Expert Analysis

• 2025 UK Merger Reforms Simplify Path For Deals

  

  Dealmakers should laud the 2025 reforms in the U.K. merger control and investment screening landscape, as the Competition and Markets Authority’s renewed focus on economic growth — and on implementing more flexible, streamlined and hands-off procedures — makes planning transactions a more predictable process, say lawyers at Akin Gump.

• Navigating Legal Privilege Issues When Using AI

  

  The recent explosion in artificial intelligence has led to prompts and AI outputs that may be susceptible to disclosure in proceedings, and it is important to apply familiar principles to assess whether legal privilege may apply to these interactions, say lawyers at HSF.

• CMA's Leniency Guide May Change Self-Report Calculus

  

  The Competition and Markets Authority's updated leniency guide introduces significant changes to bolster cartel enforcement, with incentives to early self-report that will be welcomed by businesses, but the weighty specter of potential class actions could greatly outweigh the discount on administrative fines, say lawyers at Cooley.

• Why EU's FDI Screening Proposals Require Careful Balance

  

  The European Commission’s proposals to harmonize EU foreign direct investment screening regimes at the member state level require a trilogue between the commission, Parliament and council, which means political tensions need to be resolved in order to reach agreement on the five key reforms, say lawyers at Arnold & Porter.

• Fashion Giants' €157M Fine Shows Price-Fixing Not In Vogue

  

  The European Commission’s recent substantial fining of fashion houses Gucci, Chloé and Loewe for resale price maintenance in a distribution agreement demonstrates that a wide range of activities is considered illegal, and that enforcement under EU competition law remains a priority, says Matthew Hall at McGuireWoods.

• How Restructuring Reforms Will Streamline Insolvency Plans

  

  The recently published revised practice statement on schemes of arrangement and restructuring plans promises midmarket businesses efficiency without diluting safeguards, positioning schemes as inclusive tools rather than elite options, say lawyers at Addleshaw Goddard.

• Russia Sanctions Spotlight: Taking Russian Oil Off The Market

  

  The recent sanctions targeting Russia's energy sector by the U.K., EU and U.S. aim to limit Russia’s ability to fund its war machine by the sale of fossil fuels, representing an important escalation that has the potential to affect a wide range of business activities, says Alexandra Melia at Steptoe.

• What EU Securitization Proposals Signal For Risk Transfers

  

  If implemented, recent amendments to the European Union securitization framework are expected to have an unambiguously positive effect on significant risk transfer markets, providing greater consistency and necessary flexibility, say lawyers at McDermott.

• Role Of UK Investment Act Is Evolving In M&A Deals

  

  With merger and acquisition activity likely to increase in light of the government’s new defense industrial strategy, the role of the National Security and Investment Act will come into sharper focus, and its recent annual report confirms that scrutiny is intensifying, say lawyers at Kingsley Napley.

• EU Investment Reporting Rules Letup Signals Pragmatic Shift

  

  While investment companies remain subject to far-reaching disclosure obligations under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, new guidance from the European Commission on reporting passive limited partner commitments represents a drastic simplification and burden reduction, say lawyers at Paul Weiss.

• How Illumina/Grail Is Affecting EU Merger Control 1 Year On

  

  The landmark Illumina/Grail judgment a year ago limiting referral of below-threshold mergers to the European Commission has not left transactions unscrutinized, and for companies the days of straightforward merger filings analyses are over, say lawyers at Crowell & Moring.

• EU Act Establishes Data Sharing Rules, But Hurdles Remain

  

  The recently effective European Union Data Act provisions establish harmonized rules to unlock the use of data generated by technology-embedded software, but leave practical challenges that organizations will need to navigate to comply with cross-border requirements, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

• Reviewing EU Competition Policy 1 Year After Draghi's Report

  

  Implementation of the Mario Draghi report’s proposals to revamp European Union competition policy is currently case-specific, making it less visible, and more needs to be done in the way of merger review and antitrust enforcement, say lawyers at Linklaters.

• Evolving General Partner Stakes Market Brings Opportunities

  

  The rapid increase in investment in general partner stakes by private capital managers indicates its advantages over both strategic sales and initial public offerings, including the ability to retain greater operational control over the business and to avoid the scrutiny that accompanies a listing, says Nicholas Page at Macfarlanes.

• Waldorf Ruling Signals Recalibration For Restructuring Plans

  

  The recent High Court landmark judgment refusing to sanction Waldorf Production PLC's restructuring plan underscores a change in the way courts assess whether such plans are fair, indicating not their demise but a pivotal moment in their evolution, say lawyers at Simpson Thacher.