A Team Charney Reunion Tour? The S&C Microsoft - Yahoo Team
From a blast email we received yesterday from Sullivan & Cromwell (yes, we're on the S&C distribution list):
Please note Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's representation of Microsoft (U.S.) in its proposed US$ 44.6 billion acquisition of Yahoo! (U.S.), announced February 1, 2008. The S&C team on the transaction includes corporate/M&A partners James Morphy, Duncan McCurrach and Alexandra Korry in New York and Eric Krautheimer in Los Angeles.
If you followed the Aaron Charney saga as obsessively as we did, you'll recall that Krautheimer and Korry were the tale's two main villains -- partners who, even if not harboring antigay bias, weren't exactly the most fun people to work for. From an associate's perspective, working on a high-profile deal for this dynamic duo must be super-exciting, but not without its challenges.
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Posted In: Sullivan & Cromwell
"Please note Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's representation..."
Is that really what the email says? Is that some kind of pompus shorthand or just lazy?
@9:19
It's from S&C, what do you think?
Please note my yawn.
I thought Simpson Thacher was representing Microsoft -- that is what earlier news reports indicated. (This was indeed surprising given that S&C has been Microsoft's counsel for ages...) Sounds like S&C is doing the investment banker thing and grabbing onto whatever part of the deal it can for league table purposes...
Why would any associate find working on this deal "super exciting"? It's an enormous deal, which means nothing but shitty grunt work for anyone but the senior partners. Lat, stop encouraging the law students to believe that big deals and cases are the best to work on--they only are if you're at the top of the pyramid. Small, leanly-staffed cases and deals are *far* more "exciting" for associates.
I second that, 10:10. Not sure where the "excitement" lies in representing an ethically reprehensible company trying to acquire a crappy company on its way down to combine their powers and make even crappier online portals and search engines. M&A is about as dull as it gets.
STB and represents Microsoft with Cadwalader on antitrust.
"Please note Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's representation of Microsoft (U.S.) in its proposed US$ 44.6 billion acquisition of Yahoo! (U.S.), announced February 1, 2008 effective February 21, 2008. We appreciate coming in from the bullpen after Skadden was selected by Yahoo and Simpson dropped out because of conflicts. We will however be marketing this to the fullest advantage."
S&C to blood drinking and dirt naps!
Lat, please confirm what happened to STB on this deal.
I think what's known is that Simpson got conflicted out. See the link:
http://www.thelawyer.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=131352&d=415&h=417&f=416