The law firm formerly known as Sutherland Asbill & Brennan snagged a piece of the legal work on Altria Group Inc.’s bid to purchase snuff maker UST Inc.
Altria is planning to acquire the maker of Copenhagen and Skoal smokeless tobacco for $11.7 billion in cash and assumed debt. The deal still requires approval from regulators and UST shareholders. Altria plans to sell UST’s snuff products along its own brand of t
obacco products, including Marlboro cigarettes.
Working as tax counsel to Altria are Sutherland partners Reggie Clark in Atlanta and Cliff Muller in Washington and counsel David Roby in Washington, according to the law firm.
Clark and Muller have previously advised other corporate offshoots of Altria. Clark and Muller earlier this year were tax counsel to Kraft Foods Inc. on its $2.6 billion spin-off and merger of its Post cereals unit to Ralcorp Holdings Inc. Kraft was spun off from Altria, when the company was known as Philip Morris, in March 2007. Altria still sells its tobacco products under the name Philip Morris USA.
In the deal for UST, a team of lawyers from Hunton & Williams’ New York and Richmond, Va. offices is corporate counsel to Altria, led by partner Jerry Whitson; and Arnold & Porter is Altria’s regulatory counsel, according to a press release and Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom is corporate counsel to UST and Sullivan & Cromwell is advising a committee of UST’s board.