Lazard Group LLC $300,000,000 3.625% Senior Notes Due 2027 Underwriting Agreement (this “Agreement”)
Exhibit 1.1
EXECUTION VERSION
Lazard Group LLC
$300,000,000 3.625% Senior Notes Due 2027
(this “Agreement”)
November 1, 2016
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
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▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co.
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Lazard Group LLC, a limited liability company organized under the laws of Delaware (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) $300 million aggregate principal amount of its Senior Notes due 2027 (the “Notes”). Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. are acting as the representatives (the “Representatives”) of the Underwriters in connection with the offering and sale of the Notes. The Notes are to be issued under an indenture, dated as of May 10, 2005 (the “Indenture”), between the Company and The Bank of New York, as trustee, as supplemented by a supplemental indenture, to be dated as of November 4, 2016 (the “Supplemental Indenture”), between the Company and the Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”). In the event only one underwriter is listed in Schedule I hereto, any references in this Agreement to the “Underwriters” shall be deemed to refer to the sole underwriter in the singular form listed in such Schedule I.
For the avoidance of doubt, it shall be understood and agreed by the parties hereto that any and all references in this Agreement to “subsidiaries” of the Company shall be deemed to only include each significant subsidiary of the Company as such term is defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X as promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).
1. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that:
(a) A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-196350) in respect of the Notes has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years
prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, have been declared effective; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or threatened by the Commission (the base prospectus filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date hereof, is hereinafter called the “Basic Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Notes filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto but excluding Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Notes that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Basic Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Notes filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 7(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Basic Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Notes filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated therein, in each case after the date of the Basic Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Notes is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”);
(b) No stop order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement
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of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(c) For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 4:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the date hereof. The Pricing Prospectus as supplemented by the information set forth in Schedule II(a) hereto, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”) as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Schedule II(b) hereto does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(d) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
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(e) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein;
(f) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus; and, since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus, and other than as set forth in the Prospectus, there has not been (i) any change in the capital stock or equity interests of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (ii) except for related party payables, any change in the amount of long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (iii) any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ or members’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Effect”), otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, including the pro forma financial and capitalization information contained therein;
(g) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances and defects except as described in the Pricing Prospectus or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
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(h) The Company (i) has been duly formed and is validly existing as a limited liability company in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with limited liability company power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) has been duly qualified as a foreign company for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or conducts any business so as to require such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing as a foreign corporation would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated or organized and is validly existing in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation or formation, as applicable, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(i) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, and all of the outstanding equity interests of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued; and all of the issued shares of capital stock or equity interests of each subsidiary of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and (except for directors’ qualifying shares and shares or interests in the Paris subsidiaries that are owned by the Company’s French managing directors or other employees of such subsidiaries and except as otherwise set forth or described in the Pricing Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances or claims, except (i) such liens, encumbrances or claims as described in the Pricing Prospectus or (ii) such liens, encumbrances or claims that, individually or in the aggregate, do not materially affect the value of such shares of capital stock or equity interests or otherwise would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(j) The Indenture has been duly and validly authorized and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, constitutes a legal, valid, binding instrument enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (subject, as to the enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity); the Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized and, assuming due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, when executed and delivered by the Company, will constitute a legal, valid, binding instrument enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms (subject, as to the enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity); and the Notes have been duly authorized by the Company and, when the Notes are duly executed, authenticated, issued and delivered as provided herein and in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and
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Supplemental Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters, will have been duly executed and delivered by the Company and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, and will be in the form contemplated by, and will be entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture and the Supplemental Indenture (subject, as to the enforcement of remedies, to applicable bankruptcy, reorganization, insolvency, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally from time to time in effect and to general principles of equity); and the Notes will conform in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus;
(k) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company;
