Mario Schmidt Partner MAIN OFFICE: Frankfurt Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP An der Welle 4 D-60322 Frankfurt am Main T +49 69 79302 190 F +49 69 79302 222

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Mario Schmidt is a partner in the Corporate and Financial Services Department of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in Frankfurt.  Mr. Schmidt specializes in cross-border and national merger and acquisition transactions, corporate finance and commercial law.  He predominantly advises financial investors and private equity firms on private equity transactions and in the area of mergers and acquisitions.

Chambers Europe (2011) ranks Mr. Schmidt among the leading individuals practicing in the area Private Equity in Germany.  He has also been named in various other publications, including JUVE Handbook and TheLegal 500.  He was featured as a "European Hot 100 Lawyer" by The Lawyer in 2005.

Mr. Schmidt is fluent in German, English, French and Spanish.

Mr. Schmidt is a lecturer (Lehrbeauftragter) on private equity at HfB Business School of Finance and Management for the LL.M. program.

Prior to joining Willkie, Mr. Schmidt was a partner in the Frankfurt office of Clifford Chance.

Mr. Schmidt’s significant matters include advising:

• 3i on the acquisition of a majority stake in Hilite International Inc.
  
  
• Cognetas LLP on sale of German marketing services network Commarco GmbH (parent company of Scholz & Friends) to global advertising group WPP PLC
  
  
• AXA Private Equity on its sale of portfolio company CABB
  
  
• Palamon Capital Partners on the sale of dress-for-less to strategic buyer Privalia Venta Directa
  
  
• RHM Group’s founder in the sale of RHM’s clinics and nursing homes to Waterland Private Equity
  
  
• AXA Private Equity on the acquisition of German shopping network HSE 24
  
  
• Labco in its acquisition of Aesculabor Karlsruhe as part of a strategic collaboration with the Medivision/Endokrinologikum group
  
  
• e.n.o. energy in its sale of a portfolio of six wind farms to Dutch investor DIF Renewable Energies, and in its acquisition of a portfolio of 17 wind farms in development from French wind park developer Energie Eolienne France
  
  
• 3i and funds managed by 3i in connection with the buyout of DruckChemie, a specialty service provider to the printing industry, from SG Capital Europe and Quartus
  
  
• AXA Private Equity in its acquisition of a majority interest in German gaming operator Löwen Play Group
  
  
• Argantis on the acquisition of a majority interest in W.I.S. Holding GmbH & Co. in a management buyout
  
  
• 3i in connection with the acquisition of Scandlines Group
  
  
• Permira on the acquisition of the frozen food operations from Unilever
  
  
• 3i on the acquisition of Azelis Group, and on the sales of betapharm and Jung Pumpen
  
  
• STAR Capital on the acquisition of Abellio Group
  
  
• Veronis Suhler Stevenson and Mecom Group on the acquisition of Berliner Verlag
  
  
• KKR on the acquisition of MTU Aero Engines
  
  
• 3i on the acquisitions of the Wendt Group, Jung Pumpen GmbH and Lichtwer Pharma AG
  
  
• Rockwood Specialties and KKR, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners/CSFB Private Equity on the acquisition of Dynamit Nobel
  
  
• Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. on the acquisition of Clariant Cellulose Ethers
  
  
• Billerbeck Group on the acquisition of Billerbeck Group together with DZ Equity Partner GmbH
  
  
• Hellman & Friedman on the acquisition of a stake in Axel Springer Verlag (Publisher)
  
  
• Orlando Partners on the acquisition of Bally Wulff
  
  
• Dana Corporation on the sale of FTE automotive to HgCapita
  
  
• DBAG on the management participation in connection with the purchase of the HTE Group
  
  
• ABN AMRO Ventures on the acquisition of Loewen Play GmbH
  
  
• CVC Capital Beratungs GmbH on the acquisition of Lenzing AG, a publicly listed Austrian stock corporation
  
  
• Permira on the acquisition of TakkoModeMarkt and Kiekert AG