Mergers & Acquisitions

  • May 28, 2024

    Autonomy Founder Says HP 'Panicked,' Tried To Unwind Deal

    Autonomy founder Michael Lynch testified Tuesday in a California federal criminal trial over claims he conned HP into overpaying for his company that HP's board "panicked" after news of the acquisition leaked and HP's stock dropped 20%, that HP fired its CEO and that it attempted to back out of the deal.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Finds Ex-CEO Owed $79M For Share Lockup Losses

    The former CEO of a 3D building imaging company is owed more than $79 million in damages in his share value suit against the company, but not the more than $141 million he sought, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Consumers, Advertisers Seek Class Cert. Against Meta

    Advertisers and consumers suing Facebook owner Meta Platforms Inc. over allegations of monopolizing the online social media advertising market and misusing users' data in the process have told the California federal court overseeing their claims that they believe it's time for the proposed classes to be certified.

  • May 28, 2024

    J&J To Pay $1.25B For Global Rights To Eczema Treatment

    Johnson & Johnson has agreed to buy the rights to an experimental treatment for eczema from Baker McKenzie-advised Numab Therapeutics for approximately $1.25 billion, the companies announced on Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    Twitter Investors Seek Cert Over Musk's Backtrack On Buyout

    A group of Twitter investors have asked a California federal judge to certify a class over claims Elon Musk fraudulently tweeted about the social media company's alleged bot problem to get out of his $44 billion acquisition, arguing that the case is "perfectly suited for class certification."

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Tosses Some Computing Co. Deal Breach Claims

    Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday thinned out the tangled technology investor brawl that emerged from Quantum Computing Inc.'s acquisition of QPhoton LLC in May 2022, dismissing individual parties from the case and narrowing claims against the two companies.

  • May 28, 2024

    Chevron Confident As Hess Shareholders Approve $53B Deal

    Hess Corp. said Tuesday it has received the necessary stockholder approvals to close its $53 billion sale to Chevron Corp., as Chevron separately expressed confidence that it will prevail in an ongoing dispute with Exxon Mobil Corp. and wrap up the regulatory process soon.

  • May 28, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware Court of Chancery watchers shifted their focus last week from the courtroom to Dover's legislative hall, as proposed amendments to Delaware's corporate code were finally introduced to state lawmakers. Hearings, decisions and reversals involved Kraft-Heinz, AMC Entertainment and the merger of cryptocurrency companies BitGo and Galaxy. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Chancery Court.  

  • May 28, 2024

    Kroger, Albertsons Must Give FTC Texts, Written Notes

    Claims from a pair of multibillion-dollar grocery giants that a discovery request will pose financial burden held no sway over a Federal Trade Commission in-house judge who last week ordered Kroger and Albertsons to produce text messages and handwritten notes from key employees as part of the agency's merger challenge.

  • May 28, 2024

    Biz Groups Back BofA In Merger Interest Tax Fight At 4th Circ.

    Business groups told the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday that they supported Bank of America in its fight against a North Carolina federal court ruling that found the bank wasn't entitled to net the interest on the tax liabilities of Merrill Lynch after the two companies merged.

  • May 28, 2024

    TransDigm Buys Fellow Aerospace Biz In $655M Cash Deal

    Aerospace company TransDigm Inc., advised by BakerHostetler, on Tuesday unveiled plans to acquire Vedder Price PC-led Raptor Scientific for $655 million in cash.

  • May 28, 2024

    EEX, Nasdaq Power Offer EU Fixes For Deal

    European Energy Exchange AG and Nasdaq have offered fixes for potential competition concerns raised by the planned sale of Nasdaq's European power trading and clearing business after enforcers in several European member states referred the deal for a review.

  • May 28, 2024

    Del. Justices Say Interest Includes Prejudgment Interest

    Delaware's top court ruled Tuesday that accrued interest on judgments must include prejudgment interest, in a ruling on a $36 million Delaware Superior Court jury verdict in February 2023 favoring institutional broker-adviser LCT Capital in a merger services dispute with NGL Energy Partners.

  • May 28, 2024

    V&E, Sidley Austin Build $3.25B Sale Of WTG Midstream

    Vinson & Elkins LLP-advised Energy Transfer on Tuesday announced plans to purchase privately held midstream company WTG Midstream, advised by Sidley Austin LLP, in a deal valued at roughly $3.25 billion.

  • May 28, 2024

    Holland & Knight Adds BCLP Corporate Pro, Marine Veteran

    Holland & Knight LLP is continuing its corporate practice growth with the addition of a Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP counsel and U.S. Marine Corps veteran in New York, the firm announced on Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    OpenText Says Excess Insurer Can't Join Merger Spat

    OpenText urged a Michigan federal court to keep an excess insurer out of a coverage dispute stemming from an underlying class action over the software company's merger with Covisint, arguing that the insurer's reasons behind wanting to intervene are speculative and unripe.

  • May 28, 2024

    Energy Capital Raises $6.7B, Inks $2.6B Atlantica Acquisition

    Energy Capital Partners has amassed $6.7 billion for its latest fund and co-investment vehicle and has also struck an agreement to buy Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure for $2.6 billion, according to statements Tuesday. 

  • May 28, 2024

    Chancery Speeds Microsoft Query Over $68.7B Activision Deal

    Microsoft Corp. is entitled to a quick court declaration on whether its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. in October was valid, and a pension fund shareholder that challenged the deal has a right to be involved in the process, Delaware's Court of Chancery said Tuesday.

