Curtis Honored with 2013 Cross-Border Deal of the Year Award by M&A Advisor for MSC Industrial Direct's BDNA Acquisition

New York, December 20, 2013 — Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP received the M&A Advisor's 2013 Cross-Border Deal of the Year Award (over $500 million) as part of the team of advisors for MSC Industrial Direct's acquisition of the North American distribution business of Barnes Group Inc. The award was presented at the 12th Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala in New York.

As a result of this transaction, MSC added a highly complementary provider of fasteners and other high margin consumable products and services (often referred to as Class C items) with an industry leading field sales force and vendor managed inventory solution. In addition, MSC gained a broader distribution footprint throughout North America and a stronger presence with customers across manufacturing, government, transportation and natural resources end-markets.

MSC, based in Melville, NY, is one of the largest direct marketers and distributors of a broad range of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations products to customers throughout North America. MSC employs one of the industry's largest sales forces and offers approximately 685,000 stock-keeping units through its master catalogs; weekly, monthly and quarterly specialty and promotional catalogs; newspapers; brochures; and the Internet.

The Curtis team of attorneys was led by partner Jeffrey Ostrager and included associates Douglas Glazer, Andrew Smith and Holly Sawyer from the Corporate M&A group, partner Eliot Lauer and counsel Jason Gottlieb from the Litigation group, partner Javier Hernandez and associate Shawna-Gay White from the Employee Benefits group, partner Michael Graif from the Intellectual Property group, partner Jeffrey Zuckerman from the Antitrust/Competition Law group, partner Andrew Otis from the Environmental group, partner Alan Berlin and counsel K.C. Chiang from the Tax group, partner Evan Borenstein and associate Brendan Snowden from the Finance group, partner Martin Forman from the Real Estate group, and partners James Durling and Daniel Porter from the International Trade group.

“Since the inception of the M&A Advisor Awards in 2002, we have been recognizing the leading dealmakers, firms and transactions. And each year we celebrate the creativity, perseverance and ingenuity of our industry's professionals” says David Fergusson, president of the M&A Advisor. “While our industry has undergone significant transformation since our first awards were presented 11 years ago, we are convinced, more than ever before, that investment in middle market companies will continue to be the driving force of the economy.

The Curtis Mergers & Acquisition practice group focuses primarily on middle market M&A and private equity transactions across a broad range of industries. Curtis advises both private and public entities and financial sponsors in a broad range of transactional matters, counseling buyers, sellers and targets in connection with mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, leveraged buy-outs, strategic alliances and other related transactions. The Curtis M&A group has extensive experience in complex cross-border transactions and foreign investments in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is a leading international law firm providing a broad range of services to clients around the world. Curtis has 15 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. The firm's international orientation has been a hallmark of its practice for nearly two centuries. For more information about Curtis, please visit www.curtis.com or follow Curtis on Twitter (twitter.com/curtislawfirm) and Facebook (Facebook.com/Curtis.Careers).