Kenneth A. Lefkowitz

Kenneth A. Lefkowitz is deputy chair of Hughes Hubbard & Reed and a member of the firm’s highest governing body, the Executive Committee. In his more than 40 years at the firm, he has advised on mergers and acquisition deals for a variety of industry-leading companies, including Sotheby’s, Delta Air Lines, AMC Networks, Madison Square Garden Sports, Madison Square Garden Entertainment, Paramount Global and its predecessor companies, Grab Holdings, Limited, and Coupang.  He is known for being passionate about deal making and for the sheer breadth of his experience:

• negotiated mergers
• acquisitions and dispositions
• hostile takeovers
• proxy fights and takeover defenses
• going-private transactions
• joint ventures
• spin-offs
• private equity deals 
• cross-border transactions
• venture capital
• de-SPAC transactions

Ken has a capital markets practice that includes Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-related issues and debt and equity financing transactions, both public and private. He also works with boards of directors and their special committees in strategic situations, including advising with respect to related party transactions and as to special investments. 

Ken has extensive experience in advising senior executives negotiating their employment contracts, including in connection with leveraged buyout transactions.

• Representing Indian hotel OYO on its acquisition of G6 Hospitality, the parent company of U.S. hospitality brand Motel 6
• Sale of Tao Group Hospitality (Operator of Tao, Hakkasan, Stanton Social, Marquee, Lavo, Beauty & Essex, and Avenue restaurants and nightclubs) to Mohari Hospitality
• Representation of Sotheby’s in connection with a definitive agreement with Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company ADQ under which ADQ will acquire a minority interest in Sotheby’s
• Representation of Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. in the sale of the rights to two drugs to a company newly-formed by certain existing Cyclerion shareholders and venture capital firms in exchange for cash and shares of stock in the new company.
• Representation of Grab Holdings Inc., Southeast Asia’s leading super app, in its merger with SPAC Altimeter Growth Corp., a transaction that took Grab public in the largest SPAC merger ever ascribing to Grab a pro-forma equity value of approximately $39.6 billion 
• Representation of SPAC Isos Acquisition Corp. in its $2.6 billion IPO merger with Bowlero Corp. that took the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers public
• Representation of Cantor Fitzgerald sponsored entities in connection with de-SPAC transactions including View, Satellogic, GCM Grosvenor, AEye and Rumble
• Representation of Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc. in its $2.5 billion going private sale to its majority shareholder Santander Holdings USA Inc. 
• Representation of Tao Group Hospitality in its acquisition of Hakkasan Group, creating a premium hospitality powerhouse that includes a global portfolio of brands and properties 
• Representation of the Howard Hughes Corporation on its $55 million investment in award-winning restaurant group Jean-Georges Management, which is led by Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten
• Representation of Latin American fintech Ualá in its $350 million Series D round of preferred equity financing – presumed to be the largest private fundraising round ever by an Argentinian company
• Representation of ANI Pharmaceuticals in its acquisition of generic drugmaker Novitium Pharma 
• Representation of Grab Financial Group, Southeast Asia’s leading fintech platform, in raising over $300 million in a Series A funding round, led by South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management Co. Ltd.
• Representation of global information technology leader Infosys in its acquisition of Blue Acorn iCi, a digital services and consulting agency, Kaleidoscope Innovation, a full-spectrum product design, development and insights firm, Simplus, the global leader of Salesforce quote-to-cash, and WongDoody Holding Company, Inc., a digital creative and marketing consumer insights agency
• Representation of Bluestar Alliance and affiliates in the purchase of Hurley International from Nike
• Representation of Platinum Equity, a Beverly Hills-based private equity firm, in connection with:
  • its $850 million investment in Nesco Holdings, a provider of specialized truck and heavy equipment solutions, in connection with Nesco's acquisition of Custom Truck One Source; and
  • its $1.9 billion public takeover of Wesco Aircraft Holdings.
