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MoFo Advises Palo Alto Networks on Entry into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Protect AI

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Morrison Foerster advised Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, in connection with the entry into its definitive...

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Morrison Foerster advised Palo Alto Networks, the global cybersecurity leader, in connection with the entry into its definitive agreement to acquire Protect AI, an innovative leader in securing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning applications and models. This strategic acquisition reflects Palo Alto Networks' commitment to remaining at the forefront of next-generation cybersecurity innovation, and expanding its capabilities to protect the dynamic new attack surface created by the explosion of AI.The global MoFo team advising Palo Alto Networks was led by Austin M&A partner Lauren Bellerjeau and Denver M&A partner Chere See.The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close by Palo Alto Networks' first quarter of fiscal 2026. More information can be found at <a href="https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/press/2025/palo-alto-networks-announces-intent-to-acquire-protect-ai--a-game-changing-security-for-ai-company" target="_blank">Palo Alto Networks press release</a>.

MoFo Advises Palo Alto Networks on Entry into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Protect AI

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Lauren Bellerjeau is a corporate partner in the Austin office of Morrison Foerster.Lauren has served as a trusted advisor to boards of directors and executive management teams in the negotiation of their companies’ most significant combination, commercial and corporate governance transactions. Her extensive private practice experience includes representing both buy-side and sell-side clients on complex and transformative U.S. and cross-border combination and commercial transactions in a variety of industries, with a particular focus on technology, real estate investment trusts, government contracting and defense, life sciences, and manufacturing. She has also regularly counseled REITs and other companies with significant real estate holdings or real estate management businesses on complex restructuring and roll-up transactions, particularly in contemplation of initial public offerings, large equity investments, or strategic transactions.Lauren also has valuable in-house experience, having recently served as Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer at onsemi, a leader in intelligent power and sensing technologies recognized as a Fortune 500® company and included in the S&P 500® index.While at Morrison Foerster, Lauren has been recognized by leading legal publications and directories, including The Legal 500 US for Real Estate Investment Trusts and M&A: Large Deals ($1bn+), as an Emerging M&A Leader – Legal by M&A Advisor and as a Rising Star – M&A by Law360.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Represented Plymouth Industrial REIT in its pending $2.1 billion sale to entities affiliated with real estate advisory firm Makarora Management and global alternative asset manager Ares Management (NYSE: ARES).</li><li>Represented SoftBank Group in its pending acquisition of U.S.-based semiconductor design company Ampere Computing Holdings LLC for US$6.5 billion.</li><li>Represented Palo Alto Networks in its pending $3.35 billion acquisition of Chronosphere, a next-generation observability platform built to scale for the AI era.</li><li>Represented Palo Alto Networks in its acquisition of Protect AI, an innovative leader in securing the use of AI and Machine Learning applications and models.</li><li>Represented Palo Alto Networks in its acquisition of Dig Security, an innovative provider of Data Security Posture Management (DSPM).</li><li>Represented Palo Alto Networks in connection with the acquisition of Cider Security, a pioneer in application security (AppSec) and software supply chain security.</li><li>Represented Uber Technologies with respect to its $3.1 billion acquisition of Careem, Inc.</li><li>Represented ON Semiconductor in its $2.4 billion acquisition of Fairchild Semiconductor.</li><li>Represented ON Semiconductor in its $1.07 billion all-cash acquisition of Silicon Valley-based public company Quantenna Communications Inc. (NAS: QTNA).</li><li>Represented SoftBank Group, in the $8.6 billion sale of its controlling stake in Finnish gaming company Supercell Oy to Chinese Internet company Tencent Holdings Ltd. </li><li>Represented SoftBank Group in connection with other merger and investment transactions in the technology industry, including with respect to its investment in OneWeb.</li><li>Represented SoftBank Group in its sale of 90.1% equity in Fortress Investment Group to Mubadala Investment Company, through its wholly owned asset management subsidiary Mubadala Capital.</li><li>Represented EdR (NYSE: EDR), one of the nation’s largest developers, owners, and managers of high-quality collegiate housing communities, in its US$4.6 billion all-cash sale to a newly formed perpetual life vehicle led by an affiliate of Greystar Real Estate Partners.</li><li>Represented MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc. in its merger with Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. for an approximate value of $600 million.</li><li>Represented Farmland Partners, Inc., a real estate investment trust with a portfolio comprised of 271 farms, in its acquisition of all outstanding common stock of American Farmland Company.</li><li>Represented General Electric Capital Corp. in its $23 billion divestiture of its commercial real estate business to affiliates of The Blackstone Group and Wells Fargo, N.A.</li><li>Represented Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo Securities, and Deutsche Bank Securities in the $2.3 billion IPO of Paramount Group, Inc.</li><li>Represented Equity Residential in its $16 billion acquisition of Archstone Enterprise LP from Lehman Brothers Holding, Inc.</li><li>Represented Playa Hotels & Resorts, B.V. in a series of real estate property and management related transactions..</li><li>Represented GE Healthcare in its acquisition of Thermo Fisher’s cell culture, gene modulation, and magnetic beads businesses for approximately $1.06 billion.</li><li>Represented Avanade, Inc., a joint venture between Microsoft Corporation and Accenture plc, in its acquisition of the U.S. CRM business of Ascentium Corporation.</li><li>Represented Lockheed Martin Corporation in several acquisitions of private companies in the government contracting industry, including the acquisition of CDL Systems Ltd., Gyrocam Systems, LLC, Universal System & Technology Inc., and QTC Holdings, Inc.; and the divestiture of Lockheed Martin Corporation’s Enterprise Integration Group business.</li><li>Represented PPG Industries, Inc. in connection with several acquisitions of private companies.</li><li>Represented Helsinn Healthcare S.A., a Swiss-based pharmaceutical company, and its U.S. based subsidiary Helsinn Therapeutics (U.S.) Inc., in connection with a development and co-promotion arrangement with Eisai Inc. for the commercialization of combination drug products in the U.S.</li><li>Represented MGI Pharma, Inc. in its acquisition through a $4 billion cash tender offer by Eisai Co., Ltd.</li><li>Represented Black & Decker Corporation in its stock-for-stock merger with Stanley Works.</li></ul>

Lauren Bellerjeau

Partner

Chere See is a corporate partner in the Denver office of Morrison Foerster. Chere represents public and private companies in a variety of transactional matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A).Chere advises clients in domestic, cross-border, and multijurisdictional acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, strategic investments, securities offerings, and general corporate matters. Chere has advised clients across a broad range of industries, including companies operating in the technology, finance, semiconductor, consumer goods and retail, and healthcare industries.Chere is a member of the firm’s Artificial Intelligence Group and co-leads the firm’s AI M&A Initiative.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Chere was an associate in the New York and London offices of a top international law firm, where she advised on M&A and capital markets transactions.Chere earned her J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where she served as vice president of the Harvard Law School Advocates for Human Rights. Prior to law school, she graduated as valedictorian from New York University College of Arts and Science.

Chere See

Vonnie Nam is a corporate associate in the firm's New York office.Vonnie has experience in corporate and securities transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and general corporate governance matters. Before joining Morrison Foerster’s Transactions Department, Vonnie was a summer associate in the New York office.Vonnie earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where she was a member of the Business Law Transactions Clinic. She holds a B.S. in Media, Culture, and Communications, cum laude, from New York University.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Honey Birdette, the fast-growing, luxury lingerie and lifestyle brand, and its sellers, in the USD333 million sale to PLBY Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLBY), a leading pleasure and leisure lifestyle company and owner of Playboy.</li></ul>

Vonnie Nam

Associate

Hannah is a corporate associate in Morrison Foerster’s New York office.Hannah focuses her practice on Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets. She represents issuers in connection with securities offerings, securities regulation as well as related corporate governance matters. She advises on domestic mergers and acquisitions as well as private equity transactions across various industries.﻿Hannah earned her J.D. from Columbia Law School. While at law school, Hannah was a member of the Columbia Journal of Asian Law. She also holds a B.A. from Rice University.Hannah is fluent in Korean.

Hannah Kim

Jacob is a corporate associate in Morrison Foerster’s Boston office.Prior to joining the firm, Jacob was a summer associate in the Boston office in the summer of 2022.Jacob earned his J.D. from Boston University School of Law. He also holds a B.A. from Michigan State University.

Jacob Robart

Angelina is a corporate associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office.Prior to joining the firm, Angelina was a Summer Law Clerk with the National Football League’s Management Council.Angelina earned her J.D. at Duke University School of Law, where she served on the Executive Board of the Innocence Project and was a member of the Business Law Society. She also received a B.S., cum laude, from Tulane University.

Angelina Ditta

Andrew Boyd is an M&A partner based in the London office. He specializes in advising on strategic cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and joint venture transactions with particular expertise advising clients in the technology sector. Andrew regularly represents corporate and private equity houses, among other clients, Uber, Visa, SoftBank, Tate & Lyle plc, Unity Technologies, Toshiba, Coral Tree Partners and SoundCloud.Andrew is recommended for M&A and private equity by legal directories including Legal 500 and IFLR1000 and is noted for his ability to “speedily assimilate difficult concepts and come up with meaningful, deliverable action plans that fulfil the commercial objectives”. Clients note that “Andrew knows exactly when and where to get involved …a good person to send in when we need a different voice…he gets to the nub of the issue very, very quickly and with great clarity…” and “Andrew Boyd is fantastic; pragmatic, tons of expertise, and a joy to work with.” Legal 500. Andrew is Managing Partner of the London office and has previously held roles on the firm’s global Partnership Selection committee and as a member of the firm’s global Pro Bono committee.

Andrew Boyd

Managing Partner, London

Moritz Heuser is a counsel at Morrison Foerster’s German office in Berlin. His practice focuses on domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, emerging companies & venture capital investments, and general corporate matters.Moritz studied law and economics at the universities of Bonn and Milan. The subjects of his doctoral thesis are stock corporation law and capital markets law. Before joining Morrison Foerster in 2013, Moritz worked with major international law firms in Cologne and Berlin. In 2020, he graduated from the Foreign Service Academy (Berlin). During his period of service with the Foreign Office, he helped fight the COVID pandemic and deal with the consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Moritz earned a computer science certificate CS50 for Lawyers from Harvard University in 2023. Besides German and English he is fluent in French, Italian and Russian. He rejoined Morrison Foerster in 2024. <h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Medios AG (Berlin) in its acquisition of Ceban Pharmaceuticals B.V. (Netherlands).</li><li>U.S. online dating provider Spark Networks, Inc. in its cross-border stock-for-stock merger with German Spark Networks SE (Affinitas GmbH).</li><li>Phenomen Ventures in the sale of its shares in HelloFresh SE, a Berlin-based food delivery provider.</li><li>Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance (Tokyo) in an investment in a series C round of simplesurance, a Berlin-based insurtech firm.</li><li>Full Hill Enterprises Limited (Hong Kong) in its acquisition of BVV Bahntechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of wheels for high-speed trains.</li><li>CCS Inc. (Japan) in its acquisition of EFFILUX SAS (France).</li><li>SoftBank Vision Fund in its investment in Auto1 Group.</li><li>Satellite-imaging start-up Planet Labs Inc. in the acquisition of BlackBridge Group.</li><li>Wild Bunch AG (Berlin) in multiple restructuring transactions (e.g., recapitalizations and debt-equity swaps) and in the stock-for-stock acquisition of Wild Bunch S.A. (Paris).</li><li>Yahoo!, Autodesk, and Salesforce on strategic acquisitions in Germany.</li><li>Fujitsu Semiconductor on the spin-off of its European semiconductor business unit (SoC) and on the set-up of Socionext, a joint venture with Panasonic.</li><li>DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG (Berlin) on a bond issuance.</li><li>DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG (Berlin) on the formation of a joint venture (MyTicket AG) with Axel Springer und ProSiebenSat.1.</li></ul>

Moritz Heuser ist Counsel des deutschen Büros von Morrison Foerster in Berlin. Er begleitet inländische und grenzüberschreitende M&A-Transaktionen sowie ECVC-Investments und berät zu Fragen des Gesellschaftsrechts.Moritz Heuser hat Rechtswissenschaften und Volkswirtschaftslehre an den Universitäten Bonn und Mailand studiert und zu einem aktien- und kapitalmarktrechtlichen Thema promoviert. Vor dem Einstieg bei Morrison Foerster in 2013 arbeitete er als Referendar und Associate für internationale Wirtschaftskanzleien in Köln und Berlin. Er absolvierte 2019/2020 den Attachélehrgang beim Auswärtigen Amt. Während der anschließenden Dienstzeit im Amt unterstützte er u.a. bei der Bekämpfung der COVID-Pandemie und beim Umgang mit den Folgen des Angriffskriegs Russlands gegen die Ukraine. Moritz Heuser verfügt über Grundkenntnisse im Programmieren (Zertifikat „CS50 for Lawyers“ der Universität Harvard, 2023). Neben Englisch und Deutsch spricht er fließend Französisch, Italienisch und Russisch. Seit 2024 ist er wieder bei Morrison Foerster tätig.  <h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Medios AG beim Erwerb der Ceban Pharmaceuticals B.V. (NL)</li><li>US-Online-Dating-Anbieterin Spark Networks, Inc. beim grenzüberschreitenden stock-for-stock merger mit Spark Networks SE (Affinitas GmbH)</li><li>Phenomen Ventures bei der Veräußerung von Aktien an HelloFresh SE</li><li>Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance (Tokyo) beim Investment in einer Series-C-Runde von simplesurance</li><li>Full Hill Enterprises Limited (Hong Kong) beim Erwerb der BVV Bahntechnik GmbH, einer Herstellerin für Hochgeschwindigkeitszugwagenräder</li><li>CCS Inc. (Japan) beim Erwerb der EFFILUX SAS (France)</li><li>US-Satellitennetzwerkbetreiber Planet Labs Inc. beim Erwerb der BlackBridge-Gruppe</li><li>Wild Bunch AG bei verschiedenen Restrukturierungen (Kapitalschnitt, Debt-Equity Swap) und beim Erwerb der Wild Bunch S.A. (Paris) im Wege einer stock-for-stock acquisition</li><li>Yahoo!, Autodesk und Salesforce bei strategischen Akquisitionen in Deutschland</li><li>SoftBank Vision Fund beim Investment in die Auto1-Gruppe</li><li>Fujitsu Semiconductor bei der Überführung des europäischen Halbleiterentwicklungsgeschäfts (SoC) in ein Joint Venture mit Panasonic (Socionext)</li><li>DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG bei der Begebung einer Anleihe</li><li>DEAG Deutsche Entertainment AG bei der Errichtung eines Joint Venture (MyTicket AG) mit Axel Springer und ProSiebenSat.1</li></ul>

Moritz Heuser

Counsel

Tessa Schwartz has an active practice counseling companies on intellectual property issues, and negotiating complex intellectual property and commercial agreements. She advises on a range of strategic transactions, including key patent licenses and acquisitions, technology procurement agreements, and complex development, collaboration, joint-venture and distribution deals. Tessa also regularly advises companies on the IP aspects of their M&A transactions.In addition to maintaining an active practice and working with clients on a daily basis, Tessa is founder and co-chair of the firm’s Artificial Intelligence Group and previously served as co-chair of the global Transactions Department. Tessa advises clients primarily in technology and data intensive sectors, representing artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, machine learning, software, SaaS, cloud computing, hardware, consumer electronics and products, social media, Internet, mobility and wireless, space and satellites, e-commerce, advertising, healthcare, fintech, transportation, semiconductor, and other companies. Tessa’s M&A experience includes advising Autodesk, BlackBerry, Fortive, Honeywell, Salesforce, Uber, Unilever, Unity, Walmart, and others on the IP aspects of strategic transactions. Tessa provides clients with prelitigation and litigation advice. She frequently advises executives and senior management on strategic business, legal and commercial issues, including the structuring of transactions, risk management and contract compliance. She also counsels clients with respect to a wide variety of IP issues, including patent exhaustion and implied licenses, standing and standards, the protection of data and other trade secrets and the development and distribution of open-source software.In addition to her transactional expertise, Tessa’s litigation background includes representing clients in arbitration, as well as in state and federal courts in such areas as antitrust, false advertising, unfair competition, breach of contract, securities, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. Her litigation experience includes complex, multidistrict and class action litigation, as well as appellate advocacy.Tessa has been ranked in Chambers and Legal 500, with clients describing her as, “one of the best attorneys I've ever worked with.” Tessa has been recognized by Chambers USA 2022 as being highly experienced in the field of technology and intellectual property transactions. Clients have commented on Tessa as having "...the ability to translate complex topics into what's necessary to get a deal done. She does a good job of making our technology accessible”. Further, Tessa "ticks all of the essential boxes, timely, efficient, knowledgeable and helpful, but she really stands out by taking time to learn our business and our products so she can give practical and actionable advice. Tessa helps us focus on key issues and balance risks to make choices."Tessa’s pro bono efforts have included work for The Biomimicry Institute, Goodwill, Common Sense Media, Business for Social Responsibility, The World Wildlife Fund, Build Change and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). She also provides IP advice to a variety of cultural, media and arts organizations; and other assistance for nonprofits. She recently received the Wiley W. Manuel Award for Pro Bono Legal Services from the State Bar of California.Tessa received her B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1991. In 1996, she earned her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, where she was elected to the Order of the Coif.Tessa served as global managing partner of Morrison Foerster from 2016 to 2022 and previously served as co-chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group.

