SRZ represented Castle Harlan Inc. and Castle Harlan Partners IV LP in the sale of its portfolio company Baker & Taylor, a global leader in the delivery of print and digital books and other multimedia products, to Follett Corporation, a top provider of technology, services and print and digital to PreK-12 libraries, schools and higher education institutions Jones Day acted as legal counsel to Follett Corporation.

Castle Harlan, Inc. is a private equity firm specializing in growth capital, buyouts, acquisitions, divestitures under duress, restructurings, workouts, bankruptcies, mature and development capital in middle market private companies. The firm, led by John K. Castle, Leonard M. Harlan, Howard Weiss, David B. Pittaway and Marcel Fournier, is based in New York. Baker & Taylor is the premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products from approximately 25,000 suppliers to over 20,000 customers in 120 countries. The company offers cutting-edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. Baker & Taylor also offers industry leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. For more than 140 years, Follett has been a trusted partner to PreK-12 schools, districts, and college campuses, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach and students to learn. Every day, Follett serves over half of the students in the United States, and works with 70,000 schools as a leading provider of education technology, services and print and digital content. Follett is higher education's largest campus retailer and a hub for school spirit and community, operating more than 1,250 local campus stores and 1,700 virtual stores across the continent. Headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, Follett is a $2.6 billion privately held company. The transaction was announced on April 18 and upon closing will create the world's preeminent single source of curated content and multimedia for librarians and educators. The SRZ team advising Castle Harlan Inc. and its portfolio company, Baker & Taylor, was led by mergers & acquisitions partner Robert Goldstein (Picture), special counsel Frank P. Steinherr and associate Lowell K. Dyer. The team also included antitrust partner Michael E. Swartz and associate Beverly J. Ang; employment & employee benefits partner Ian L. Levin, special counsel Stephen I. Brecher and Scott A. Gold, and associate Jessica Augarten; environmental partner Howard B. Epstein and associate Valerie L. Sheaffer; finance partner Kirby Chin and associate David Arnstein; intellectual property, sourcing & technology partner Robert R. Kiesel and special counsel Scott M. Kareff; mergers & acquisitions associate Monica McKinnon; real estate partner Julian M. Wise and associates Aaron Schwed and Daniel J. Valenti; and tax partner Kurt F. Rosell and associate Jonathan Jacobson. Involved fees earner: Robert Goldstein - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Frank Steinherr - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Lowell Dyer - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Monica McKinnon - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Michael Swartz - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Beverly Ang - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Ian Levin - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Stephen Brecher - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Scott Gold - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Jessica Augarten - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Howard Epstein - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Valerie Sheaffer - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Kirby Chin - Schulte Roth & Zabel; David Arnstein - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Robert Kiesel - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Scott Kareff - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Julian Wise - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Aaron Schwed - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Daniel Valenti - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Kurt Rosell - Schulte Roth & Zabel; Jonathan Jacobson - Schulte Roth & Zabel;