Mergers & Acquisitions

  • May 06, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    A record $100 million settlement, a fishy Facebook decision, a canceled Amazon delivery and an upended $7.3 billion sale dispute topped the news out of Delaware's Court of Chancery last week. There were also new cases involving Hess, Microsoft and the 2022 World Cup.

  • May 06, 2024

    Clifford Chance Continues 2024 Growth In New York, Houston

    Clifford Chance continued its recent aggressive expansion by growing its Houston and New York offices with two attorneys specializing in energy, taxation and mergers and acquisitions, bringing the firm's lateral hires up to 10 attorneys in 2024.

  • May 06, 2024

    Trump Media Hires Auditor To Replace Firm Accused Of Fraud

    Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. has hired a new auditor, replacing its predecessor firm, which was permanently suspended by securities regulators Friday for alleged "massive fraud" regarding its work with hundreds of clients, according to a filing Monday.

  • May 06, 2024

    Synopsys Selling Software Biz To PE Firms In $2.1B Deal

    Software firm Synopsys Inc. on Monday announced that it is selling its Software Integrity Group business to private equity firms Clearlake Capital Group LP and Francisco Partners for up to $2.1 billion in a deal built by three firms.

  • May 06, 2024

    Orrick Adds 7-Atty M&A Team From Shearman Italian Arm

    The former head of Studio Legale Associato Shearman & Sterling LLP's Italian mergers and acquisitions practice joined Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP's M&A and private equity team in Milan, the firm announced Monday.

  • May 06, 2024

    Perficient Stock Soars On $3B Buyout By EQT Asia Fund

    St. Louis-based digital consultancy Perficient Inc. said it has agreed to be taken private by an affiliate of Swedish private equity firm EQT's Baring Asia Private Equity Fund VIII at an approximately $3 billion enterprise value, a disclosure that sent Perficient's stock soaring more than 50% on Monday.

  • May 06, 2024

    3 Firms Build $6.2B Take-Private Sale Of Allete Energy Biz

    A consortium of buyers led by the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners unveiled plans Monday to buy and take private Minnesota-based energy company Allete Inc., in a $6.2 billion deal put together by at least three firms.

  • May 06, 2024

    Battery Startup Ambri Hits Ch. 11 With Lender Sale Plans

    Massachusetts battery developer Ambri Inc. filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with over $50 million in liabilities and a credit bid stalking horse offer from a group of secured noteholders after fundraising efforts last year fell short.

  • May 03, 2024

    HR Biz Kelly Buys Talent Solutions Co. MRP For Up To $485M

    Human resources consulting services company Kelly, guided by Jasso Lopez PLLC, on Friday unveiled plans to buy BakerHostetler-advised Motion Recruitment Partners LLC from Greenwich, Connecticut-based private investment firm Littlejohn & Co. LLC for up to $485 million, marking Kelly's largest-ever acquisition.

  • May 03, 2024

    Hospital In Novant Merger Beset By Staff Turnover, Court Told

    The Federal Trade Commission and two healthcare companies used witness testimony Friday to paint competing pictures of a North Carolina hospital at the center of a $320 million merger dispute: one in which the hospital has focused on making quality improvements, and another where it's been plagued by poor ratings and high staff turnover.

  • May 03, 2024

    DuPont, Corteva Want 'Schrödinger's Cat' Class Decertified

    DuPont and Corteva Inc. asked a Pennsylvania federal court Friday to undo class certification for former employees who claim they were wrongly denied an "optional retirement" when DuPont de Nemours Inc. and Corteva's parent companies merged and they were spun off, arguing that the two class representatives' claims clash with the rest of the class.

  • May 03, 2024

    Chancery OKs Extra Digging Into Trump Media Share Dispute

    The sponsor of a special-purpose acquisition company that took Donald Trump's social media venture public earlier this year won Delaware Court of Chancery approval Friday to briefly dig deeper into disputed share-exchange terms for the deal, with more than $58 million on the line.

  • May 03, 2024

    Hess-Chevron Merger Hit With Class Disclosure Suit In Del.

