sachs as financial adviser to AveXis in its $8.7 billion acquisition by Novartis
- Houlihan Lokey as financial adviser to:
- Vine Energy’s Board of Directors in its $2.2 billion acquisition by Chesapeake Energy Corporation
- Committee of Landcadia Holdings II, a publicly traded SPAC co-sponsored by Fertitta Entertainment and Jefferies Financial Group, in its $745 million acquisition of Golden Nugget Online Gaming
- Board of Directors of Machine Zone in Machine Zone’s acquisition by AppLovin
- Special Committee of Standard Diversified in its acquisition by Turning Point Brands
- Return Path in its acquisition by Validity
- Special Committee of HomeFed Corporation in HomeFed’s acquisition by Jefferies
- Special Committee of Hanwha Q CELLS in its acquisition by Hanwha Solar Holdings, a subsidiary of Hanwha Chemical Corporation
Professional Activities and Community Involvement
Rita serves as vice chair of the ABA M&A Committee and co-chair of the ABA Acquisition of Public Companies Subcommittee. She is the former chair of its M&A Market Trends Subcommittee and its Deal Points Study on Carveout Transactions. Rita is a member of S&C’s Women’s Initiative Committee and is the co-founder and co-chair of a national Women in M&A Network (WiMA), a network of senior women dealmakers focused on business generation. She is the immediate past co-chair of the ABA’s Women in M&A Subcommittee, which was formed to promote the recruiting, retention, and promotion of women lawyers in M&A. Rita is co-chair of the Tulane Corporate Law Institute, and regularly participates on panels and guest teaches classes at law schools related to substantive M&A topics, as well as on gender diversity and women in the legal profession. Rita is also an active provider of pro bono legal services with a particular focus on education, foster youth and animal rights.
