On March 5, 2019, Lazard Ltd issued a press release announcing the intention of its subsidiary Lazard Group LLC (Lazard Group) to offer one or more series of Lazard Groups senior notes in a registered public offering (the Offering) to Lazard Groups shelf registration statement on Form S-3, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 2, 2017 (Registration No. 333-217599). The March 5, 2019 press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

On March 5, 2019, Lazard Ltd issued a press release announcing that Lazard Group has commenced a cash tender offer (the Tender Offer) for any and all of its outstanding 4.250% Senior Notes due 2020 (the 2020 Notes). The Tender Offer is subject to the conditions described in the offer to purchase and related letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery delivered to the holders of the 2020 Notes on March 5, 2019, including the condition that Lazard Group has received, on terms satisfactory to it in its sole discretion, net proceeds from one or more offerings of senior unsecured notes after March 5, 2019 in an amount sufficient to fund (i) the purchase of all 2020 Notes accepted in the Tender Offer, (ii) the redemption, in accordance with the indenture governing the 2020 Notes, of all 2020 Notes remaining outstanding after the Tender Offer, and (iii) all fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing. The Tender Offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on March 11, 2019, unless extended or terminated earlier by Lazard Group.

To the extent any of the outstanding 2020 Notes are not tendered and accepted in the Tender Offer, Lazard Group currently expects that it will exercise its right to redeem or otherwise retire such notes in accordance with the terms of the indenture governing the 2020 Notes. Lazard Group estimates that it will incur a pre-tax loss on debt extinguishment in connection with the purchase or redemption of any and all of the outstanding 2020 Notes of approximately $7.0 million. The March 5, 2019 press release is attached as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.