Shellie Weisfield Freedman

Public Company Representations

• Akero Therapeutics (Nasdaq: AKRO), a clinical-stage company developing treatments for patients with metabolic diseases, in its pending $5.2 billion sale to Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO)
• Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBD) on a new corporate structure that will comprise two divisions: Global Linear Networks and Streaming & Studios, enhancing strategic flexibility and creating future value-creation opportunities for each division
• Eli Lilly:
  • in its strategic collaboration with AdvanCell, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company, to leverage proprietary technology and develop new radiotherapeutic drugs for hard-to-treat cancers
  • in its $1.4 billion acquisition of POINT Biopharma (Nasdaq: PNT), a radiopharmaceutical company
  • $1.925 billion acquisition of Versanis Bio, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
  • $1.075 billion sale of its BAQSIMI product, a nasally administered glucagon, to Amphastar Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AMPH)
  • in its acquisition of Akouos, a precision genetic medicine company that is developing gene therapies for the treatment of hearing loss and other inner ear conditions
  • in its acquisition of Protomer Technologies, Inc., a developer of a proprietary protein-engineering platform 
  • and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Dermira, in an outbound license agreement with Evommune for three development programs for the treatment of inflammatory diseases
  • collaboration and patent license agreement with Kumquat Biosciences for exclusive access to Kumquat's technology to discover potential novel oncology therapeutics
• Moderna in its research and development collaboration agreement with Immatics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, for the development of innovative mRNA-enabled oncology therapeutics
• Biopharmaceutical company in its acquisition of a private biotechnology company with a portfolio of assets for well-validated targets in oncology and inflammation
• Global pharmaceutical company in its acquisition of a European private biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of cancers with high unmet needs
• Arya Sciences Acquisition Corp., a sponsor by an affiliate of Perceptive Advisors and leading life sciences-focused investment firm, in its:
  
  • $1.3 billion combination with Nautilus Biotechnology
  • $1.3 billion business combination with Cerevel Therapeutics, Inc.
  • proposed acquisition of the gene therapy business of Amicus Therapeutics (Nasdaq: FOLD), a global, patient-dedicated biotechnology company
• AbbVie in its acquisition of Soliton (Nasdaq: SOLY) for approximately $550 million
• McDonald’s Corporation:
  
  • in its sale of Dynamic Yield to Mastercard (NYSE: MA)
  • in its sale of McDTech Labs to IBM (NYSE: IBM)
• Wyndham Destinations on its acquisition of the Travel + Leisure brand, travel clubs, and all other related assets from Meredith Corporation, together with a long-term license back to Meredith Corporation for its magazine and digital content operations, along with multiple content and data licenses
• Carvana Co. (“Carvana”), the leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, in various capital markets transactions, including an exchange offer for up to $1 billion of Carvana’s five tranches of unsecured notes and related transactions

Private Equity Sponsor Transactions 

• Patient Square Capital in its $2.6 billion acquisition of Premier (Nasdaq: PINC), a provider of health care improvement solutions
• Blackstone in its $1.6 billion acquisition of Hipgnosis Songs Fund and a catalog of more than 45,000 songs by artists such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Journey, and Shakira, and in its asset-backed securitization of such assets
• Blackstone-Controlled MNRK Music Group in its sale of Death Row Records brand to Snoop Dogg 
• Blackstone, a leading alternative investment manager, in its transformative partnership with Hipgnosis Song Management to deliver c.$1 billion to acquire and manage song catalogues, with follow-on catalogue purchases from iconic artists including Kenny Chesney, Leonard Cohen, Erika Ender, Justin Timberlake, TMS and Justin Bieber
• Chantecaille Inc., USA, a leading prestige beauty company, in its acquisition by Beiersdorf AG
• KKR, a leading global investment firm, in its:
  
