Nicole M. Howell

Ms. Howell regularly counsels clients regarding corporate governance, private equity, general corporate and commercial matters, including the structuring and negotiation of manufacturing, procurement, professional services, transition services and other operational agreements. 

Ms. Howell has recent experience in a wide range of transactions in a variety of industries, including:

• Total Produce plc in its combination with Dole Food Company and the IPO of the combined company, as well as its initial acquisition of a 45% stake in Dole
• Dole plc in the pending sale of its fresh vegetables division to an affiliate of Fresh Express Incorporated, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Holdings Limited
• E. & J. Gallo Winery in its acquisition of a portfolio of wine and spirits assets from Constellation Brands, Inc. and related transactions
• Caesars Entertainment Corporation in its acquisition by Eldorado Resorts, Inc. for $17.3 billion
• The Walt Disney Company in connection with ESPN’s sale of a majority stake in the X Games action sports franchise
• United Talent Agency (UTA) in its sale of a minority stake to EQT Partners and its acquisition of MediaLink, a marketing and media consulting firm, from Ascential plc
• TiVo Inc. in its merger with Rovi Corporation
• PLBY Group, Inc., owner of the Playboy brand, in its acquisition of a social content platform and in certain equity financing transactions
• Hulu, LLC in its sale of a minority stake to Time Warner Inc.
• The Carlyle Group in its investments in Ithaca Holdings, which represents talent such as Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber, including in connection with Ithaca’s acquisition of Big Machine Label Group and Ithaca’s sale to HYBE, which represents K-pop group BTS
• a portfolio company of Crimson Investment in connection with the sale of the company
• Saban Capital Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, in its proposed but terminated acquisition of Panavision Inc. and Sim Video International Inc.
• the majority owners of a leading packaging business in connection with the sale of their interests to the minority owner
• a family office in its acquisition of a significant stake in an asset manager
• two private equity firms in their acquisition of The Western Union Company’s business solutions division
• a Nasdaq-listed consumer products company in connection with its comprehensive recapitalization, including related governance matters
• Noble Corporation plc in corporate aspects of its Chapter 11 filing
• Marvel co-founder David Maisel in the formation of Mythos Studios, a joint venture with Scooter Braun
• Quixote Studios in general corporate matters
• Brillstein Entertainment Partners in general corporate matters
• a data analytics company in its acquisition of a publisher of vehicle pricing data
• Trustbridge Partners in its acquisition of Holiday House
• Loar Group Inc. in a follow-on acquisition of an aerospace machining company
• TravelCenters of America LLC in an underwritten public offering of senior notes
• O’Reilly Automotive in an underwritten public offering of senior notes

Prior to joining Skadden, Ms. Howell represented buyers and sellers in various transactions, including several representing funds affiliated with a leading private equity firm.

In 2022, Ms. Howell was named a Woman of Influence by the Los Angeles Business Journal. She is actively involved in the firm’s recruiting and training initiatives and serves on the Los Angeles office’s Recruiting Committee. She also maintains an active pro bono practice focused on nonprofits and small businesses and serves as transactional pro bono coordinator in the firm’s Los Angeles office. In recognition of her substantial contributions to public interest work through pro bono legal services, she received the 2018 Pro Bono Award from UCLA School of Law.