Biography
Marilyn French Shaw is Co-Managing Partner of the Boston office and a partner in Weil’s Private Equity practice, where she advises clients on private equity transactions, including leveraged buyouts, minority investments and public-to-private transactions, and mergers & acquisitions. She is a leading member of the Women@Weil affinity group. Ms. French Shaw regularly represents some of the country's leading private equity firms, including Advent International Corporation and Thomas H. Lee Partners.
Ms. French Shaw is ranked Band 1 for Private Equity: Buyouts in Massachusetts by Chambers USA, where she is described as “a creative problem solver,” "very pragmatic and a good negotiator.” She is “a wonderful lawyer with great perspective and communication skills.” She is also recognized for Private Equity: Buyouts Nationwide by Chambers USA and ranked as a “Highly Regarded” lawyer for Private Equity in the U.S. by IFLR1000. Ms. French Shaw is recognized among the top 300 women lawyers globally as a leader in Private Equity in the U.S. in IFLR1000’s “Women Leaders” publication. She was recognized as an expert in Private Equity by Expert Guides’ 2014 “Women in Business Law” and is again in 2020. Ms. French Shaw was also named among the 2015 “Dealmakers of the Year” by The American Lawyer and 2015 “Top Women of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She has been named a Private Equity “MVP” by Law360 and as a “Dealmaker of the Week” by The Am Law Daily.
Selected Experience
- Advent International Corporation and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including its:
- $2.5 billion business combination with Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II, a SPAC sponsored by Fortress Investment Group
- acquisition of an approximately 50% stake in RxBenefits, Inc.
- $1.44 billion sale of MORSCO, Inc. to Reece Limited
- acquisition of a 45% stake in Conservice, LLC
- acquisition of Definitive Healthcare, LLC
- acquisition of Birch Benders, LLC
- majority investment in First Watch Restaurants, Inc.
- acquisition of Culligan International Company and Culligan in its $1.1 billion take-private acquisition of AquaVenture Holdings Limited
- acquisitions of Michael Angelo's Gourmet Foods Inc. and Rao's Specialty Foods Inc.
- acquisition of QW Holding Corp. (Quala)
- acquisition of a majority stake in ATI Physical Therapy Holdings, LLC
- acquisitions of Clearent Corp. and FieldEdge and the simultaneous merger of the two companies
- acquisition of Noosa Yoghurt, LLC and Noosa's merger with Sovos Brands
- acquisition of Merrick Systems, Inc.
- acquisition of a majority stake in Distribution International, Inc.
- acquisition of a 13.85% stake in lululemon athletica, inc.
- acquisition Dudalina S.A. (with Warburg Pincus)
- 1.1 billion acquisition of a minority interest in Oleoducto Central S.A. (OCENSA) (as leader of an investment group) and subsequent sale of its equity interest in OCENSA
- acquisition of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (with CDIB Capital International and Mirae Asset Global Investment Co.) and in the $350 million sale to Jollibee Foods Corp
- acquisition of a majority stake in Serta Simmons; Serta Simmons Bedding LLC’s merger with Tuft & Needle; and Serta Simmons Bedding LLC’s grant of a new license to, and receipt of a minority stake in, a joint venture with King Koil Shanghai Sleep System Co., Ltd.
- acquisition of a majority stake in Connolly, Inc. and Connolly Consulting Worldwide, Inc., and in Connolly’s merger with a strategic healthcare auditor
- acquisition of TransUnion (with Goldman)
- acquisition of Vantiv and Vantiv’s subsequent IPO
- going-private acquisition of retailer Charlotte Russe
- formation of an investment partnership/platform with James Peck
- Thomas H. Lee Partners and its portfolio companies in several transactions, including its:
- acquisition of CTI Foods Holdings, LLC (with Broad Street Principal Investments, an affiliate of Goldman Sachs), and in CTI’s acquisition of Liguria Foods, Inc.
- sale of Michael Foods
- acquisition and subsequent multi-billion sale of Acosta, Inc. to The Carlyle Group, and in Acosta’s acquisitions of Mosaic and Anderson Dayman Worldwide
- American Capital, Ltd. (n/k/a Ares Capital) in its:
- sale of American Driveline Systems, Inc. to Transom Capital Group
- sale of eLynx to Black Knight Financial Services, Inc. (n/k/a Black Knight, Inc.)
- sale of Pacific Handy Cutter, Inc. to Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
- sale of Dynojet Research, Inc. to Irving Place Capital and New Value Capital
- sale of Specialty Brands of America, Inc.
- sale of Aptara, Inc.
- acquisition of Residential Credit Solutions
- Berkshire Partners in its acquisition of CrossFit, Inc.
- Oaktree Capital Management and its France-based portfolio company Ileos, SA in its joint venture with Visant Corporation
- SGS SA in its $335 million sale of Petroleum Service Corporation