Paul Weiss stars lead on Bain’s €1.1bn Italian software buyout

Paul Weiss is advising Bain Capital on its acquisition of a controlling stake in Namirial - an Italian enterprise SaaS company that offers digital transaction management solutions, including electronic contract signing.

The mandate marks another high-profile transaction for the US firm as it continues to gain ground in the top tier of European cross-border private equity work.

The deal

Bain is buying the stake from Milan-based private equity firm Ambienta, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2025.

Bloomberg reports that the deal values Namirial at €1.1 billion, and the process attracted interest from several heavy-hitter buyout firms including Hg, TA Associates, Apax and Cinven.

The Paul Weiss team

The Paul Weiss team is led by M&A partner Roger Johnson and finance partner Neel Sachdev - two of the firm’s marquee hires in London as it aggressively expands in Europe.

They’re joined by partners Kanesh Balasubramaniam (corporate), John Patten (IP), Cian O’Connor (tax), Annie Herdman (competition) and counsel Hein Visser and Samir Kurani.

Italian firm Legance is advising on the Italian law aspects.

Bigger picture

For Paul Weiss, the deal is another major mandate from Bain as it looks to position itself as the go-to player in the European PE market following its high-profile London relaunch in 2023.

The firm has been steadily building out its bench of City talent, poaching from the Magic Circle and US rivals to bulk up across key practice areas.

All of the partners advising on the Namirial deal are ex-Kirkland.