Mergers & Acquisitions

  • April 10, 2024

    Beer Biz Investors Beg NC Justices To Clear Legal Haze

    Former shareholders looking to revive their fraud suit against the CEO of a beverage company and his wife asked the North Carolina Supreme Court on Wednesday to tie up an unsettled area of fiduciary law, saying a lower court's disparate jurisprudence "cries out" for clarity.

  • April 10, 2024

    Merger Notification Overhaul 'Pretty Close,' DOJ Official Says

    A senior U.S. Department of Justice antitrust official predicted Wednesday that the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission are likely just weeks away from issuing the final version of a major overhaul to the filing requirements of companies notifying mergers to the agencies.

  • April 10, 2024

    NYSE Seeks To Provide SPACs More Time To Close Mergers

    A New York Stock Exchange proposal would provide special-purpose acquisition companies with six more months to complete mergers while remaining listed — assuming relevant parties have signed a definitive agreement before a three-year deadline — potentially providing market participants more flexibility to close deals.

  • April 10, 2024

    Class Attys Seek Big Payday For $100M Pattern Energy Deal

    Class attorneys are urging the Delaware Chancery Court to approve a $100 million settlement to end state and federal court litigation over Pattern Energy Group Inc.'s $6.1 billion go-private sale in 2020 and award them $26 million in fees for a deal they say is the largest of its kind in the Chancery's history.

  • April 10, 2024

    Past Violations To Get Close Eye With New Merger Filing Rules

    Changes proposed to Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice merger reporting requirements would impose significant document submission obligations on merging parties, such as past violations of antitrust and labor law, practitioners and an agency deputy said Wednesday.

  • April 10, 2024

    Blackwells Unveils Takeover Plans For Hospitality REIT

    Blackwells Capital told Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. investors on Wednesday that its intention to take the reins of the real estate investment trust's board of directors is necessary to stop a manager from "milking" the company for all it's worth.

  • April 10, 2024

    Freshfields Guides EBay On Multipronged Trading Card Deal

    Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is guiding eBay Inc. on new agreements with collectibles grading company Collectors that include eBay acquiring Collectors' Goldin auction house, in what the companies said Wednesday is an effort to streamline the trading card hobby in the U.S.

  • April 10, 2024

    Macy's, Activist Firm End Board Fight, Takeover Talks Proceed

    Macy's and activist investment firm Arkhouse Management Co. said Wednesday they have settled their proxy dispute by appointing two independent directors to the retailer's board, paving the way for further negotiations regarding a prior $6.6 billion acquisition proposal submitted by Arkhouse and Brigade Capital Management LP.

  • April 09, 2024

    'You're Going To Lose These People,' Judge Tells Lynch Atty

    U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Tuesday chided a Steptoe partner representing former Autonomy CEO Michael Lynch in his criminal fraud jury trial, saying that his hourslong questioning of a Deloitte partner shouldn't go on much longer, or "you're going to lose these people."

  • April 09, 2024

    Nikola Investors' SPAC Fraud Suit Moves Ahead

    Board directors of electric truck maker Nikola Corp. and the blank-check company that took it public for $3.3 billion in 2020 must face shareholders' derivative claims of insider trading, securities fraud and merger-related breaches after Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday denied more than half of the defense's motions to dismiss.

  • April 09, 2024

    Trump Media Co-Founders OK'd To Revise Share-Lockup Suit

    Two co-founders of Donald Trump's social media company won the go-ahead Tuesday to file a second amended, expanded complaint in the Delaware Chancery Court targeting the former president, Trump Media & Technology Group and its insiders for post-deal maneuvering to dilute and claw back their shares, among other claims.

  • April 09, 2024

    How Imminent Is 'Imminent,' Judge Asks In Supply Chain Fight

    A Colorado federal judge asked an auto parts supplier Tuesday how quickly a Michigan company's alleged violation of an exclusivity deal would have tangible effects, as he considered temporarily stopping the Michigan firm from using other suppliers.

  • April 09, 2024

    FTC Pressures Global Partners, Gulf Oil Into Reducing Deal

    The Federal Trade Commission took credit Tuesday for raising antitrust concerns spurring the late-February reduction of Global Partners LP's purchase of Northeast U.S. gas terminals from Gulf Oil, cut from five terminals with a $273 million price tag to four terminals and a $212.3 million payment.