Tessa Schwartz

Kevin Kallet is an associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office and a member of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group.Kevin’s practice focuses on transactions involving a broad range of intellectual property and technology, with particular emphasis on software and SaaS licensing and emerging technologies. He regularly advises clients in the artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and digital media industries, and provides product counseling on technology development, deployment, and regulatory compliance.Kevin counsels both providers and customers of AI models and services on issues relating to the development, procurement, and deployment of AI technologies. His experience includes drafting and negotiating contracts and terms of use for the provision of AI services, developing internal and external AI governance frameworks, and advising on training data practices and related contractual commitments. Kevin also advises companies and their financial sponsors regarding intellectual property and AI-related aspects of M&A transactions.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster as an associate, Kevin was a summer associate in the Technology Transactions Group.Prior to law school, Kevin worked at Google as a legal specialist, supporting the commercial and product counsel teams for various global products. He draws on his background to provide comprehensive advice to clients based on their practical business needs.Kevin earned his J.D. from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and received Pro Bono Highest Honors. Kevin held leadership positions for Berkeley Law’s Startup Law Initiative and the Berkeley Business Law Journal and was a member of the California Law Review. Kevin earned his B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Arizona Honors College.

Kevin Kallet

Georgia Wright is an associate based in the London office of Morrison & Foerster and is a member of the Technology Transactions Group and the Global Privacy Group.Georgia advises clients on a range of commercial matters, focusing on IT/technology, intellectual property and privacy. She has experience advising organizations on launching digital platforms, drafting software and IP licenses, M&A, commercial agreements, consumer issues, data protection and digital regulation. She has assisted large, multi-national organizations, SMEs and startups in a variety of sectors, including social media, software, e-commerce, fintech and telecoms.Georgia is also actively involved in the firm's pro bono activities. She has supported charities to meet their GDPR obligations, plan direct marketing activities and solve other commercial or IP issues. She particularly enjoys working with organizations with a focus on green initiatives and women’s rights.Georgia studied Classics at the University of Bristol and subsequently completed her Graduate Diploma in Law and Legal Practice Course at the University of Law with distinctions.Before qualifying as a lawyer, Georgia worked for a SaaS company, assisting international brands to launch their digital media platforms.During her training contract at Morrison & Foerster, Georgia gained experience in the following practice areas: Finance Transactions, Corporate M&A, Commercial Litigation, Data Privacy and Technology Transactions.Georgia is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Georgia Wright

David Sturgeon is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Federal Tax practice.Dave advises clients on a broad range of complex business transactions, including domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs and other divestitures, as well as financings, refinancings, restructurings and other business transactions.He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where he was a member of the Chicago Journal of International Law, and received his Master of Laws in taxation from New York University School of Law.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Dave was an associate at a law firm in New York, where he represented public companies, financial institutions, private equity clients and other sponsor entities across industries in an extensive range of business transactions.

