Asset Management

Expert Analysis

• Assessing SPAC Risk After SEC Pumps Brakes On Market

  

  The current lull in special purpose acquisition company activity following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent risk advisories offers SPAC parties an opportunity to ramp up due diligence on targets and to evaluate prior accounting of warrants to ensure regulatory compliance, say Julie Copeland and Ellen Graper at StoneTurn.

• Virus-Related Chancery Rulings Show High Bar For M&A Exits

  

  Two recent Delaware Chancery Court decisions concerning attempts to cancel acquisitions amid COVID-19 show the importance of deal language in the pandemic era, particularly where material adverse effect and ordinary course covenants are concerned, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

• Judge's Rebuke Of Mass. AG Has Lessons For All Attorneys

  

  A Massachusetts federal judge’s recent rebuke of the state Attorney General’s Office for refusing to respond to discovery requests in Alliance for Automotive Innovation v. Healey highlights six important considerations for attorneys who want to avoid the dreaded benchslap, say Alison Eggers and Dallin Wilson at Seyfarth.  

• Font Considerations To Give Your Legal Briefs An Edge

  

  Following the D.C. Circuit’s recent notice discouraging use of the font Garamond in legal briefs, Jason Steed at Kilpatrick looks at typeface requirements and preferences in appellate courts across the country, and how practitioners can score a few extra brief-writing points with typography.

• Make Profitability Management Part Of Your Law Firm Culture

  

  As the legal industry continues to change in the post-pandemic world, law firms should adapt to client demands by constantly measuring and managing the profitability of their services, says Joseph Altonji at LawVision.

• Outsourcing Proxy Voting Is Still A Concern After SEC Rule

  

  Although robo-voting has modestly declined since the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission finalized its proxy voting rule last summer, the SEC should ensure asset managers don’t wholly outsource their voting responsibilities to proxy advisers, and should consider disabling the practice outright, says Tim Doyle at Guidepost Strategies.

• Eaton Vance Fund Ruling Shows Perils Of Defensive Bylaws

  

  In light of a Massachusetts court's recent ruling in Eaton Vance Senior Income Trust v. Saba Capital Master Fund, reaffirming fund shareholders' voting rights, trustees and advisers should proceed cautiously when implementing bylaws that make it harder for shareholders to exercise those rights, says Aaron Morris at Barr Law.

• 4 Trends In Discoverability Of Litigation Funding Documents

  

  Recent rulings shed light on how courts and international arbitration tribunals decide if litigation funding materials are discoverable and reaffirm best practices that attorneys should follow when communicating with funders, say Justin Maleson at Longford Capital and Michele Slachetka and Christian Plummer at Jenner & Block.

• High Court's AMG Ruling Could Hinder FDA Enforcement

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in AMG Capital v. Federal Trade Commission, limiting the agency's ability to seek equitable monetary relief under the FTC Act, will likely also restrain the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's authority under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, due to similarities between the laws, say Joshua Oyster and Jenna McCarthy at Ropes & Gray.

• W.Va. Consumer Law Changes Offer Help For Finance Cos.

  

  New amendments to the West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act will help businesses in the state, particularly in the financial services industry, by better defining the process for presuit notice and opportunity to cure, and by making it easier to recover attorney fees, say Andrew Narod and Jared Searls at Bradley Arant.

• 7 Lessons For Young Lawyers Starting Their Careers

  

  This year's law graduates and other young attorneys must recognize that the practice of law tests and rewards different skills and characteristics than law school, and that what makes a lawyer valuable changes over time, says Vernon Winters, retired partner at Sidley.

• How Justices' AMG Ruling Affects Privacy And Cybersecurity

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling in AMG Capital Management v. Federal Trade Commission removes the regulator's ability to seek monetary damages that discouraged privacy and cybersecurity breaches, and as a result, companies should reassess their exposure in these areas, say attorneys at Orrick.

• Archegos Fallout Is A Wake-Up Call For Banks

  

  Billions in bank losses related to the recent collapse of Archegos Capital Management point to bank risk management and compliance deficiencies, and highlight several steps brokerages should take to avoid exposure next time a family office customer blows up, say consultants at StoneTurn.

• High Court Blow To FTC Restitution Could Be Temporary

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to roll back the Federal Trade Commission's power to seek monetary relief in AMG Capital will likely be met with legislative action to restore the agency's authority, or efforts to obtain restitution in other ways, say Bruce Hoffman and Nico Banks at Cleary.

• Opinion

  Justices Should Clarify Securities Fraud Loss Causation

  

  At its May conference, the U.S. Supreme Court should agree to review BofI Securities Litigation, to clear up a circuit split on how to assess loss causation in securities fraud cases, as shareholder class actions increasingly focus on external events that led to a stock drop, says Lyle Roberts at Shearman & Sterling.