  • April 09, 2024

    Tech M&A Reigns Supreme In Q1 After Rare Hiccup In Q4

    The technology sector logged the greatest total value of global mergers and acquisitions in the first quarter of 2024, following a rare quarter that saw the industry fall out of the top spot and into third place, data from Dealogic shows.

  • April 09, 2024

    Fintech Investment Biz To Go Public Via $700M SPAC Merger

    Financial technology investment platform Linqto Inc., advised by Lowenstein Sandler LLP, on Tuesday unveiled plans to go public through a merger with blank-check company Blockchain Coinvestors Acquisition Corp. I, advised by Seward & Kissel LLP, in a deal valued at $700 million.

  • April 09, 2024

    TD Bank Wants 'Absurd' First Horizon Merger Suit Tossed

    TD Bank has urged a New Jersey federal judge to dismiss a proposed class action from investors over the bank's failed merger with First Horizon, saying the investors can't sue because the deal never closed and the suit's asserted scienter claim "defies commonsense."

  • April 09, 2024

    Macy's Sued In Del. To Block 'Dead Hand' Buyout Defense

    A Macy's Inc. pension fund stockholder has sued for a Delaware Court of Chancery order barring the retailer from holding its May 17 annual meeting or impeding a board proxy contest launched by two investor funds after a hostile response to their company takeover offer.

  • April 09, 2024

    ArentFox Schiff Bets On Auto Sector With 4 Boston Partners

    ArentFox Schiff LLP has brought on four partners from midsize Boston firm Burns & Levinson LLP who specialize in representing the automotive industry, according to a Tuesday announcement by the firm.

  • April 09, 2024

    New Relic Shareholder Sues To Force Open Corp. Books

    Another shareholder of web analytics firm New Relic Inc. has sued in Delaware's Court of Chancery for corporate records related to the company's $6.5 billion, $87-per-share buyout by private equity firms Francisco Partners and TPG, the latest in a string of shareholder suits seeking records on the deal.

  • April 09, 2024

    Blue Owl Targets Real Estate Finance After $170M Prima Buy

    Asset manager Blue Owl Capital Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to launch a real estate finance strategy following its $170 million purchase of real estate lender Prima Capital Advisors in a deal crafted by three firms, marking the firm's second acquisition in two weeks meant to broaden its service offerings.

  • April 09, 2024

    Paul Hastings-Led STG Makes £147M Offer For Software Co.

    Gresham Technologies PLC said on Tuesday it has agreed to an offer from U.S. private equity firm STG Partners LLC to buy the software business for £146.7 million ($185.6 million).

  • April 09, 2024

    HSBC To Take $1B Hit From Sale Of Argentina Unit

    HSBC said Tuesday that it will book a $1 billion loss on the sale of its business in Argentina to local lender Grupo Financiero Galicia, as the London-based bank continues to shift its focus to Asia.

  • April 08, 2024

    Ex-Autonomy Exec Says Boss's Invoice Ask Caused Concern

    A former Autonomy finance employee took the stand Monday in the criminal fraud trial of ex-CEO Michael Lynch and finance director Stephen Chamberlain, telling a California federal jury that he was "not comfortable" with one of Chamberlain's invoice requests and was sacked after raising concerns about accounting irregularities.

  • April 08, 2024

    Gamers Can't Block Microsoft From 'Dismantling' Activison

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to block Microsoft from further integrating Activision Blizzard into its business after it acquired the gaming titan last year, saying the gamers who are still challenging the union between the companies have a similar motion pending before the Ninth Circuit.

  • April 08, 2024

    3 Firms To Lead Weber Investor Suit Over $3.7B PE Buyout

    Prickett Jones & Elliot, Grant & Eisenhofer PA, and Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check will together represent a proposed class of investors in grill maker Weber Inc. in consolidated litigation in Delaware's Court of Chancery over a $3.7 billion squeeze-out by private equity firm BDT Capital Partners LLC, Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick decided on Monday in what she described as a "close call."

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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