Dave Sturgeon

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe title="Meet Jens-Uwe Hinder, Tax Partner" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6r09Nbw4Syk?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1" class="sticky-video" title="iframe"></iframe></div>With more than 25 years of experience advising German and international institutional and private investors, Jens-Uwe Hinder is the go-to partner in our German office when it comes to tax advice. One of his key focuses is advising clients in connection with their cross-border investments (share and asset deals), including tax structuring, contract drafting, and negotiating and implementing tax structures, as well as supporting them with their project management and due diligence processes or restructuring their businesses. He regularly advises clients in the media, technology, real estate, and transportation sectors.In addition to advising national and multinational enterprises, Jens-Uwe has also established a reputation for advising publicly owned undertakings, especially on tax matters in connection with their commercial businesses, such as sale and leaseback transactions, or in conjunction with their real estate assets. Jens-Uwe also regularly advises national and international non-profit organisations on all tax law issues relating to non-profit status. Jens-Uwe has been lecturing about tax and business law at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin since 2004 and income tax and international tax at the University of Potsdam since 2015. He regularly publishes in the areas of corporate income tax, trade tax matters, and international tax.He is frequently recommended in legal directories, including Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and JUVE, one of Germany’s main legal directories, describing his practice as “highly regarded for its tax law capability.” He has won the European Tax Awards from International Tax Review twice.At MoFo, Jens-Uwe heads our German Tax practice. He is an acknowledged Tax Adviser by the Berlin Senate Administration for Finance.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>﻿Rivian on a joint venture and software license agreement with Volkswagen in the amount of €5 billion.</li><li>21st Century Fox on tax matters relating to BSkyB in Europe and its sale to Disney and Qualcomm.</li><li>21st Centruy Fox on the sale of Sky Deutschland to BSkyB.</li><li>Sprint Corp. and SoftBank Group Corp., the majority shareholder of Sprint, on tax matters relating to the landmark merger of Sprint and T-Mobile US, Inc.</li><li>Elvaston Capital Management on tax matters related to numerous acquisitions and post-merger restrucsturings.</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in connection with international leasing structures.</li><li>PubliGroupe S.A. with regard to a joint venture (Zanox) with Axel Springer.</li><li>21st Century Fox regarding the sale of the Fox Mobile Group (Jamba!) to a financial investor.</li><li>21st Century Fox on the subscription of a convertible bond and the capital increase of Sky.</li><li>Lunelli Group on the tax structuring of the purchase/sale of a property portfolio, including contract negotiations.</li><li>Leading asset management company on the tax implications of a planned real estate transaction.</li><li>APN Funds Management Limited regarding the acquisition of 200 shopping centers throughout Germany for approx. €600 million.</li><li>Henley 360 LLP on the tax structuring of the acquisition/sale including contract negotiations.</li><li>Deutsche Bank, London, on the international tax structuring of the acquisition of a shopping center in Germany.</li><li>Anschutz Entertainment Group on the tax structuring of the sale of the German business.</li><li>Victoria-Mühlenwerke GmbH on the tax structuring of the sale including contract negotiations.</li><li>JER Real Estate Partners on the sale of a residential and commercial real estate portfolio of 40 properties for a purchase price of €160 million.</li><li>Marconi regarding withholding tax on international licensing agreement.</li><li>The Anschutz Entertainment Group on the sale of development properties.</li><li>A Canadian pension fund on joint venture investments in Germany.</li><li>DAM Invest on the restructuring of financing and the acquisition of RAIL.ONE by AXA PE.</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in connection with the sale of the Potsdamer Strasse properties in Berlin.</li><li>KEOLIS on the bidding process for Arriva Deutschland.</li><li>Colony Capital on investment matters concerning national and international investment in the US Colony Real Estate III funds.</li><li>Catalyst Capital on the international tax structuring of investments in Berlin.</li></ul>

Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder berät seit mehr als 25 Jahren nationale sowie internationale institutionelle und private Investoren und ist der erste Ansprechpartner unseres deutschen Büros, wenn es um steuerrechtliche Fragestellungen geht. Er berät Mandanten schwerpunktmäßig im Zusammenhang mit grenzüberschreitenden Investitionen (Share und Asset Deals), einschließlich Steuerstrukturierung, Vertragsgestaltung sowie Verhandlung und Umsetzung komplexer Steuerstrukturen. Er unterstützt Mandanten auch bei deren Projektsteuerung, Due Diligence und Unternehmensrestrukturierungen mit einem besonderen Fokus auf die Branchen Medien, Technologie, Immobilien und Transportwesen.Neben der Beratung von nationalen und multinationalen Unternehmen, ist Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder ein erfahrener und angesehener Berater von Unternehmen der öffentlichen Hand, die er bei steuerlichen Fragen im Zusammenhang mit ihren Betrieben gewerblicher Art, wie zum Beispiel Sale-and-lease-back-Transaktionen, sowie im Zusammenhang mit ihrem Immobilienvermögen berät. Daneben berät Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder laufend nationale und internationale Non-Profit Organisationen bei allen steuerrechtlichen Fragen der Gemeinnützigkeit.Von 2004 - 2018 lehrte Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder Steuer- und Wirtschaftsrecht an der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin und seit 2015 lehrt er Einkommenssteuerrecht und Internationales Steuerrecht an der Universität Potsdam. Er veröffentlicht regelmäßig zu Fragen des Körperschaftsteuer- und Gewerbesteuerrechts sowie des internationalen Steuerrechts.Legal 500, Best Lawyers und JUVE empfehlen Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder regelmäßig für seine Beratungstätigkeit und JUVE, Deutschlands führendes Anwaltsverzeichnis, beschreibt seine Praxis als „hoch angesehen für ihre steuerrechtlichen Fähigkeiten“. Er wurde bereits zweimal mit dem „European Tax Award“ des International Tax Review ausgezeichnet.Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder ist Leiter der Praxisgruppe Steuern in Deutschland. Er hat seinen LL.M. an der University of San Diego und seinen Doktortitel (Dr. iur.) an der Universität Münster erworben. Er hat zudem einen Abschluss als staatlich geprüfter Steuerberater von der Senatsverwaltung für Finanzen in Berlin.<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Rivian bei einem Joint Venture und einer Softwarelizenzvereinbarung mit Volkswagen in Höhe von 5 Mrd. €.</li><li>21st Century Fox in Steuerangelegenheiten in Bezug auf BSkyB in Europa und dessen Veräußerung an Disney und Qualcomm.</li><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox beim Verkauf von Sky Deutschland an BSkyB.</li><li>Sprint Corp. und SoftBank Group Corp., der Mehrheitsaktionär von Sprint, in Bezug auf Steuern bei der Fusion von Sprint und T-Mobile US, Inc.</li><li>Elvaston Capital Management in Steuerangelegenheiten im Zusammenhang mit zahlreichen Übernahmen und Umstrukturierungen nach Fusionen und Übernahmen.</li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe im Zusammenhang mit internationalen Leasingstrukturen.</li><li>Beratung der PubliGroupe S.A. in Bezug auf ein Joint Venture (Zanox) mit Axel Springer.</li><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox bei der Veräußerung der Fox Mobile Group (Jamba!) an einen Finanzinvestor.</li><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox bei der Zeichnung einer Wandelschuldverschreibung und der Kapitalerhöhung bei Sky.</li><li>Lunelli Group bei der steuerlichen Strukturierung des Ankaufs/Verkaufs eines Immobilienportfolios einschließlich der Vertragsverhandlungen.</li><li>Führende Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft zu steuerlichen Auswirkungen einer geplanten Immobilientransaktion.</li><li>Beratung der APN Funds Management Limited hinsichtlich des Erwerbs von 200 Einkaufszentren deutschlandweit für ca. EUR 600 Millionen.</li><li>Henley 360 LLP bei der steuerlichen Strukturierung des Ankaufs/Verkaufs einschließlich der Vertragsverhandlungen.</li><li>Deutsche Bank, London, zur internationalen steuerrechtlichen Strukturierung des Erwerbs eines Einkaufszentrums in Deutschland.</li><li>Anschutz Entertainment Group zur steuerlichen Strukturierung des Verkaufs des deutschen Business.</li><li>Victoria-Mühlenwerk GmbH bei der steuerlichen Strukturierung des Verkaufs einschließlich der Vertragsverhandlungen.</li><li>Beratung der JER Real Estate Partners bei der Veräußerung eines Wohn- und Gewerbeimmobilienportfolios von 40 Objekten zu einem Kaufpreis von EUR 160 Millionen.</li><li>Marconi in Bezug auf die Quellensteuer bei internationalen Lizenzverträgen.</li><li>Beratung der Anschutz Entertainment Group beim Verkauf von Projektentwicklungsimmobilien.</li><li>Beratung einer kanadischen Pensionskasse bei Joint Venture Investitionen in Deutschland.</li><li>Beratung der DAM Invest bei der Restrukturierung, der Finanzierung und dem Erwerb von RAIL.ONE von AXA PE.</li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe im Zusammenhang mit dem Verkauf der Immobilien Potsdamer Straße in Berlin.</li><li>Beratung der KEOLIS beim Bieterverfahren für die Arriva Deutschland.</li><li>Beratung der Colony Capital bei Investitionsfragen bezüglich der Beteiligung von nationalen und internationalen Investoren an den US Colony Real Estate III Fonds.</li><li>Beratung der Catalyst Capital bei der internationalen Steuerstrukturierung von Investitionen in Berlin.</li></ul>