  • May 28, 2024

    CSG Ups Bid For Vista's Sporting Biz To $1.96B

    Vista Outdoor Inc. on Tuesday announced that Czech defense company Czechoslovak Group AS increased its offer to purchase Vista's sporting products division to $1.96 billion, while the outdoor products company also noted it had rejected a $3 billion takeover bid from Dallas-based investment firm MNC Capital.

  • May 28, 2024

    Cleary, DLA Piper Steer T-Mobile's $4.4B UScellular Purchase

    T-Mobile has agreed to buy United States Cellular Corp.'s wireless operations for $4.4 billion, including debt, in a deal that T-Mobile said on Tuesday will give customers "much needed choice" and provide "more real competition across the wireless industry."

  • May 28, 2024

    Baker McKenzie Adds M&A, Private Equity Head From O'Melveny

    Baker McKenzie said Tuesday it has hired the head of the mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices from O'Melveny & Myers LLP to serve as the new co-head of its transactional group in New York.

  • May 28, 2024

    White & Case Guides ABN Amro On €672M German Bank Buy

    Dutch lender ABN Amro said Tuesday that it plans to a buy German private bank for €672 million ($730 million) in a move to become one of the largest providers of banking services to wealthy clients in Germany.

  • May 24, 2024

    Live Nation Ticket Buyers Follow Feds With Antitrust Suit

    Live Nation and Ticketmaster were hit with a consumer antitrust proposed class action Thursday accusing them of monopolizing concert promotion and ticketing for major concert venues following their 2010 merger, which comes on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice's own lawsuit.

  • May 24, 2024

    Ousted Publishing CEO Not Satisfied With Say In Potential Sale

    The ousted CEO of the publisher behind the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Toledo Blade isn't dropping his case against his family's newspaper empire just because he won his bid to weigh in on the company's potential sale, his attorney told an Ohio state court judge Friday, who compared the conflict to a messy divorce.

  • May 24, 2024

    Biden's Judicial Impact And What's Left On The Wish List

    President Joe Biden secured confirmation of his 200th federal judge Wednesday and has transformed the judiciary by picking more women and people of color than any other president. But the upcoming election season could derail his hopes of confirming many more judges.

Expert Analysis

  • Comparing Corporate Law In Delaware, Texas And Nevada

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    With Elon Musk's recent decision to reincorporate his companies outside of Delaware, and with more businesses increasingly considering Nevada and Texas as corporate homes, attorneys at Baker Botts look at each jurisdiction's foundation of corporate law, and how the differences can make each more or less appealing based on a corporation's needs.

  • Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease

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    This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.

  • Opinion

    Aviation Watch: Not All Airline Mergers Hurt The Public

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's actions to block recent attempted airline mergers have been touted as serving the interests of the consumers — but given the realities of the deregulated air travel market, a tie-up like the one proposed between JetBlue and Spirit might have been a win for the public, says Alan Hoffman, a retired attorney and aviation expert.

  • The Merger Cases That Will Matter At ABA Antitrust Meeting

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    While the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week will cover all types of competition law issues in the U.S. and abroad, expect the federal agencies' recent track record in merger enforcement to be a key area of focus on the official panels and in cocktail party chatter, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Calif. Verdict Showcases SEC's New 'Shadow Trading' Theory

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    Last week's insider trading verdict, delivered against biopharmaceutical executive Matthew Panuwat by a California federal jury, signals open season on a new area of regulatory enforcement enabled by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's shadow trading theory, say Perrie Weiner and Aaron Goodman at Baker McKenzie.

  • Climate Disclosure Mandates Demand A Big-Picture Approach

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    As carbon emissions disclosure requirements from the European Union, California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission take effect, the best practice for companies is not targeted compliance with a given reporting regime, but rather a comprehensive approach to systems assessment and management, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Series

    Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.

  • Considerations For Evaluating IP Risks In Cannabis M&A

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    Due to the patchwork of state cannabis laws in the U.S., investors and businesses acquiring intellectual property must assess whether a trademark portfolio possesses any vulnerabilities, such as marks that are considered attractive to children or third-party claims of trademark infringement, say Mary Shapiro and Nicole Katsin at Evoke Law.

  • A Snapshot Of The Evolving Restrictive Covenant Landscape

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    Rachael Martinez and Brooke Bahlinger at Foley highlight recent trends in the hotly contested regulation and enforcement of noncompetition and related nonsolicitation covenants, and provide guidance on drafting such provisions within the context of stand-alone employment agreements and merger or acquisition transactions.

  • For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill

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    A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Private Capital Considerations Amid Market Revival

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    As improved market conditions position traditional financing to regain lost market share, it's also worth considering the pace and structure of private credit and other forms of private capital, especially when seeking to set unique terms or build new corporate relationships, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Opinion

    Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea

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    A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.

  • 4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best

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    As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.

  • Flexibility Is Key In Hybrid Capital Investment Strategies

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    Flexible or hybrid capital funds have become a solution for some owners adverse to private debt or requiring short-term capital support not otherwise available in the market, but the complexity and possible range of structures available means that principals need to consider how they may work in different scenarios and outcomes, says Daniel Mathias at Cohen Gresser.

  • The Tricky Implications Of New Calif. Noncompete Laws

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    Two new California noncompete laws that ban certain out-of-state agreements and require employers to notify certain workers raise novel issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and pose particular challenges for technology companies, says John Viola at Thompson Coburn.

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