Eric N. St. Bernard
Associate Mergers & Acquisitions
Overview
Eric N. St. Bernard is a corporate associate in the New York office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on representing public and private companies and private equity funds and their portfolio companies on complex public and private mergers and acquisitions, business combinations involving SPACs, and debt finance transactions.
Experience
Representative Matters
Private Equity Representation
- BRS-backed Daisy in its acquisition of Crosman Corporation, the air gun division of Velocity Outdoor, from Compass Diversified (NYSE: CODI).
- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe in its acquisition of EquiLend, a technology, data and analytics company for the securities finance industry.
- Clearwater Analytics (NYSE: CWAN) in its $40 million acquisition of the Risk and Performance Analytics Solutions from Wilshire Advisors.
- Vervent Inc., a portfolio company of Stone Point Capital, in its acquisition of Total Card Solutions, a significant player in the credit card industry for over 20 years.
- Vervent Inc., a portfolio company of Stone Point Capital, in its acquisition of First Equity Card Corporation, one of the nation’s leading providers of bankcard solutions for building or re-building credit.
- Centerview Capital in the sale of Ole Smoky Distillery to Apax Partners.
Public Company Representation
- Ruth's Hospitality Group (NASDAQ: RUTH), a fine dining steakhouse company, in its $715 million sale to Darden Restaurants (NYSE: DRI).
- Accenture in its $1+ billion acquisition of Novetta, Inc., its largest-ever acquisition.
- Special Committee of Safehold in its merger with iStar and spinoff of iStar assets.
- Polestar in its $20 billion combination with Gores Guggenheim Inc. (NASDAQ: GGPI), a special purpose acquisition company.
Prior Experience
Summer Associate, Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP, 2019
Summer Associate, Arnold & Porter LLP, 2018 & 2019
Adobe Corporation, 2018
Oracle Corporation, 2015–2017
More
Recognition
Posse Scholar
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2021New York
Education
- Howard University School of LawJ.D.2020Editor-in-Chief, Howard Human and Civil Rights Law Review
- DePauw UniversityB.A., Communications & English Literature2015
News &
Insights
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe on EquiLend Acquisition
- Press Release Kirkland Advises Ruth’s Hospitality Group on $715 Million Acquisition by Darden Restaurants
- Press Release Kirkland Represents Special Committee of Safehold on Merger with iStar and Spinoff of iStar Assets
- Press Release Kirkland Represents Vervent on Acquisition of First Equity Card Corporation
- Press Release Kirkland Represents Polestar on $20 Billion Combination with Gores Guggenheim, Inc.