    A Hess stockholder sued the energy company in Delaware's Court of Chancery over alleged deal disclosure failures in the proposed $53 billion Chevron-Hess merger, adding to a list of complications that include claims by other energy giants to Hess interests.

  • May 03, 2024

    EU OKs Nippon-US Steel Deal As DOJ Causes Delayed Close

    The European Commission on Friday indicated via an annotation on its merger review page that it has given Nippon Steel's controversial $14.9 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel its unconditional approval, a move that comes just a day after the parties announced the deal would be delayed due to further scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • May 03, 2024

    FTC Requests Additional Info On $16.5B Novo-Catalent Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission is seeking additional information on Novo Holdings' planned $16.5 billion acquisition of pharmaceutical services company Catalent in order to examine whether the blockbuster deal passes antitrust muster, according to a Friday securities filing.

  • May 03, 2024

    Chancery OKs Record-Breaking $100M Pattern Energy Deal

    A $100 million settlement ending state and federal court litigation over Pattern Energy Group Inc.'s $6.1 billion go-private sale in 2020 got the nod from Delaware's Court of Chancery on Friday, along with a requested $26 million fee award and two $25,000 incentive awards for the lead shareholder plaintiffs.

  • May 03, 2024

    Ex-Willkie Atty To Lead New Paul Weiss Latin America Practice

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP said Friday it has launched a Latin America practice to be led by a former longtime Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner.

  • May 03, 2024

    Tech Security Firm Founder Sues Buyer For Legal Fees In Del.

    The founder of security and information technology service venture Counter Threat Solutions sued the company that acquired it for legal fee advancement in Delaware's Court of Chancery, after accusing the buyer in a Delaware Superior Court suit of fabricating post-closing indemnity claims and refusing to honor payment terms.

  • May 03, 2024

    Debevoise, Davis Polk Guide Windstream, Uniti Merger

    Uniti Group Inc., advised by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, on Friday unveiled plans to merge with Debevoise & Plimpton LLP-led telephone service company Windstream Holdings II LLC in a deal that includes a $425 million cash component, $575 million in preferred equity and a minority share in common equity of the combined company.

  • May 03, 2024

    SEC Fines Trump Media's Audit Firm For 'Massive Fraud'

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said on Friday that it has fined and permanently suspended the public accounting firm of former President Donald Trump's social media company for allegedly running a "sham auditing mill" by failing to meet industry standards in reviewing the financial statements of hundreds of clients.

  • May 03, 2024

    Exxon Closes $60B Pioneer Purchase After FTC Agreement

    Exxon Mobil Corp. said Friday that it has closed its $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, one day after the Federal Trade Commission gave the oil giant a conditional green light to move ahead with the deal. 

  • May 03, 2024

    US Investors Make $835M Offer For Swedish Legal Info Biz

    The board of Swedish professional information services provider Karnov Group said Friday that it is backing a 9.06 billion Swedish kronor ($835 million) takeover offer from U.S. investment firms Greenoaks Capital Partners LLC and Long Path Partners LP.

  • May 02, 2024

    Whistleblower Claims Would 'Destroy' Autonomy, GC Was Told

    Autonomy's former U.S. general counsel testified Thursday in the criminal fraud trial of former CEO Michael Lynch that the company's chief operating officer didn't want a whistleblower's claims to get into court, telling him that while the "law" was on their side, "the facts look bad" and would "destroy Autonomy."

  • May 02, 2024

    DOJ Wants More Info On Controversial US Steel-Nippon Deal

    U.S. Steel revealed Thursday it has received a second request for information from the U.S. Department of Justice about its controversial plan to be sold to Japan's Nippon Steel Corp., but it said the deal is on track to be completed in the second half of this year. 

  • May 02, 2024

    Masimo Hit With Derivative Suit Over Audio Co. Acquisition

    The top brass at medical device company Masimo Corp. has been hit with a shareholder derivative action claiming they harmed the company and "confused" investors by pushing through a $1 billion acquisition of an audio equipment company, allegedly causing a steep drop in stock prices and a $5.1 billion market capitalization loss.

