Oliver C. Brahmst

Adjunct Professor of Law

Practice Experience

Oliver Brahmst is the Head of the Firm's Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group for the Americas. He concentrates on domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, and has experience in both public and private transactions. Oliver has substantial experience in leveraged acquisitions and the representation of private equity houses.

Mr. Brahmst is a recommended individual for M&A in Chambers USA 2010, Legal 500 US 2009 and the 2009 edition of PLC Which Lawyer?. Clients say he is a "partner of special skills for any transaction related project…one of the best lawyers you would want to have by your side during negotiations" and describe him as "a true legal counselor and excellent negotiator."

Recent matters include the representation of:

Pilot Travel Centers LLC, a joint venture owned by Pilot Corporation and funds managed by CVC Capital Partners, in its acquisition of Flying J Inc.'s core travel plaza and truck stop businesses. The acquisition, which combined the first and second largest travel plaza operators in the nation to create a new company called Pilot Flying J with a combined value in excess of US$5 billion, was featured as one of the “Most Innovative M&A Transactions in the United States” by The Financial Times (2010);
Univar Inc. (“Univar”) in connection with a Purchase and Sale Agreement, for the acquisition of all of the equity interests of Basic Chemical Solutions, LLC (“BCS”). Univar, with revenues of approximately US$7.2 billion, is a leading global distributor of commodity and specialty chemicals in more than 100 countries. BCS, with revenues of approximately US$1 billion, is a leading global distributor and trader of commodity chemicals.
Votorantim Participações S.A. in a US$1.1 billion asset exchange transaction with Lafarge;
Harvest Partners, Inc. in various acquisitions and divestitures including: the sale of Associated Materials, LLC to Hellman & Friedman LLC, for an enterprise value of US$1.3 billion. The transaction was named “LBO Exit of the Month” in October 2010 by Dow Jones Private Equity; together with Aquilex Holdings LLC, a Harvest Partners portfolio company, in the sale of Aquilex to Teachers' Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan; the acquisition of Barlett Holdings Inc., a leading specialty energy services company, from Berkshire Partners LLC and Summit Partners; and the acquisition of IG Staffing Holdings, Inc, a provider of information staffing solutions in North America;
Nordic Capital and Avista Capital Partners in their acquisition of the ConvaTec business unit from Bristol-Myers Squibb for a purchase price of US$4.1 billion. The transaction, the largest private equity deal globally at the time of signing in 2008, was name "LBO Deal of the Year" by Dow Jones' Private Equity Analyst;
Castle Harlan Partners IV, LP, a New York-based private equity fund, on its acquisition of four maltmakers from a joint venture of ConAgra Foods, Inc. of Omaha, Nebraska and Tiger Brands Ltd. of South Africa;
GMR Infrastructure Limited in its acquisition of a 50 percent interest in InterGen N.V, a leading global power generation company, from AIG Highstar Capital II, L.P. and its affiliates for a purchase price of US$1.1 billion. This transaction was named "Acquisition of the Year" by Infrastructure Journal 2009; "India Asset & Corporate Finance Deal of the Year" by Asian Legal Business 2009; and "M&A Deal of the Year" by India Business Law Journal 2008;
an affiliate of EBX Group, one of Brazil's largest companies, in its acquisition of a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel from the Nexus Group, for approximately US$433.5 million.
COSAN S/A Industria E Comercio in its acquisition of Esso Brasileria de Petroleo Limitada (Essobras) from ExxonMobil for US$890 million. With this transaction, COSAN became the first ethanol producer in the world to establish a fully integrated platform from sugarcane plantation through production to retail fuels distribution;
Mid Europa Partners and its portfolio company, The Wheelabrator Group, in its acquisition of Denmark-based DISA Holding from Procuritas Capital Investors III;
Excel Maritime Carriers Ltd. in its US$2.45 billion acquisition of Quintana Maritime Limited, an international provider of dry bulk cargo marine transportation services;
Votorantim Cimentos North America, Inc. in the acquisition of 100 percent of the equity of Prestige/AB Ready Mix, LLC and Prestige Gunite Inc, two Florida-based cement companies, together with their affiliated entities for US$225 million;
A/S Dampskibsselskabet TORM in the US$2.2 billion acquisition of OMI Corporation, a NYSE–traded shipping company;
Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Mexico's largest paint manufacturer, in its acquisition of Professional Paint, Inc, a leading manufacturer and distributor of architectural paints and coatings, from New York private equity boutique Jordan Co. L.P.;
AGFA-Gevaert N.V., the largest European maker of X-ray products and films, and certain of its affiliates in its sale of its Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) business unit to GE Aircraft Engines, a division of General Electric Company; and
Golfsmith International Holdings, Inc., the largest specialty retailer of golf equipment, apparel and accessories in the United States, in connection with its initial public offering and listing on the Nasdaq National Market.

Publications

Co-author, "Director Independence: Alive and Well Under Delaware Law," Global Corporate Governance Guide, 2004 (with Maureen S. Brundage)

"An Overview of the Regulation of Transfer Pricing in Canada," Canadian Institute, Toronto, 1992

"Competing Theories of Insider Trading in Canada," Canadian Corporate Law Reporter 33, 1988

Professional Associations

International Bar Association
American Bar Association
Canadian Bar Association

Education

LLM, Tax, Osgoode Hall Law School, 1994
LLB, University of Ottawa, Book Reviews Editor, Ottawa Law Review, 1988
BA, University of Toronto, 1985