(l) Except as described in the Pricing Prospectus with respect to any actions by Lazard Freres & Co. LLC as an Underwriter, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor any of its controlled Affiliates have taken, directly or indirectly, any action which was designed to or which has constituted or which would reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Notes;
(m) The issuance and sale of the Notes by the Company under the Indenture and hereunder, the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement, the Indenture, the Notes and the Supplemental Indenture (collectively, the “Operative Agreements”) and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and therein will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of (i) any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) the provisions of the Certificate of Formation or Operating Agreement of the Company or (iii) any statute or any order, rule or regulation of, any court or governmental agency or body or any stock exchange authorities (a “Governmental Agency”) having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii), for such violations that would not, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, or qualification of or with any such Governmental Agency (the “Governmental Authorizations”) is required for the issuance and sale of the Notes or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Operative Agreement, except such Governmental Authorizations (A) as have been obtained under the Act, (B) as may be required
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under state securities or blue sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Notes by or for the account of the Underwriters and (C) the failure of which to obtain would not, individually or in the aggregate, materially affect the ability of the Company to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby or reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(n) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any of its constituent documents (other than immaterial violations), or, except for such defaults which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, is in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties may be bound;
(o) The statements set forth in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Description of Notes”, insofar as they purport to constitute a summary of the terms of the Notes, under the caption “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”, and under the caption “Underwriting”, insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are accurate and complete summaries of such provisions in all material respects;
(p) Other than as set forth in the Pricing Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings that, individually or in the aggregate, are reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, are threatened or contemplated by any Governmental Agency or threatened by others;
(q) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is or, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Notes and the application of the proceeds thereof, will be an “investment company”, as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended;
(r) The Company and each of its subsidiaries have all licenses, franchises, permits, authorizations, approvals and orders and other concessions of and from all Governmental Agencies that are necessary to own or lease their other properties and conduct their businesses as described in the Pricing Prospectus, except to the extent that the failure to have or obtain such licenses, franchises, permits, authorizations, approvals and orders would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
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(s) The Company is not a Passive Foreign Investment Company (“PFIC”) within the meaning of Section 1297 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and is not likely to become a PFIC;
(t) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or, to the Company’s knowledge, indirectly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC;
(u) To its knowledge, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries or controlled affiliates does business with the government of Cuba or with any person located in Cuba within the meaning of Section 517.075, Florida Statutes;
(v) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Act) of the Notes, the Company was not an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act;
(w) Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have certified certain consolidated financial statements of the Company, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder;
(x) The Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) is effective and the Company is not aware of any material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting;
(y) The Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) is sufficient to enable the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer to satisfy, in a timely manner, their respective certification obligations under Section 302 of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002;
(z) The Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act; such disclosure controls and procedures have been designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others within those entities; and such disclosure controls and procedures are effective;
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(aa) To its knowledge, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company, except as described in or contemplated in the Pricing Disclosure Package or as required by law, regulation or self-regulatory organization or as would require the consent of a prudential regulator of a subsidiary or as otherwise described by the Company in writing to the Representatives;
(bb) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any applicable governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no material action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened;
(cc) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, authorized agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that violates the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”); and the Company, its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, its affiliates have conducted their businesses in compliance in all material respects with the FCPA and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure continued compliance therewith; and
(dd) The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at a purchase price of 98.919% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest, if any, from November 4, 2016, to the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3(a) hereof), the principal amount of Notes set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule I hereto.
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3. (a) Delivery of and payment for the Notes shall be made at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on November 4, 2016, or at such time on such later date not more than three New York Business Days (as defined in Section 21 hereof) after the foregoing date as the Representatives shall designate, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date being herein called the “Closing Date” and such time of delivery and payment for the Notes on the Closing Date being herein called the “Time of Delivery”). Delivery of the Notes shall be made to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same-day funds to the account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Notes shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct. It is understood and agreed by the parties hereto that no delivery or transfer of Notes to be purchased and sold hereunder at the Time of Delivery shall be effective until and unless payment therefor has been made pursuant hereto and DTC, as applicable, the Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters at such Time of Delivery certificates and other evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives of the execution in favor of the Underwriters of the book-entry transfer of Notes, to the custodian for DTC.
