Mergers & Acquisitions

Expert Analysis

• Q&A

  A Chat With Gilead Sciences Legal Ops Leader Gary Tully

  

  In this monthly series, legal recruiting experts from Major Lindsey & Africa interview legal industry leaders about the increasingly competitive business environment. Here, Rod Osborne talks with Gary Tully, head of legal operations at Gilead Sciences.

• Series

  Why I Became A Lawyer: Completing The Journey Home

  

  My mother's connection to her Native American heritage had a major influence on my career — my decision to enter the legal profession was driven by the desire to return to my tribal community and help it in any way I could, says Jason Hauter of Akin Gump.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Wood Reviews 'The Making Of A Justice'

  

  Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' new book, "The Making of a Justice," is required reading for anyone interested in 20th and 21st century America, says Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Wood.

• Activist Investors And The Evolving Role Of Directors

  

  Recent developments between Arconic and activist investor Elliott exemplify the need for directors to be more informed and involved on the day-to-day operations of a company — and less reliant on, and more skeptical of, management, say Morton Pierce and Michelle Rutta of White & Case.

• To Guard Against Waiving Privilege, Don't CC The Boss

  

  Argos Holdings v. Wilmington Trust, a recent New York federal court opinion, cautions that attorneys and companies should not simply assume that privileged communications may be shared with a company’s owner or affiliates without waiving attorney-client privilege, even when the company’s and the owner’s interests are completely aligned, say attorneys at Katten Muchin.

• Getting Out Of Legal Project Management Debt

  

  If a client does not demand the application of project management techniques at the start of a matter, or a law firm does not routinely apply them, it is highly likely that additional, avoidable work — legal project management debt — will materialize throughout the matter, says Anthony Widdop of Shearman & Sterling.

• 6 Ways To Keep Your Jury From Zoning Out

  

  Science suggests that at least some jurors pay attention to less than 65% of the evidence during a trial due to "task-unrelated thoughts," but there are steps attorneys can take to present information in a more engaging, cognition-friendly fashion, say Dennis Stolle and Dennis Devine of Barnes & Thornburg.

• Pitfalls To Avoid As Cannabis M&A Takes Off

  

  Although 2019 is shaping up to be a banner year for mergers and acquisitions in the cannabis industry, parties must be mindful of the particular challenges of these deals, such as often contradictory regulatory regimes, significant stock price volatility and inflated valuation metrics, says John Bessonette of Kramer Levin.

• 5 Myths In Legal Crisis Communications

  

  Having worked at a boutique law firm, a crisis communications agency and in BigLaw, I have identified a number of common misconceptions across these disparate business models when it comes to crisis and litigation communications, says Robert Gemmill of Hogan Lovells.

• How Del. High Court Sees Discussion Vs. Negotiation In M&A

  

  Although there is still no bright-line test, last month's Delaware Supreme Court decision in Olenik v. Lodzinski clarified the difference between “preliminary discussions” and “negotiations” for purposes of the requirement set forth in the 2014 case Kahn v. M&F Worldwide, say attorneys at Fried Frank.