Reed Smith, Herbies in as AOL buys $850m Bebo
The City arm of Reed Smith Richards Butler has picked up a profile-raising mandate on the $850m (£420.6m) acquisition of social networking website Bebo by AOL. The firm's London arm advised longstanding client Bebo on UK aspects of the deal, with senior associate Gregor Pryor leading a team that also included associates Krista James and Daniel Barnett.
March 14, 2008 at 08:45 AM
2 minute read
The City arm of Reed Smith Richards Butler has picked up a profile-raising mandate on the $850m (£420.6m) acquisition of social networking website Bebo by AOL.
The firm's London arm advised longstanding client Bebo on UK aspects of the deal, with senior associate Gregor Pryor leading a team that also included associates Krista James and Daniel Barnett.
Internet giant AOL looked to regular adviser Herbert Smith for UK advice, with corporate partner Gavin Davies and international communications practice head Nick Elverston leading.
Bebo was advised in the US by Weil Gotshal & Manges, for whom corporate partners Kyle Krpata and Dick Millard took the main roles, while Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett advised AOL. Paolo Alto-based corporate partner Peter Malloy led the team for Simpson Thacher.
Commenting on the mandate, Pryor said: "This is a really exciting deal. These are big media conglomerates recognising that traditional online business is not engaging enough."
The acquisition, which is expected to complete next month, gives AOL access to the 40 million punters that currently use Bebo. The sale comes after Microsoft last year paid $240m (£119.2m) for a 1.6% stake in rival networking site Facebook.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Slaughter and May and A&O Shearman Advise as Latest UK Company Goes American
3 minute read
Linklaters Continues Renewable Energy Hot Streak With Latest Offshore Wind Farm Project
2 minute read
Trio of Firms Act On Chinese Insurer Ping An's $1.7B Stake Acquisition In Healthcare Arm
Trending Stories
- 1Law Firms Expand Scope of Immigration Expertise, Amid Blitz of Trump Orders
- 2Latest Boutique Combination in Florida Continues Am Law 200 Merger Activity
- 3Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC Announces Addition of New Office in Eatontown, NJ, and Named Partner
- 4Friday Newspaper
- 5Public Notices/Calendars
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