  • acquisition of CoolIT Systems, a provider of scalable liquid cooling solutions
  • sale of Calabrio, a customer experience intelligence company
  • acquisition of Corel Corp., a software company specializing in graphics processing
• Wind Point Partners in its acquisition of FoodScience Corporation, a formulator, manufacturer and marketer of high-quality nutritional supplements for humans and pets
• WHP Global, a brand management firm focused on consumer fashion brands, in its acquisition of TRU Kids Inc., parent company of the Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us brands
• Motive Partners in its majority stake investment in the investment services business of Fiserv, Inc.
• Helios Holdings Limited in its combination with Fairfax Africa Holdings Corporation to create a leading pan-Africa focused listed alternative asset manager
• Clearhaven Partners LP in its acquisition of TimeTrade Systems, Inc.
• Delphi Technologies PLC in its $3.3 billion sale to BorgWarner Inc.
• KKR in its $4.475 billion acquisition of the Atlantic Aviation business of Macquarie Infrastructure Corp.
• Altas Partners in its acquisition of DuBois Chemicals, Inc.
• Cint, a portfolio company of Nordic Capital, in its acquisition of P2Sample
• EQT in its acquisition of Acumatica
• Le Tote Inc. in its acquisition of Lord + Taylor
• BC Partners in its acquisition of Presidio, Inc.
• Eurazeo in its acquisition of Elemica from Thoma Bravo
• Apax Digital Fund in its acquisition of MetaMetrics
• Funds advised by BC Partners in the recapitalization of GardaWorld
• Trilantic North America on its investment in AEGIS Hedging Solutions, a leading fintech and advisory solutions provider for commodity price and interest rate risk management
• Bain Capital Private Equity in its acquisition of a majority stake in Imperial Dade
• Butterfly Equity a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in the food sector in its:
  
  • acquisition of a majority stake in Pete and Gerry's Organics, a producer of organic, free-range and pasture-raised eggs
  • investment in MaryRuth Organics, a health and wellness brand operating in the vitamins, minerals and supplements industry
  • $510 million carve-out acquisition of Bolthouse Farms, a manufacturer of organic beverages and dressings, from Campbell Soup Co.
  • backing of Modern Restaurant Concepts in its acquisition of QDOBA, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant
  • backing of Generous Brands in its acquisition of Health-Ade, a maker of kombucha tea beverages, from First Bev and Manna Tree Partners
• Nexus Capital Management LP, in its carve-out acquisition of Pearson’s US K12 courseware business
• Gen II Fund Services, LLC in its strategic investment from General Atlantic, Hg and IHS Markit
• The Carlyle Group, in its acquisition of Weiman, a leading manufacturer of specialty surface cleaners
• L Catterton-led consortium in its acquisition of Truck Hero, Inc.

Strategic Alliances, Collaborations and Service Agreements

• Global entertainment company in a complex services agreement
• Chain of cardiovascular healthcare clinics in a joint venture to establish a larger network of facilities
• Nonprofit organization with its data security policy
• Property management software company in its data security addendum and data security negotiation playbook

Capital Markets Transactions

Capital markets transactions in the life sciences industry, including:

• V-Wave, a provider of medical devices, in its $1.7 billion sale to Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ)
• Pharvaris, a clinical-stage company focused on therapies for certain hereditary conditions, in its $190.2 million initial public offering
• Evotec, a company that provides drug discovery solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, in its $100 million initial public offering 

Prior to joining Kirkland, Shellie was involved in matters including the following:

• Merck in connection with a global strategic oncology collaboration with AstraZeneca to co-develop and co-commercialize certain antibody therapies
• Merck in connection with several potential strategic acquisitions in the oncology space
• A global medical device manufacturer in connection with its carve-out divestiture of assets related to certain product manufacturing processes and entry into a long-term supply arrangement
• Colgate-Palmolive Company in the entry into multiple strategic alliances, license and development agreements and asset acquisitions related to smart toothbrush technology and other consumer products
• The Clorox Company in its strategic acquisition of Nutranext, a health and wellness company