Leif B. King

Handling the largest deal in the semiconductor industry's history, combining two timber companies into a $23 billion entity, and guiding a sovereign wealth fund in one of the largest investments ever made in a privately held startup is just a taste of what King has handled in the last year.

King was part of the Skadden team that helped Broadcom Corp. close its $37 billion sale to Avago Technologies Ltd., a semiconductor company headquartered in Singapore.

"We collaborated extensively with opposing counsel to come up with something that would work for tax regulatory, foreign law and US securities law considerations," King said. "The challenge was to find a structure that worked along all those dimensions.

"It feels great to see months of hard work come together for a successful closing," he added.

The deal, closed earlier this year, is said to be one of the largest ever in the semiconductor industry and the largest deal in California last year.

Plum Creek Timber Co. Inc. relied on King for its $8.4 billion sale to Weyerhaeuser Co. The two timber companies created one of the largest private landholders in the country, covering more than 13 million acres. Another result of the deal was it created a $23 billion timber, land and forest products company.

The deal had many uniquenesses, King said.

"One thing that was unusual was that for such a large transaction no U.S. antitrust approvals were required because both of the companies were real estate investment trusts," King said. "There are things about the timber industry that are unique.

"For example, for accounting purposes, it's one of the few industries where the inventory becomes more valuable the older it gets," he added.

King also guided the Skadden team advising the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its $3.5 billion investment in Uber Technologies Inc., a deal said to be the largest ever investment into a privately held startup.

He overcomes challenges in his practice with patience and collaborating with other lawyers, King said.

"[Mergers and acquisitions] is a team sport. Every transaction is unique and requires a tailor-made solution," King said. "I draw from the resources of my colleagues to come up with a range of possible solutions, and then I collaborate with the client and lawyers on the other side to figure out which one best fits the transaction at hand."

— Melanie Brisbon