(b) The documents to be delivered at the Time of Delivery by or on behalf of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the cross-receipt for the Notes and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 7(a) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Cravath, Swaine & ▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ (the “Closing Location”), and the Notes will be delivered as specified in Section 3(a) above, all at the Time of Delivery. Final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the preceding sentence will be made available for review by the parties hereto at the Closing Location on the New York Business Day next preceding the Closing Date.
4. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:
(a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by the Representatives, and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery that is disapproved by the Representatives promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise the Representatives promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus
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or any amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish the Representatives copies thereof; to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Notes; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Notes, of the suspension of the qualification of the Notes for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, promptly to use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Notes by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement);
(b) If required by Rule 430B under the Act, to prepare a form of prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such form of prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than may be required by Rule 424(b) under the Act; and to make no further amendment or supplement to such form of prospectus which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof;
(c) Promptly from time to time to take such action as the Representatives may reasonably request to qualify the Notes for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Notes; provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction or subject itself to taxation for doing business in any jurisdiction;
(d) Prior to 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second New York Business Day next succeeding the date hereof and from time to time, to furnish the
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Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Notes and if at such time any events shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the Prospectus in order to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act, to notify you and upon your request to file such document and prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) in connection with sales of any of the Notes at any time nine months or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many written and electronic copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;
(e) To cooperate with the Representatives and use its reasonable best efforts to permit the Notes to be eligible for clearance and settlement through DTC;
(f) Until the Closing Date not to, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, offer, sell or contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction which is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company or any person in privity with the Company or any Affiliate of the Company (other than the Underwriters as to whom the Company makes no covenant)), directly or indirectly, or announce the offering of, any debt securities issued or guaranteed by the Company (other than the Notes);
(g) Use the net proceeds received from the sale of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”;
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(h) On or substantially concurrently with the Closing Date, to provide written confirmation (with email being an acceptable form of written confirmation) that a notice of redemption shall have been given with respect to all of the Company’s outstanding 6.850% Senior Notes due 2017, issued under the indenture dated May 10, 2005 (as amended and supplemented) between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York), as trustee; and
(i) Except as described in the Pricing Prospectus with respect to any actions by Lazard Freres & Co. LLC as an Underwriter, not to (and to cause the Company’s subsidiaries not to) take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which constitutes or which would reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company or facilitate the sale or resale of the Notes.
5. (a) The Company represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Notes that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Notes that would constitute a free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; any such free writing prospectus the use of which has been consented to by the Company and the Representatives is listed on Schedule II hereto;
(b) The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending; and
(c) The Company agrees that if at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus any event occurred or occurs as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus would conflict with the information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then prevailing, not misleading, the Company will give prompt notice thereof to the Representatives and, if requested by the Representatives, will prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or other document which will correct such conflict, statement or omission; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply to any statements or omissions in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
6. The Company covenants and agrees with the several Underwriters that the Company will pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in connection with the offering of the
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Notes and all other expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the cost of printing or producing any agreement among Underwriters, this Agreement, the blue sky memorandum (if any), closing documents (including compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering, purchase, sale and delivery of the Notes; (iii) all reasonable expenses in connection with the qualification of the Notes for offering and sale under state securities laws as provided in Section 4(c) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the blue sky and legal investment surveys (if any); (iv) any fees charged by securities rating services for the rating of the Notes; (v) the cost of preparing the Notes; (vi) the reasonable fees and expenses of the Trustee and any agent of the Trustee and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Supplemental Indenture and the Notes; and (vii) all other reasonable costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section. It is understood, however, that except as provided in this Section 6, and Sections 8 and 11 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Notes by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder as to the Notes to be delivered at the Time of Delivery shall be subject to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 7(a) hereof; all material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time period prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;
(b) ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have furnished to you such written statement, opinion or opinions, dated as of the Closing Date, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Notes, the Indenture, the
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Supplemental Indenture, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus as well as such other related matters as you may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters;
(c) Cravath, Swaine & ▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Company and its subsidiaries, shall have furnished to you their written opinion (in the form set forth in Annex II(a) hereto), dated as of the Closing Date;
(d) ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, Esq., General Counsel of the Company, shall have furnished to you his written opinion (in the form set forth in Annex II(b) hereto), dated as of the Closing Date;
(e) On the date hereof and at the Closing Date, Deloitte & Touche LLP shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof (in the form set forth in Annex I(a) and Annex I(b) hereto, as applicable);