Jens-Uwe Hinder

Kristie Espiritu is a tax associate in the San Diego office of Morrison Foerster.Kristie’s experience spans a wide range of transactional, structuring, and advisory tax matters affecting domestic businesses. She regularly advises clients on their tax issues in the areas of joint ventures, partnerships, real estate investment trusts, renewable energy, mergers and acquisitions, and tax- exempt organizations.Kristie is an adjunct professor at USD School of Law, where she teaches classes on partnership tax.

Kristie Espiritu

Josh Lerner is a partner in the Executive Compensation + Benefits Group based in the New York office of Morrison Foerster.Josh advises clients on all matters involving the compensation of senior executives, including employment, change in control, equity compensation, and severance arrangements.He counsels public and private companies on executive compensation issues in a range of corporate transactions, restructurings, and financings. He has experience designing, drafting, and negotiating employment agreements and administering equity incentive plans and awards. He also works regularly with public companies on compensation-related disclosures and corporate governance matters, including Securities Exchange Act of 1934 reports. Josh earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School where he was a senior articles editor of the Columbia Business Law Review.<h4>Representative Matters</h4><ul><li>Snow Software, a technology intelligence platform, on its acquisition by Flexera Software, a data-oriented SaaS solution company.</li><li>U.S. Silica Holdings, a global industrial minerals and logistics leader, in its $1.85 billion sale to entities affiliated with Apollo Global Management.</li><li>Rivian Automotive in the formation of an equally controlled and owned joint venture with Volkswagen Group to create next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles.</li><li>Palladium Equity Partners, in the $695 million sale of its majority interest in Trachte, a leading provider of highly engineered protection and control buildings with mission critical applications, to nVent Electric plc, a leading global provider of electrical connection and protection solutions.</li><li>The rock band KISS and its co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in the sale of substantially all rights related to KISS to Pophouse Entertainment.</li><li>McGrath RentCorp, leading provider of temporary and permanent space solutions, in its $3.8 billion acquisition by WillScot Mobile Mini Holdings Corp., a leader in innovative temporary space solutions.</li><li>Astellas Pharma in its acquisition of Propella Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company that combines medicinal chemistry with lymphatic targeting to create new oncology drugs.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with its $375 million acquisition of Berkshire Grey, a robotic automation company that went public via a SPAC merger in 2021.</li></ul><ul><li>Grant Thornton, one of America’s largest audit, tax, and advisory firms, in the sale of its Public Sector Advisory practice to Guidehouse, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital and leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets.</li><li>MTY Food Group, a leading franchisor in the North American restaurant industry, in its $200 million acquisition of BBQ Holdings, a franchisor and operator of fast casual dining.</li><li>Odevo AB, a Swedish company and a portfolio company of private equity client Fidelio Capital, in connection with its acquisition of KW Property Management & Consulting, LLC, a Florida-based company that provides property management services to homeowner associations, condominium boards, cooperative boards and townhome communities. </li><li>Tinicum and its portfolio company TSL Engineered Products in the sale of Advantek, a leading provider of highly engineered carrier tape and associated protective packaging products, to Cornell Capital.</li></ul>

Joshua Lerner

Yuan Xia is a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Palo Alto office. She is a member of the firm’s Executive Compensation + Benefits practice.Yuan’s practice focuses on the transactional aspects of executive compensation matters in the context of domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, public offerings and restructurings. Yuan regularly counsels public companies, private equity funds, and startup companies on the design and implementation of equity, incentive and non-qualified deferred compensation agreements, change in control, retention and severance, and executive employment agreements. Yuan also has distinct experience advising public companies on executive compensation disclosures for annual proxy statements and merger proxies, initial public offerings and Form 8–Ks. Yuan was recognized by Legal 500 US as a Rising Star in Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation and Retirement Plans (Transaction) for 2024.Prior to joining the firm, Yuan was an associate at another international law firm headquartered in New York.