Expert Analysis

  • 6 Pointers For Attys To Build Trust, Credibility On Social Media

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    In an era of information overload, attorneys can use social media strategically — from making infographics to leveraging targeted advertising — to cut through the noise and establish a reputation among current and potential clients, says Marly Broudie at SocialEyes Communications.

  • 9 Considerations For Divestitures, Carveouts And Spinouts

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    Amid new economic optimism, data protection, transitional services and seven other considerations can help legal practitioners untangle complex divestitures, carveouts and spinouts to unlock value for corporate sellers, say Kimberly Petillo-Décossard and Kristen Rohr at White & Case.

  • A Post-Mortem Analysis Of Stroock's Demise

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    After the dissolution of 147-year-old firm Stroock late last year shook up the legal world, a post-mortem analysis of the data reveals a long list of warning signs preceding the firm’s collapse — and provides some insight into how other firms might avoid the same disastrous fate, says Craig Savitzky at Leopard Solutions.

  • Mitigating The Risk Of Post-Closing M&A Earnout Disputes

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    Today's uncertain deal environment makes a well-crafted earnout an excellent way for parties to accomplish a desired transaction that would not otherwise occur, but transacting parties also need to take key steps to avoid the risk of post-closing disputes that earnouts can present, say Chad Barton and Claire Lydiard at Holland & Knight.

  • Planning For Stymied HSR Filings At FTC If Shutdown Occurs

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    If the government were to shut down in early March, the inability to submit Hart-Scott-Rodino filings with the Federal Trade Commission would grind transactions to a halt, and parties should consider numerous implications as they are negotiating or planning to close pending transactions, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Texas Ruling Clarifies That Bankruptcy Shields LLC Rights

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    A Texas bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in In re: Envision makes it clear that the Bankruptcy Code preempts a section of Delaware state law that terminates a member’s interest in an LLC upon a bankruptcy filing, clarifying conflicting case law, say Larry Halperin and Joon Hong at Chapman and Cutler.

  • Series

    Coaching High School Wrestling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Coaching my son’s high school wrestling team has been great fun, but it’s also demonstrated how a legal career can benefit from certain experiences, such as embracing the unknown, studying the rules and engaging with new people, says Richard Davis at Maynard Nexsen.

  • What To Know About RWI In Acquisition And Divestiture Deals

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    As a slower pace of merger activity turns underwriters toward new industries, representations and warranties insurance policies are increasingly being written for acquisition and divestiture energy deals, making it important for contracting parties to understand how the RWI underwriting process works in this new sector, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • SG's Office Is Case Study To Help Close Legal Gender Gap

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    As women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of the legal profession, law firms could learn from the example set by the Office of the Solicitor General, where culture and workplace policies have helped foster greater gender equality, say attorneys at Ocean Tomo.

  • The Latest Antitrust Areas For In-House Counsel To Watch

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    The U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission's increasingly aggressive approach to antitrust enforcement means in-house counsel should closely monitor five key compliance issues, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Navigating New Regulations In Healthcare And Other M&A

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    While notice requirements recently enacted in several states are focused on the healthcare industry for now, this trend could extend to other industries as these requirements are designed to allow regulators to be a step ahead and learn more about a transaction long before it occurs, say Kathleen Premo and Ashley Creech at Epstein Becker.

  • Aviation Back On Course, But Keep Seat Belts Fastened

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    While the airline industry finally returned to profitability last year for the first time since the onset of COVID-19, and is poised for historic levels of traffic in 2024, supply chain problems and economic and geopolitical uncertainty persist — so more turbulence may lie ahead, say Kevin Lewis and Bart Biggers at Sidley.

  • Del. Dispatch: Clarification On Fiduciary Duties Of Controllers

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    The Delaware Chancery Court’s January opinion in a Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores' stockholder dispute — holding that a controlling stockholder owes the company and minority shareholders some fiduciary duties when selling shares or voting to change the status quo — suggests instances where investors opposing board decisions should tread carefully, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Healthcare Collabs Can Alleviate Labor, Antitrust Challenges

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    Two major challenges facing hospitals and health systems include labor shortages and increased antitrust scrutiny at both federal and state levels, but collaborative efforts may help with addressing these difficulties, says Sumaya Noush at McDermott.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

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    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

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