Mergers & Acquisitions

Expert Analysis

• Cloud Computing Clearly The Future For Small Firms

  

  While in-house technology investments on the scale and complexity needed to compete with large firms remain cost prohibitive for small and midsize law firms, cloud-based services offer significant cost savings and productivity gains with little to no capital investment, says Holly Urban of Effortless Legal LLC.

• 10 Best Practices For Due Diligence In AI Transactions

  

  When approaching M&A, investments and other transactions associated with artificial intelligence, we must take into consideration the nature of the technology today, the anticipated technological developments and the evolving legal landscape, say Lee Tiedrich and Daniel Gurman of Covington & Burling LLP.

• Key Trends In Midstream Oil And Gas Deals: Part 2

  

  A deep dive into data on deal terms in midstream oil and gas acquisition agreements reveals significant insights on “what’s market” and what's not in such deals. As compared to a broad cross-section of agreements across industries, the midstream M&A acquisition agreements studied generally allocated more of the risks — especially unknown risks — to buyers, says Greg Krafka of Winstead PC.

• Leveraging Today's Lateral Associate Market

  

  With the Milbank/Cravath pay scale once again equalizing compensation at many Am Law 100 firms, there is even more pressure for firms to differentiate themselves to top lateral associate candidates. This presents strategic considerations for both law firms and lateral candidates throughout the recruitment process, says Darin Morgan of Major Lindsey & Africa.

• Key Trends In Midstream Oil And Gas Deals: Part 1

  

  The Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Studies prepared by the American Bar Association’s Business Law Section have been a key resource for M&A attorneys for over a decade. In this two-part article, Greg Krafka of Winstead PC examines data from the most recent study and other sources to systematically identify “what’s market” concerning deal terms in midstream oil and gas acquisition agreements.

• New UK And US Regimes May Deter Foreign Investment

  

  Newly proposed U.K. rules and the amended regime for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States will radically change how the two governments review sensitive transactions, which will affect the likelihood of deal clearance, deal timing and the drafting of appropriate contractual provisions, say Robert Bell and Jennifer Mammen of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.

• Q&A

  Back To School: Stanford's Jeff Fisher Talks Supreme Court

  

  In this series featuring law school luminaries, Stanford Law School professor Jeffrey Fisher discusses his motivation for teaching, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and what the court might look like if Judge Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed.

• What We Heard At The FTC Hearings: Day 1

  

  Last week, the Federal Trade Commission began a series of public hearings on competition and consumer protection issues. Attorneys with Perkins Coie LLP offer some key takeaways from the three panel discussions.

• Calif.'s New Rules For Lawyers Move Closer To ABA Model

  

  The first comprehensive overhaul of California's Rules of Professional Conduct in nearly 30 years becomes operational on Nov. 1. Some of the new rules mirror the model language used by the American Bar Association, but many continue to reflect California’s unique approach to certain ethical questions, says Mark Loeterman of Signature Resolution LLC.

• Analyzing Chancery Decisions On Long-Term Growth Rates

  

  The selection of a long-term growth rate is one of the key assumptions made when performing a discounted cash flow analysis in business valuation cases. Decisions from recent years illustrate a consistent pattern in the Delaware Chancery Court's growth rate determinations, say Toby Reiff and Josh Reder of Stout Risius Ross LLC.