Shellie Weisfield Freedman
Partner
Technology & IP Transactions
Overview
Shellie Freedman is a partner in Kirkland’s Technology & IP Transactions practice. She focuses her practice on complex transactions involving technology and intellectual property, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, collaboration agreements, IP licenses, outsourcing arrangements, cybersecurity and data privacy, and other strategic commercial contracts. Building on her scientific degrees in molecular and cell biology, Shellie also has extensive experience in life sciences transactions including M&A support, joint ventures, collaborations, and licenses. In addition, Shellie has experience counseling clients in a broad range of other industries, including healthcare, consumer products, technology, financial services, insurance and media.
Experience
Representative Matters
Public Company Representations
- Eli Lilly:
- 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
- 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
- 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 in its acquisition of Bolthouse Farms from Campbell Soup Company
- 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
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkHonorable Victor MarreroUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York2013–2014
Prior Experience
Associate, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, 2012–2013 and 2014–2018
More
Recognition
Recognized for Technology Transactions (2019–2020), Outsourcing (2020–2023), Patents: Licensing (2020, 2022) and Media and Entertainment: Transactional (2022–2023) by The Legal 500 United States
Memberships & Affiliations
Co-Chair, the IAOP Legal & Compliance Chapter
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2013New York
Courts
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Education
- New York University School of LawJ.D.2012
Order of the Coif
Florence Allen Scholar
Notes Editor, New York University Law Review
- University of California, BerkeleyM.S., Molecular and Cell Biology2007
- Yale UniversityB.S., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry2005
News &
Insights
Kirkland Advises TPG on Strategic Partnership with Surescripts