• Representation of Patrick Drahi in his $3.7 billion acquisition of Sotheby’s and in Sotheby’s investment in NFT Technologies firm Mojito
• Representation of CBS Corporation in connection with its merger with Viacom Inc.
• Representation of Grab, Inc. in its acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc.’s Southeast Asia business and in its series F, G, H and I convertible preferred stock financings involving aggregate proceeds in excess of $8 billion and numerous strategic partnerships, including with Microsoft, MUFG, Toyota, Mastercard and Bookings
• Representation of Latin American fintech startup Bancar Technologies in its Seed Serious, Series A, Series B, Series B-1, and Series C funding rounds for its Ualá mobile banking app
• Representation of Daimler AG in its acquisition of a majority interest in TORC Robotics, Inc., its investment in Tesla Motors Inc., its sale of Florida Detroit Diesel-Allison and its acquisition of Mascot Truck Parts
• Representation of Coupang, the largest Korean e-commerce website, and its founder, Bom Kim, in connection with:
  • its IPO; and 
  • numerous rounds of venture capital financing, including a $1 billion round of financing and a subsequent $2 billion round of financing led by Softbank Vision Fund.
• Representation of the Independent Directors of Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in connection with the public spinoff of Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. and related sponsor $175 million equity financing
• Representation of Advance Publications, Inc. in connection with:
  • sale of 1010data to SymphonyAI;
  • sale of Golf Digest to Discovery;
  • sale of W Magazine to Future Brand Media Group;
  • sale of Brides Magazine to Dotdash; and
  • acquisition of 360VINSPIN d/b/a MotoMiner.
• Representation of lighting designer Robert Sonneman in the sale of Sonneman – A Way of Light, a designer and manufacturer of high-end architectural lighting, to Dunes Point Capital
• Representation of JD Sports Fashion, a British sports and fashion retailer, in connection with:
  • its acquisition of athletic footwear and apparel streetwear retailer DTLR Villa;
  • its $325 million acquisition of U.S. athletic shoe retailers Shoe Palace and Nice Kicks; 
  • its $558 million acquisition of Finish Line; and 
  • its license agreement with Authentic Brands Group for the Reebok brand.
• Representation of Federal-Mogul Powertrain in its acquisition of British clean-tech development company Controlled Power Technologies
• Representation of comic book publisher Millarworld in its sale to Netflix
• Representation of The Madison Square Garden Company in:
  • Investments in:
    
    • Counter Logic Gaming (owner of several competitive esports teams);
    • Obscura Digital (live entertainment technology and production company);
    • Tao Group (operator of the Tao, Marquee, Lavo, Avenue, The Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex and Avenue restaurants and nightclubs; 
    • Tribeca Enterprises (operator of the Tribeca Film Festival cofounded by Robert De Niro);
    • Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas LLC; and
    • Boston Calling Events (operator of the Boston Calling Music Festival); and
  • Its sale of the New York Liberty women's basketball team.
• Representation of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering in its acquisition of H.R. Givon, a manufacturer of metallic parts and assemblies for the aerospace industry
• Representation of Brambles Ltd. in connection with: 
  •  the $115 million sale of its North American recycled pallets business to private equity firm Grey Mountain Partners;
  •  the $115 million sale of its transport management system LeanLogistics to Kewill Inc.; and
  •  its 50/50 joint venture with First Reserve relating to their container solutions businesses Hoover Container Solutions, Ferguson Group and CHEP Catalyst & Chemical Containers.