(f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Pricing Prospectus there shall not have been (a) any change in the capital stock or equity interests or of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, (b) except for related party payables any change in the amount of long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or (c) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders’ or members’ equity or results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case described in clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the Representatives so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Notes on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto);
(g) On or after the Applicable Time (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded to the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock (if any) by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s debt securities or preferred stock (if any);
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(h) On or after the Applicable Time there shall not have occurred any of the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange; (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in Lazard Ltd’s securities on the New York Stock Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities in New York declared by the relevant authorities, or a material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States; (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of a national emergency or war; or (v) the occurrence of any other calamity or crisis or any change in financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or controls in the United States, if the effect of any such event specified in clause (iv) or (v) in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the Notes on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto); and
(i) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to you at the Time of Delivery certificates of officers of the Company reasonably satisfactory to you as to the accuracy in all respects (in the case of any representation containing any materiality qualification) and in all material respects (in the case of any representation that does not contain any materiality qualification) of the representations and warranties of the Company herein at and as of the Time of Delivery, as to the performance in all material respects by the Company of all of its respective obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to the Time of Delivery, and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request, and the Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished certificates as to the matters set forth in subsections (f) and (g) of this Section 7, and as to such other matters as you may reasonably request.
8. (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim,
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damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein.
(b) Each Underwriter will, severally and not jointly, indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to be stated therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or any amendment thereto, or supplement or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (which shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the
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settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
(d) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, from the offering of the Notes. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed to give the notice required under subsection (c) above, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Notes purchased under this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total financial benefit received by the Underwriters from the offering of the Notes purchased under this Agreement. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, on the one hand, or the Underwriters, on the other, and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Notes underwritten by
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it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.
(e) The obligations of the Company under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer Affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act.
9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Notes which it has agreed to purchase hereunder, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Notes on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Notes, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Notes on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Notes, or the Company notifies you that they have so arranged for the purchase of such Notes, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Notes.
(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Notes of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Notes which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all of the Notes to be purchased at the Time of Delivery, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Notes which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number of Notes which such Underwriter agreed to purchase
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hereunder) of the Notes of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Notes of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such Notes which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all of the Notes to be purchased, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Notes of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default.
10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Notes.
11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but, if for any other reason any Notes are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Notes not so delivered, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter in respect of the Notes not so delivered except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof.
12. (a) In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement made or given by the Representatives.
(b) All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the Representatives at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: General Counsel, facsimile number: ▇▇ (▇▇▇) ▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇ and at ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co., ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: Registration Department; and if to the Company shall be delivered or
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sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: General Counsel. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
(c) In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided herein, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Notes from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.
14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement.
15. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Notes pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that any of the Underwriters has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
16. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters, or any of them, on the other, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
17. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
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18. The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
19. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.
20. The Company is authorized, subject to applicable law, to disclose any and all aspects of this potential transaction that are necessary to support any U.S. federal income tax benefits expected to be claimed with respect to such transaction, and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) related to those benefits, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind.
21. The terms which follow, when used in this Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“Affiliate” shall have the meaning specified in Rule 501(b) of Regulation D under the Act.
“New York Business Day” shall mean each Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking institutions in New York City are generally authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us five counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
Very truly yours,
| Lazard Group LLC | ||||
| By: | /s/ Matthieu Bucaille | |||
| Name: | Matthieu Bucaille | |||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
Accepted as of the date hereof:
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | ||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. | ||||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Name: | ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |||
| Title: | Vice President | |||
| Acting on behalf of themselves and as Representatives of the several Underwriters | ||||
[Signature Page to the Underwriting Agreement]