DLA Piper represented Washington, DC-based private equity firm Arlington Capital Partners in its investment in Everest Clinical Research Corporation, a leading contract research organization providing a comprehensive suite of mission-critical clinical research services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries across Phase I-IV trials. Headquartered in Toronto, Everest operates globally with offices in Canada, the US and China.
Arlington Capital Partners is a Washington, DC-based private equity firm that is currently investing out of Arlington Capital Partners V, L.P., a US$1.7 billion fund. The firm has managed approximately US$4 billion of committed capital via five investment funds. Arlington is focused on middle market investment opportunities in growth industries including healthcare, government services and technology, aerospace & defense, and business services and software.
"It was a pleasure to bring our extensive life sciences and healthcare private equity experience, as well as our international resources and ability to efficiently close a complex cross-border transaction, to assist Arlington Capital Partners with its investment in Everest," said Jeffrey Houle, co-chair of DLA Piper's Aerospace, Defense and Government Services Transactional practice, who led the firm's deal team. "I am very proud of what our team has accomplished in the heart of a global pandemic – closing an extraordinary cross-border transaction on behalf of an extraordinary client. Arlington Capital brings a strong track record of successful investments in healthcare and pharmaceutical services companies, and it is well positioned to support Everest's continued growth and expansion."
"We were pleased with the opportunity to collaborate with our global colleagues to facilitate this transaction and help achieve our client's goals," said Russel Drew, a Toronto-based DLA Piper partner who also worked on the transaction. "We are proud that Arlington Capital has invested in Everest, one of the leading clinical research firms in Canada and based here in Toronto."
In addition to Houle (Washington, DC) and Drew (Toronto), the DLA Piper team representing Arlington Capital Partners included partners Thomas Pilkerton (Baltimore), Paolo Morante (New York) and Christopher Mikson, M.D. (Philadelphia), David Spratley (Vancouver), Veronica Monteiro (Edmonton) and Qiang Li (Shanghai); of counsel Nia Brown (Washington, DC); senior consultants Allen Xu (Beijing) and Ying Li (Shanghai); consultants Fangfang Song (Beijing), Yiyuan Zhang and Frank Chen (both of Shanghai); senior tax manager Tina Xia (Hong Kong); and associates Mackenzie Clark (Toronto), Lauren Storwick (Calgary) and Jordan Dugas (Edmonton).
DLA Piper's Private Equity practice includes more than 100 US lawyers who provide strategic counsel to private equity funds and the industry-leading companies they invest in. In 2019, Pitchbook recognized DLA Piper as the second most active private equity law firm globally, further solidifying the strength of the firm's team and its depth of experience executing private equity transactions.
DLA Piper advises on all aspects of the life sciences sector, combining subject matter experience with considerable knowledge of the scientific, medical, regulatory, commercial and enforcement environments facing biopharmaceutical, medical device, research and diagnostics clients. Recognizing that clients' needs vary, the firm rapidly organizes and customizes client service teams, whether for a large pharmaceutical company, a mid-sized medical device client or a development-stage biotech company.
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