• Representation of Epic Pharma in its $550 million sale to China’s Humanwell Healthcare Group and New Jersey’s PuraCap Pharmaceutical
• Representation of India-based Cipla Ltd. in its $550 million acquisition of InvaGen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its acquisition of Exelan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
• Representation of ITT Corporation in its acquisition of Hartzell Aerospace LLC and in of Wolverine Automotive Holdings
• Representation of AMC Networks in connection with the acquisition of a 49.9 percent stake in BBC America and in the establishment of a joint venture with DIRECTV Latin America to own and operate a Sundance-branded channel in seven Latin American countries
• Representation of a special committee of Chindex International Inc. in a going private acquisition by Shanghai Fosun Pharma, TPG and the CEO of Chindex. The original merger agreement price was topped by a financial bidder during the "go-shop" period, resulting in a rebid and an accepted total transaction value which was 23% higher than the TPG group’s original price
• Representation of Jamaica's GraceKennedy Group in its acquisition of grocery wholesaler La Fe Foods, the top Hispanic brand in the frozen food category in the Northeast US, through its subsidiary GraceKennedy Foods (USA)
• Representation of Galaxy Brand Holdings Inc. in connection with its sale to Sequential Brands Group, with the acquisition of AND1, Avia and Nevados brands from Brown Shoe Co. Inc., and the investment in Galaxy Brand by The Carlyle Group
• Representation of the board of directors of Fifth & Pacific Cos., Inc. in connection with the sale of Juicy Couture to Authentic Brands Group and with the sale of Lucky Brand Jeans to Leonard Green & Partners
• Representation of John Varvatos in connection with the acquisition with Lion Capital of John Varvatos Enterprises Inc. from V.F. Corp.
• Representation of Republic Airlines Inc. in connection with the sale of Frontier Airlines to Indigo Partners LLC
• Representation of Greenbriar Equity Group LLC in its acquisitions of:
  • Nordco, a provider of rail-related products and services, from Omers Private Equity;
  • PetroChoice Holdings Inc. from KRG Capital Partners; and
  • Transplace, a logistics firm for the trucking industry, from an affiliate of CL Capital Partners.
• Representation of Japanese-themed restaurant chain Benihana Inc. in the successful proxy contest and shareholder vote to overturn the company’s dual-class stock structure and convert the company’s Class A common stock into regular common stock and subsequent sale of Benihana to private equity firm Angelo, Gordon & Co.
• Representation of Delta Air Lines Inc. in acquisition of the Trainer oil refinery from ConocoPhillips Co.
• Representation of AXS TV (formerly known as HDNet) in a joint venture with Anschutz Entertainment Group, Ryan Seacrest and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to rebrand Mark Cuban’s cable channel as a destination for concerts, live events and other entertainment, and the subsequent investment by CBS Corp. in AXS TV
• Representation of Fortune Tobacco Corp., the largest tobacco company in the Philippines, in creating a joint venture with the tobacco business Phillip Morris International
• Representation of Cenveo Inc. in its acquisitions of envelope businesses of MeadWestvaco, Cadmus Communications Corp., Printegra Corp., RX Label, and National Envelope, the sale of its form business to Ennis Inc., the sale of its office products envelope business to LSC Communications, the sale of its long-run labels and receipt paper assets to Iconex, and its custom labels group to Brook & Whittle
• Representation of Wipro Limited, a global information technology, consulting and outsourcing company based in India, in connection with:
  • acquisitions of minority stakes in Opera Solutions, LLC, a global big data analytics company, and Axeda Corporation, a provider of cloud-based service and software; 
  • acquisitions of the global oil and gas information technology business of Science Application International Corp.; 
  • acquisition of HealthPlan Services, a Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) provider;
  • acquisition of mortgage services company Opus Capital Market Consultants;
  • acquisition of U.S.-based cloud services company Appirio; and
  • sale of its human resource management business to Blackstone Group-owned Alright Solutions. 
• Representation of Cablevision Systems Corp. in its acquisition of Newsday from the Tribune Co., and its sale of Clearview Cinemas to Bow Tie Cinemas
• Representation of Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. in its $2 billion sale to Bain Capital
• Representation of Burton Capital Management and Goodwood Funds Inc. in two successful proxy fights involving Creo Inc. and Cenveo Inc.
• Representation of the government of Jamaica in the privatization of Air Jamaica
• Representation of United Airlines Inc., American Airlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest Airlines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc. in the sale of their stakes in Orbitz Inc. to Cendant Corp.
