Disney turns to Dewey in billion-dollar comic deal

By Julia Berris

Three US firms have won lead roles on Walt Disney's $4bn acquisition of US comic company Marvel Entertainment.
Longstanding Disney adviser Dewey & LeBoeuf was drafted in to advise the animation group. The Dewey team was led by relationship partner and head of M&A Morton Pierce.
Disney has turned to Pierce to advise on a number of high profile acquisitions over the years. Pierce led a team from the New York-headquartered firm advising the company on its 1996 acquisition of Capital Cities/ABC.
Paul Hastings Janofsky & Walker partner Carl Sanchez advised Marvel on the deal, which will see Disney acquire the rights to over 5,000 Marvel characters.
Sullivan & Cromwell Los Angeles partner Alison Ressler led a team advising financial adviser Goldman Sachs.

Ex-Ontario AG Charged in Cyclist's Death

Posted by Brian Baxter

The Montreal Gazette reports that former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant has been charged with criminal negligence and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle in connection with the death of a cyclist in downtown Toronto on Monday night.

Bryant--who early in his legal career worked at Sullivan & Cromwell and McCarthy Tetrault--was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 1999 as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party. He was reelected in 2003 and was appointed AG when the Liberals won control of the provincial government.

After leaving the AG's office in 2007, Bryant served stints as Ontario's minister of aboriginal affairs and minister of economic development, where he helped negotiate the province's participation in the bailouts of Chrysler and General Motors. He left politics in May to become CEO of Invest Toronto, a quasi-governmental agency founded to engage the private sector in promoting Toronto as a business center.

On Monday night, Bryant's career took a tragic turn. The Toronto Globe and Mail reports that details emerging about the accident suggest the cyclist had been drinking and was involved in an earlier incident with police before Bryant drove his black convertible Saab down a one-way street.

Toronto police told reporters that a "verbal confrontation" and some "minor contact" occurred between the 33-year-old cyclist and the car driven by the 43-year-old Bryant in the period just before the accident. At some point, police suggest, the cyclist became attached to Bryant's vehicle and was dragged for roughly 100 meters before falling to the street.

The man died in a hospital later that night. Police took Bryant into custody at a nearby Hyatt hotel after he allegedly alerted authorities to his location. He has since retained Andrew Evangelista from Toronto's Evangelista, Barristers & Solicitors to represent him.

Bryant is married to Susan Abramovitch, an entertainment partner at Toronto firm Gowling Lafleur Henderson.

Former Freshfields finance chief surfaces at DMH

By Kit Chellel

Former Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer head of finance Perry Noble has joined DMH Stallard as a consultant.

Perry Noble

The appointment comes as part of the DMH Stallard's strategy of marketing itself as an alternative to established City firms.
Managing partner Tim Aspinall said Noble's arrival was a "coup" for the south east firm, adding: "His experience in this sector is unique."
Noble was head of finance at Freshfields between 2006 and 2008, and was heavily involved in the internal restructuring which saw the loss of around 100 equity partners.
After leaving the firm in April 2008 he also spent several months at former Freshfields client Babcock & Brown, which went into administration earlier this year.
Commenting on his role at DMH Stallard, Noble said: "The corporate and finance teams have an established platform from which to grow and I'm looking forward to helping them achieve greater recognition in the City and beyond."
The hire comes after former Addleshaw Goddard real estate finance partner Richard Dinning was appointed as the new chairman of DHM Stallard, taking over from Derek Sparrow.
DMH Stallard has 54 partners and offices in London, Gatwick and Brighton.