Sep. 12, 2013
Richard Capelouto
See more on Richard CapeloutoSimpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP | Palo Alto | Practice type: Corporate
Capelouto, with the help of an integral team of Simpson Thacher lawyers, represented Menlo Park-based Silver Lake Partners in the largest private equity buyout since 2007 - the $24.4 billion purchase of Dell Inc.
Capelouto said private equity transactions are more complex than a typical company-to-company acquisition.
"My role in these deals is to make sure everybody and everything is integrated and all the strategies are working together," Capelouto said. He said Palo Alto-based partner and co-lead Chad A. Skinner greatly aided the deal and was just as important - if not more so - than himself.
"When there is a deal that complex, having two M&A partners was critical," Capelouto said.
With multiple companies involved and a swarm of investors to please, Capelouto said there are simply more moving parts involved in larger private equity deals than in other types of transactions. In fact, it can become more like three or four deals in one. His team had to plan arrangements with Microsoft Corp. for its $2 billion financing loan, figure out how Dell's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Michael Dell would own roughly 75 percent of the company, and handle the senior and high-yield debt in the transaction.
The deal still awaits special committee approval after Dell and Silver Lake raised their cash offer to investors from $13.65 per share to $13.75 per share.
Capelouto also represented investment firm Hellman & Friedman LLC in August 2012 in the sale of Goodman Global Group Inc. to Japanese air conditioner maker Daikin Industries Ltd. for roughly $3.8 billion. Capelouto again stressed the importance of his team in recognizing the cross-global needs of every company.
"What I do - I'm just a little piece of the puzzle."
- DAVID RUIZ
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