Yuan Xia

Sarah is an associate in the Executive Compensation + Benefits practice of Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office.Prior to joining the firm, Sarah was a Summer Associate in the San Francisco office. Before that, she was a Student Legal Honors Extern for the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. She also spent time as a Judicial Extern at the U.S. District Court in Phoenix, Arizona.Sarah earned her J.D., cum laude, at Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where she was an editor of the Arizona State Law Journal. She also holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sarah Doberneck

Michael Schulman is a partner in the firm’s Global Employment and Labor Group and co-head of the firm’s Washington, D.C. Litigation Department.Michael regularly advises clients in connection with important workforce-related matters, including hiring and negotiating employment agreements for senior executives, sensitive executive separations, internal workplace investigations, employment claims and disputes, and employment issues arising in the context of mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies and other corporate transactions. Michael is known for using a pragmatic, efficient, and results-oriented approach, focused on achieving his clients’ desired business outcomes.Michael regularly guides clients through complex workforce issues, including, for instance allegations of workplace misconduct; restrictive covenant drafting, enforcement, and strategic evaluation; worker classification and wage-and-hour compliance practices; and the unique issues that arise in a unionized workplace. Michael’s experience covers a broad range of employment and labor laws at the federal, state, and local level, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, and corresponding state and local laws.Michael has unique experience addressing labor and employment matters that arise in connection with corporate transactions, particularly for private equity firms. Michael has represented clients in over 2,000 transactions, including many large-scale multinational mergers, acquisitions, and asset carve-outs. He regularly conducts acquisition-related labor and employment due diligence and advises clients on the employment and workforce integration or separation implications of mergers, acquisitions, sales, and financings.In the litigation context, Michael represents employers in U.S. federal and state court litigation, administrative agency proceedings, and arbitrations arising out of alleged labor and employment law violations. Michael defends employers against actions brought by government agencies, such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor, as well as actions initiated by current and former employees. He also prosecutes suits against former employees and their new employers for breach of restrictive covenants.

Michael Schulman

<div class="videoWrapper" style="margin-bottom: 15px;">For more than two decades, Hanno Timner has advised and represented leading domestic and international corporations in a wide variety of industries, including technology, consumer products, automotive, and infrastructure, on all data protection matters and employment law issues and disputes.</div>Hanno’s practice focuses on the labor law ramifications of corporate restructurings, the acquisition of German firms, and negotiations with employee representatives for the reconciliation of interests and/or social plans, as well as on the employment of management board members, managing directors, and chief executives. He frequently represents clients in complex employment litigation in all German employment courts, including the Federal Labor Court.His second key focus is advising companies with respect to their complex data protection compliance projects and the implementation of compliance systems and corporate policies as required under the GDPR, as well as whistleblowing systems. Hanno regularly represents clients in matters concerning data protection authorities and in data protection litigation. He has extensive experience responding to data breaches. His many clients praise him as "an excellent attorney" who provides "practical and legally sound advice on high-value data protection issues" and who is "available if and when needed." He also offers "thoughtful, practical and totally actionable advice that is understandable to both in-house counsel and corporate staff" and his “work product is consistently of the highest caliber” (Legal 500 Deutschland 2023).Hanno is head of Morrison Foerster’s Employment and Labor Group in Germany and is an acknowledged Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht (Specialist in Labor and Employment Law). He also served as Berlin managing partner from 2013 to 2017. He frequently publishes articles on employment and privacy matters.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Comprehensive advice of TDK and EPCOS regarding their joint venture with Qualcomm requiring the transfer of more than 4,500 employees in 13 countries.</li><li>Legal advice to leading producers of semiconductors regarding merger in Germany (including negotiations with works councils regarding operational changes in German businesses).</li><li>Comprehensive employment advice to an international manufacturer of construction material on a joint venture (including negotiations with trade union and works council).</li><li>Legal advice to Gucci Germany, Yves Saint Laurent Germany and Bottega Veneta in all labor law matters and disputes.</li><li>Comprehensive advice to Sky Deutschland with respect to management board contracts.</li><li>Advised Carbone Lorraine (automotive supplier) on the restructuring of the German subsidiary (company pay agreement, social benefit plan, and reconciliation of inherent interests).</li><li>Ongoing advice to a leading internet sales platform on all labor law issues and in all labor law disputes.</li><li>Extensive advice to a leading global satellite broadcaster with respect to internal investigations in Germany, the Netherlands and the USA.</li><li>Drafting of user general terms and conditions, and the privacy policy for the company website of Fox International Channels.</li><li>Advises Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (Berlin public transit company - BVG) on the introduction of a company pension plan.</li><li>Legal consultation of Bertelsmann Group in the implementation of a global compliance system, including a whistleblowing system.</li><li>Advice to Anschutz Entertainment Group on data transfer agreements and the migration of customer data.</li><li>Data protection advice to Primacom on the implementation of IPv6 addresses.</li><li>Provided advice to PubliGroupe SA in relation to a joint venture (Zanox) with Axel Springer.</li><li>Advice to a German firm in the paper industry on the conducting of an internal investigation prior to an investigation by the German Federal Cartel Authority.</li><li>Comprehensive advice to an international paper manufacturer on the introduction of a compliance system in the EMEA.</li></ul>