• Representation of Knight-Ridder Inc. in acquisition of ABC Media Inc. from ABC Inc. for $1.65 billion (four newspapers in Kansas City, MO, Fort Worth, TX, Wilkes-Barre, PA and Belleville, NJ)
• Representation of Viacom Inc., CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Paramount Pictures Corp. in over 15 separate purchases and sales of television stations in Washington, DC, Houston, San Francisco, Providence, Boston, Miami, Tampa, St. Louis, Seattle, Philadelphia, West Palm Beach, Albany and Rochester, involving aggregate consideration in excess of $1.5 billion
• Representation of Knight-Ridder Inc. in the sale of its cable television interests to Tele-Communications Inc.
• Representation of MTV Networks in the creation of numerous joint ventures including Gulf DTH (a direct-to-home (DTH) programming service in the Middle East), MTV Japan (a music television and internet programming service in Japan), MTVi LP (a music internet programming service) and MTV Russia (a music programming service)
• Representation of Showtime Networks in connection with the creation of a joint venture with the Smithsonian Institution to create programming channels
• Representation of Nickelodeon in its acquisition of Neopets Inc.
• Representation of Liechtenstein Global Trust AG in the sale of LGT Asset Management to AMVESCAP PLC for $1.3 billion
• Representation of Delta Air Lines Inc., Northwest Airlines Inc. and American Airlines Inc. in connection with the $1.1 billion sale of Worldspan LP to Travel Transaction Processing Corp.
• Representation of Nautica Enterprises Inc. in its $600 million merger with VF Corp.
• Representation of Daimler AG in its investment in Tesla Motors Inc. and its sale of Florida Detroit Diesel-Allison
• Representation of Mark Cuban in connection with the potential purchase of major league baseball clubs and stadiums
• Representation of Northwest Airlines Inc. in its acquisition of Mesaba Airlines
• Representation of Honeywell International Inc. in the sale of two of its electronic materials businesses to a Canadian purchaser
• Representation of ARCO Chemical Co. in acquisition of ADI/TDI business from Olin Corp. for $565 million
• Representation of Pennsylvania Enterprises (NYSE) in its merger with Southern Union Co., a $500 million cash and stock merger
• Representation of special committees of board of directors of Delco Remy International Inc. and Educate Inc. in connection with going-private merger transactions
• Representation of the members of The New Republic LLC in connection with its sale to CanWest Global Communications Corp., representation of investors group in connection with its purchase of The New Republic LLC from CanWest Global Communications Corp. and sale of controlling interest in The New Republic to Chris Hughes
• Representation of Nautica Enterprises in connection with a proxy fight with dissident stockholders
• Representation of Goldman Sachs as global coordinator in a $900 million offering of ordinary shares of AMVESCAP PLC and American depositary receipts (ADRs) with respect thereto
• Representation of Merrill Lynch & Co., J.P. Morgan Global Securities Inc., Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities and Bank of America Securities LLC as lead underwriters in connection with public offerings and Rule 144A private placements of over $11 billion of debt of Viacom Inc.
• Representation of UBS, JPMorgan, Bank of America and Citibank as lead underwriters in connection with over $1.5 billion public debt offerings for CBS Inc.
• Representation of Merrill Lynch & Co. and JPMorgan as joint book-running managers in a $750 million Rule 144A and Regulation S debt offering for Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line LLC
• Representation of JPMorgan and Merrill Lynch as lead underwriters in depository preferred stock offering for Southern Union Co.
• Representation of Paine Webber Inc. and Alex Brown Inc. in a $200 million Rule 144A preferred stock offering for Trans World Airlines Inc.
• Representation of Salomon Smith Barney and Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. as joint book-running managers in the initial public offering of Blockbuster Inc.
• Representation of Paine Webber Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities, Salomon Brothers and L.H. Friend, Weinress, Frankson & Presson Inc., as lead underwriters in the initial public offering of World Airways
• Representation of the principal selling shareholder in initial public offering of Xinhua Finance Media (Chinese media company)