Sonia K. Nijjar

Nijjar's work in mergers and acquisitions in the past year have spanned a variety of sectors, continents and issues.

She cited her work as co-counsel on a complex multinational acquisition as one of the highlights of the past year. Her client, Intel Corporation, acquired Mobileye N.V. for $15.3 billion in the largest-ever inbound deal into Israel and the largest ever transaction involving an Israeli technology company, according to the firm.

"That was a transformative deal for Intel and one which was a ton of fun for us to structure," she said. "It was a totally unprecedented deal."

The transaction required that Nijjar and her team use novel legal strategies to tackle Mobileye's position as an Israeli tax resident and Dutch entity that is traded on the U.S. stock market.

"It was really quite a balancing act in figuring all of that out," she said. The consideration comes down to breaking down the issues in a structural manner, she said, starting with the organization itself.

She said that her team compiled a large, organized chart to outline potential approaches and strategies, and that from that point on, clear communication was paramount to the case's forward motion.

"I think that communication with your client, communication with the other counsel, and communication internally was all very important as well," she said.

Nijjar said that another deal for Intel was also gratifying, as it handled completely distinct issues. She was co-lead on a case to roll out the Intel Security business, now known as McAfee, in a $4.2 billion transaction.

She said that the deal involved identifying the assets and figuring out where the business was operated, which was in over 60 countries. She said that this rendered the case to be handled by 60 local counsel, and that the deal required dynamic consideration about the span of the business.

"Where are Intel systems supporting the McAfee business? Where are McAfee systems being used in the Intel business? And how do we, you know, basically separate out these companies," Nijjar said. "And what kind of services are going to be needed from both the McAfee side, to make sure that it can be a successful company going forward, and also from the Intel side. That, you know, there's not some critical element that you're just taking away."

-- Caroline Hart