Capital Markets

Expert Analysis

• How Newly Broadened Venezuela Sanctions Affect Securities

  

  The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently amended the general licenses that authorize dealings in bonds and securities otherwise prohibited by U.S. sanctions on Venezuela — apparently to target parties that would facilitate transactions between Petróleos de Venezuela SA securities holders and blocked individuals, say attorneys at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

• Maker-Taker Fees In A Fragmented Equity Market

  

  Competing U.S. equity exchanges attract liquidity by offering rebates to orders that make liquidity, and charging fees to orders that take liquidity, which may distort brokers’ incentives against their fiduciary duty. Such maker-taker fees are likely to attract further scrutiny from regulators and courts, say Ilan Guedj and Zhong Zhang of Bates White LLC.

• SEC Should Revisit Its Special Purpose Acquisition Co. Regs

  

  Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has removed some roadblocks to capital formation, it has not taken a fresh look at special purpose acquisition companies in over a decade — leaving operating companies that go public by merging with SPACs saddled with unnecessary restrictions, says Carol Anne Huff of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

• Fresh Takes On Seeking Costs And Fees Under Rule 45

  

  Recent case law reveals that courts vary widely in their approaches to shifting the costs and fees incurred in responding to a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45 subpoena. Nonparties responding to such requests should consider certain district court trends, say attorneys at Pepper Hamilton LLP.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Smith Camp Reviews 'Echo Of Its Time'

  

  "Echo of Its Time" is the story of Nebraska’s federal district court from statehood in 1867 to the demise of Prohibition in 1933. Professors John Wunder and Mark Scherer have written an objective, unsentimental and insightful history, layered with context and rich in character study, says U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp of the District of Nebraska.

• Securities Class Action Filings Show No Signs Of Abating

  

  The number of securities class action filings has remained high over the last year, and this trend is likely to continue, particularly if the markets remain volatile. But the good news for corporate America is that the number of dismissals also appears to be increasing, say attorneys at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

• Momentive Disrupts Intercreditor Agreements And Reorgs

  

  The Momentive decision in the Southern District of New York, which warned against allowing senior secured creditors to “completely disable debtors from restructuring” and “scavenge on all assets in bird’s-eye view,” may have the unintended consequence of doing just that, say Adam Shiff and Shai Schmidt of Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP.

• The Role Of Data Analytics In Mass Torts

  

  Lawyers involved in a mass tort must make difficult decisions concerning the potential size of the claimant pool, the expected percentage of qualifying cases, the likelihood of a settlement and more. Data analytics can help guide mass tort strategies and yield better outcomes, say Deb Zonies and Mark Zabel of litigation support services provider Verus LLC.

• Guest Feature

  'The Mooch' Talks Mayhem, Con Law, Lessons From Harvard

  

  Anthony Scaramucci is probably best known for the 11 days he spent as White House director of communications in 2017. But when White and Williams LLP attorney Randy Maniloff sat down to chat with "the Mooch," he was interested in hearing a different story.

• Why Proper Document Redaction May Be An Ethical Duty

  

  Paul Manafort's attorneys recently filed a court document containing incompletely redacted information, highlighting the need for attorneys to become competent at redaction — or at least at verifying that redaction has been performed correctly. Failure to do either could be construed as legal malpractice, says Byeongsook Seo of Snell & Wilmer LLP.