Macfarlanes, Travers Smith and Latham & Watkins have scooped the lead roles on the sale of media intelligence website Gorkana to the owner of rival PR software provider Cision in a deal valued at up to £200m.

Gorkana, best known for its extensive database of media professionals, has been sold by its owner, British private equity firm Exponent, to US rival GTCR, which is bolting on Gorkana to its existing Cision brand as part of an expansion strategy which also saw GTCR recently acquire Vocus, another piece of software for the PR industry.

Exponent has made an eight fold profit on its investment in Gorkana, which it acquired for only £25m in 2010. Its portfolio still includes BBC magazines publisher Immediate Media.

The deal will be seen as a coup for David Walker and Tom Evans, the former Clifford Chance duo who led the Latham team acting for GTCR. The pair announced their moves to Latham within months of each other last year, with this deal marking one of the first high-profile mandates they have secured since joining. 

The Travers team advising Gorkana's management was led by private equity group head Paul Dolman (pictured) and senior associate Adam Orr, with tax group head Kathleen Russ and tax associate Silvana Corrieri also advising.

Since taking over the private equity practice from Phil Sanderson in July, Dolman has acted on a number of other high profile deals, including advising fashion and homewares retailer Cath Kidston on an inward investment by Asian private equity house Baring and advising the management of Spire Healthcare on its initial public offering.

Macfarlanes acted for Exponent and other selling shareholders, fielding a team led by corporate head Charles Meek, with corporate partners Alex Edmondson and Emmie Jones. Head of the firm's tax group, Ashley Greenbank, provided tax advice.