Seit mehr als zwei Jahrzehnten berät und vertritt Hanno Timner führende nationale und internationale Mandanten im Hinblick auf sämtliche Angelegenheiten des Datenschutzes sowie zu allen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten und Fragestellungen. Einen besonderen Fokus hat er hierbei auf Unternehmen der Technologie-, Konsumgüter-, Infrastruktur- und Automobilindustrie.Schwerpunktmäßig berät Hanno Timner zu den arbeitsrechtlichen Auswirkungen von Restrukturierungen sowie dem Erwerb deutscher Unternehmen. Er vertritt seine Mandanten laufend in Interessenausgleichs- und Sozialplanverhandlungen mit Arbeitnehmervertretern und verfügt über langjährige, umfangreiche Erfahrung in der Beratung zur Beschäftigung von Vorständen, Geschäftsführern und leitenden Angestellten. Er vertritt seine Mandanten regelmäßig in komplexen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten vor allen deutschen Arbeitsgerichten, einschließlich des Bundesarbeitsgerichts.Ebenso berät Hanno Timner zu komplexen Datenschutzprojekten, zur Umsetzung der erforderlichen Compliance-Systeme und Unternehmensrichtlinien im Rahmen der DSGVO sowie zu Whistleblowing-Systemen. Er vertritt seine Mandanten regelmäßig gegenüber Datenschutzbehörden und in gerichtlichen Verfahren. Darüber hinaus verfügt er über umfassende Erfahrung im Umgang mit Datenschutzverletzungen.Hanno Timner leitet die Praxisgruppe Arbeitsrecht von Morrison Foerster in Deutschland und ist Fachanwalt für Arbeitsrecht. Von 2013 bis 2017 war er zudem Managing Partner des deutschen Büros. Er veröffentlicht regelmäßig zu den Themen Arbeitsrecht und Datenschutz. Seine Mandanten schätzen ihn als „hervorragenden Anwalt“, der „durchdachte, praktische und absolut umsetzbare Ratschläge gibt, die sowohl für Unternehmensjuristen als auch für Unternehmensmitarbeiter verständlich sind“ und „verfügbar ist, wenn und wann er gebraucht wird.“ Er gibt „praxisnahe und rechtlich fundierte Beratung zu hochwertigen Datenschutzthemen“ und liefert konsequent „Arbeitsergebnisse auf höchstem Niveau“ (Legal 500 Deutschland 2023).<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Gucci Germany, Yves Saint Laurent Germany und Bottega Veneta: Beratung in allen arbeitsrechtlichen Angelegenheiten und Streitigkeiten</li><li>Sky Deutschland: Umfassende Beratung hinsichtlich der Vorstandsverträge</li><li>Carbone Lorraine (Automobilzulieferer): Beratung bei der Restrukturierung der deutschen Tochtergesellschaft (Haustarifvertrag, Sozialplan und Interessenausgleich)</li><li>Führende Internetverkaufsplattform: Laufende Beratung zu allen arbeitsrechtlichen Fragen und in allen arbeitsrechtlichen Streitigkeiten</li><li>Weltweit führendes Satellitenunternehmen: Umfassende Beratung im Hinblick auf interne Ermittlungen in Deutschland, den Niederlanden und den USA</li><li>Fox International Channels: Erstellung der Nutzer AGBs und der Privacy Policy für die Unternehmens-Website</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG): Beratung bei der Einführung der betrieblichen Altersversorgung</li><li>Bertelsmann Group: Beratung bei der weltweiten Einführung eines Compliance-Systems, einschließlich eines Whistleblowing-Systems</li><li>Anschutz Entertainment Group: Beratung bei Datenübertragungsvereinbarungen und der Migration von Kundendaten</li><li>PrimaCom: Datenschutzrechtliche Beratung bei der Implementierung von IPv6-Adressen</li><li>PubliGroupe SA: Beratung in Bezug auf ein Joint Venture (Zanox) mit Axel Springer</li><li>Beratung eines deutschen Unternehmens der Papierindustrie bei der Durchführung interner Ermittlungen im Vorfeld von Ermittlungen des Bundeskartellamtes</li><li>Umfassende Beratung eines internationalen Papierherstellers bei der Einführung eines Compliance-Systems in EMEA</li></ul>

Hanno Timner

As a member of our renowned global data privacy team, Annabel Gillham specializes in employee data protection and data crisis management. Described by clients as “excellent, very pragmatic, efficient and completely client-oriented”, she works across a variety of sectors, including technology, retail, and financial services, and frequently manages multi-jurisdictional advice for international clients. Her practice includes advice on:<ul><li>cross-border labor and employment matters</li><li>employee litigation</li><li>data privacy compliance management</li><li>data security breach management</li><li>internal and regulatory investigations</li></ul>Annabel regularly helps senior management and HR executives with the “people” aspects of takeovers, restructuring projects, business and share sales, and outsourcings. She also advises employers in relation to sensitive claims, such as unlawful discrimination, equal pay, and whistleblowing. Annabel also advises on team moves.She supports her clients on all aspects of General Data Protection Regulation compliance and regularly advises organizations facing ICO enforcement action. She has developed particular specialties in complex areas, such as the collection and use of data relating to criminal offenses and the application of data protection law to insolvency practitioners.As an experienced litigator with experience in helping clients defend group litigation, Annabel helps clients develop their strategy for responding to regulatory action and court claims relating to the use of employee and customer personal data. She regularly designs and presents employment and data protection law training and updates to senior managers and HR executives and is involved in preparing responses to UK government consultations.In addition, Annabel is qualified to practice in the British Virgin Islands, where she spent three years advising on cross border commercial litigation and insolvency matters, including high value board and shareholder disputes, freezing orders, and third-party disclosure orders.