General Dynamics Acquires GM Defense Business

General Dynamics Corporation, a diversified U.S.-based defense contractor, acquired, on March 1, 2003, General Motors Corporation’s GM Defense business, other than GM’s Military Trucks division. The value of the deal is approximately US$1.3 billion. GM Defense, headquartered in London, Ontario, produces wheeled armoured vehicles, including Stryker vehicles produced for the U.S. Army, through a joint venture with General Dynamics.

General Dynamics was represented by in-house counsel David Savner, Michelle DiCintio, Paul Fox, Stephen Vaz and Jodi Zahara, and Daniel Russo (tax), David Perez (labour and employment) and Michael Finn (intellectual property); by Baker & McKenzie with a team that included Janice McAuley, Nurham Aycan, Carol Patterson, Victoria Coombs, Marc Cotie and Alexander Ostrop (corporate), Leneo Sdao (real estate), Brian Segal and James Sennema (income tax), Paul Burns and Isabelle Girard (commodity tax), Stewart Saxe and Neal Sommer (labour and employment), Susan Seller (pensions) and Kanta Wadhwan and Arlan Gates (antitrust); and by Jenner & Block in the U.S., with a team that included Don Horvath (real estate), Becky Rafferty (environmental), Stan Schlitter (intellectual property) and John Welch and John Cox (corporate), and by Janet McDavid, Mary Anne Mason, Michele Harrington, Mariabruna Fimognari and Joseph Gormley of Hogan & Hartson LLP (U.S. and European antitrust). Assistance was also provided by John McDonald in Chicago, Ben McLaughlin and Jonathan Knelt in Sydney and Michael Treis and Alois Rimle in Zurich, all of Baker & McKenzie.

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP acted for GM under the direction of in-house legal team George McClean, Christina Cuthbert, Marianne Emig-Munro and Elisabeth Campin, General Motors of Canada Limited, and Anne Larin, Anne Buscaglia and Kathy Marra, General Motors U.S. The Osler team was led by Steven Smith, and included John Walsh, Patrick Donnelly, In Ha Jang and Peter Simeon (corporate), Blake Murray (tax), Heather McKean and Janet Lee (real estate), Radha Curpen (environmental), Anthony Devir (pensions), Peter Franklyn and Anne Carty (antitrust), Damian Rigolo (labour and employment) and Richard Coleman, Andraya Frith and Ruth Orpwood (intellectual property).

Lawyer(s)

Steven W. Smith Allan Coleman Michele Harrington John D. McDonald John M. Walsh Nurhan Aycan Janet Lee Michael Treis Patrick Donnelly Ruth Orpwood James R. Sennema Susan G. Seller John F. Cox Arlan Gates Alexander W. Ostrop Mariabruna Fimognari Ben McLaughlin Andraya C. Frith Stewart D. Saxe Alois Rimle Anne Carty Victoria Coombs In Ha Jang Janet L. McDavid Anthony J. Devir Brian D. Segal Marc R. Cotie Heather McKean Peter E. Simeon Blake M. Murray Neal B. Sommer Damian J. Rigolo Mary Anne Mason Kanta L. Wadhwan Radha D. Curpen Jonathon Knelt Leneo E. Sdao Isabelle M. Girard Peter H.G. Franklyn

Firm(s)

Baker & McKenzie LLP Jenner & Block LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Hogan & Hartson LLP Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP