Mergers & Acquisitions

  • March 21, 2024

    SEC's 'Shadow Trading' Trial To Test Insider Info Boundaries

    If the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission can convince jurors hearing its first-ever "shadow trading" case next week to find a former executive in the wrong for buying up a competitor's securities while having insider information about his own company, the floodgates could open to civil and criminal prosecution of other corporate insiders under the novel legal theory, attorneys told Law360.

  • March 21, 2024

    Autonomy Jury Hears Of 'Handshake Deal' To Pad Revenue

    A onetime Autonomy Corp. customer took the stand Thursday in the California federal criminal trial of former CEO Michael Lynch, describing a "handshake" deal to pay the company $7.5 million with the understanding the funds would be returned — part of an alleged plot to fraudulently inflate Autonomy's revenues.

  • March 21, 2024

    UpHealth Claims $110M Win In Glocal Control Fight

    Global digital health company UpHealth Inc. says an arbitral panel has awarded it more than $110 million following a dispute that arose out of its subsidiary's acquisition of Glocal Healthcare Systems in 2020 — even as Glocal decried the award as "one-sided and perverse."

  • March 21, 2024

    CymaBay Investor Sues For Books On $4.3B Gilead Merger

    A shareholder of liver disease-focused biopharmaceutical company CymaBay Therapeutics Inc. sued the company in Delaware Chancery Court to extract more information over a proposed $4.3 billion merger with Gilead Sciences Inc., saying CymaBay has refused to hand over previously requested documents regarding the valuation analyses without a legitimate excuse.

  • March 21, 2024

    Canadian Supplement Co. Seeks US Bankruptcy Recognition

    A nutritional supplement supplier based in Montreal told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Thursday it needs the U.S. court to recognize its Canadian insolvency proceedings, reasoning that an eviction threat may cut off access to assets in California the debtor needs for its sale plans.

  • March 21, 2024

    Avoid Major Extension Of Merger Reach, EU High Court Urged

    An important tool for extending European Union antitrust officials' merger scrutiny appears to be in jeopardy after a European Court of Justice advocate general effectively recommended Thursday that the bloc's high court restrict the ability to investigate transactions that don't normally trigger EU thresholds.

  • March 21, 2024

    Directors Of Public Cos. Back Trian CEO Amid Disney Proxy Fight

    Thirteen current and former public company directors, all of whom have worked with Trian Fund Management and CEO Nelson Peltz, sent a letter to The Walt Disney Company's board of directors Thursday highlighting why they believe Peltz would make a good addition to the board amid a heated proxy battle.

  • March 21, 2024

    Pot Co. Seller Says Chancery Must Decide Curaleaf Dispute

    A court needs to determine which corporate records Curaleaf Holdings Inc. should turn over in its $13 million price adjustment dispute with the seller of a multistate cannabis dispensary before it goes before an independent accountant, the seller told Delaware's Court of Chancery on Thursday.

  • March 21, 2024

    CFPB Head Sees Flaws In Capital One-Discover Deal Rationale

    The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau pushed back on Thursday against the notion that an industry's biggest firms must be put in check through mergers between other large players in that sector, offering an indirect rebuttal to the reasoning floated by Capital One in its bid to buy Discover Financial for $35.3 billion.

  • March 21, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Apollo-Paramount, Britannica IPO, KKR

    Buyout firm Apollo is offering $11 billion to buy Paramount's film studio, Encyclopaedia Britannica is gearing up for an IPO that could value the publisher at $1 billion, and KKR is mulling a sale of learning chain EuroKids International. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • March 21, 2024

    Activist Investor Rips 'Misguided' Strategy Of WisdomTree

    Activist investor ETFS Capital on Thursday urged shareholders of WisdomTree to withhold their votes from the asset management firm's board members at an upcoming shareholder meeting due to the company's "failed diversification strategy" and refusal to initiate a strategic review process.

  • March 21, 2024

    Chancery Denies Icahn Midcase Appeal In Illumina Board Suit

    Carl Icahn can't interrupt his Chancery Court lawsuit against biotech Illumina Inc.'s board to appeal a decision about redactions to the Delaware Supreme Court, a vice chancellor ruled Wednesday, saying there are no "exceptional circumstances" that call for a midcase review.

  • March 21, 2024

    FDIC To Target Deals Creating Cos. With $100B-Plus In Assets

    The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Thursday approved a policy proposal that floats new ways the agency would assess the "financial stability" of proposed mergers between insured depository institutions, for the first time identifying $100 billion in assets as the threshold for deals that would get "added scrutiny."

  • March 21, 2024

    Nationwide Agrees To Buy Virgin Money For £2.9B In Cash

    Nationwide Building Society said Thursday that it will buy Virgin Money UK for £2.9 billion ($3.7 billion) in cash, in a deal backed by the boards of both companies.

  • March 20, 2024

    Insider Trading Charges Kept Intact In Trump Media Co. Suit

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday refused to toss charges against a Florida venture capitalist over allegedly illegally profiting from a secret plan to take Donald Trump's Truth Social company public, finding court precedent for the criminalization of insider trading under securities fraud law.

  • March 20, 2024

    RedBird Sues Brookfield For $150M From Compass Deal

    The private investment firm that sold Compass Datacenters to Brookfield Infrastructure Partners for $5.7 billion last year sued the infrastructure asset manager in Delaware's Court of Chancery on Tuesday, alleging that Brookfield had breached their agreement by refusing to release $150 million out of escrow.

  • March 20, 2024

    Trump SPAC Sues To Force Vote In Favor Of Deal

    The special purpose acquisition company hoping to take Trump Media & Technology Group public sued its largest founding investor in New York state court to force a vote in favor of the deal, the latest legal turmoil to sprout from the SPAC's spat with its former chief executive.

  • March 20, 2024

    Jenner & Block-Led Lonza To Buy Roche's $1.2B US Facility

    Swiss healthcare company Lonza said on Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire one of the largest medicine manufacturing facilities in the world from biotech giant Roche for $1.2 billion to increase its manufacturing capacity.

  • March 20, 2024

    Investor Seeks To Toss €10M Case Over Share Deal Row

    An investment company urged a London court on Wednesday to throw out a €10.2 million ($11 million) claim by an asset management firm, arguing that it had not consented to the terms of the sale of shares in a luxury Greek resort.

  • March 20, 2024

    French Lab Testing Biz Announces €200M Share Buyback

    Bureau Veritas SA said on Wednesday it will launch a share repurchase program worth up to €200 million ($217 million) this year, as it detailed plans for growing its business and bolstering shareholder returns.

  • March 20, 2024

    Mayer Brown Draws Energy Deals Pro From Clifford Chance

    Mayer Brown LLP has hired an energy transition and project finance expert, as the international firm looks to strengthen its energy transactions practice across Europe.

  • March 20, 2024

    Bank of Cyprus Eyes €137M Investor Return After ECB Nod

    The Bank of Cyprus Group said Wednesday it intends to boost shareholder returns to €137 million ($149 million) by launching a share buyback and ramping up dividends, after receiving the green light for both payouts from the regional banking watchdog.

  • March 20, 2024

    Swiss Watchdog To Inspect UBS Closely For Merger Impact

    The Swiss financial markets regulator said Wednesday it plans 40 on-site supervisory reviews at UBS AG in Switzerland and abroad and two in-depth stress tests in 2024 to assess the result of the bank's merger with Credit Suisse last year.

  • March 20, 2024

    Kirkland, Simpson Rep $1.2B Sale Of Alight's Payroll Biz

    H.I.G. Capital on Wednesday agreed to pay up to $1.2 billion for Alight Inc.'s payroll, professional services and human capital management business, which counts online HR portal Workday among its partners, in an agreement steered by respective legal advisers Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher.

  • March 20, 2024

    Kirkland-Led PE Firm To Buy $700M Medical Component Biz

    Chemicals and technology company Johnson Matthey said Wednesday that it has agreed to sell all of its medical device components business to Montagu Private Equity for $700 million, ending its sale of "value businesses," in a deal guided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

Expert Analysis

  • 4 Business-Building Strategies For Introvert Attorneys

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Introverted lawyers can build client bases to rival their extroverted peers’ by adapting time-tested strategies for business development that can work for any personality — such as claiming a niche, networking for maximum impact, drawing on existing contacts and more, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Mass. Dispute Highlights R&W Insurance Considerations

    Author Photo

    The progression of the litigation in a Massachusetts state court between pH Beauty and its representations and warranties insurers to the summary judgment stage offers rare insight into coverage disputes that can arise under such policies, including takeaways for buyers and sellers looking to procure adequate coverage for future transactions, say attorneys at Hunton.

  • Opinion

    3 Ways Justices' Disclosure Defenses Miss The Ethical Point

    Author Photo

    The rule-bound interpretation of financial disclosures preferred by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas — demonstrated in their respective statements defending their failure to disclose gifts from billionaires — show that they do not understand the ethical aspects of the public's concern, says Jim Moliterno at the Washington and Lee University School of Law.

  • Caregiver Flexibility Is Crucial For Atty Engagement, Retention

    Author Photo

    As the battle for top talent continues post-pandemic, many firms are attempting to attract employees with progressive hybrid working environments — and supporting caregivers before, during and after an extended leave is a critically important way to retain top talent, says Manar Morales at The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance.

  • Leveraged Finance Market May Rebound After Cruel Summer

    Author Photo

    It has been a challenging summer for the leveraged finance market due to the economic climate and tight credit conditions, but cooling inflation and signs of life in the syndicated loan market suggest brighter days ahead, say attorneys at Weil.

  • FTC's Proposed HSR Changes Will Complicate Merger Filings

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at Mayer Brown explore the proposed sweeping revisions to Hart-Scott-Rodino Act premerger notification rules and what the change would mean for deal terms, including the increased cost, uncertainty and risk added to the process.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

    Author Photo

    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Private Equity Dry Powder Will Likely Spur M&A Opportunities

    Author Photo

    Despite economic uncertainty and recent headwinds, pent-up dry powder left uninvested by private equity firms may translate into pressure to invest capital and maintain high returns, possibly leading to M&A growth in the second half of the year, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Terror Funding Suit Could Affect Inherited Jurisdiction In NY

    Author Photo

    Depending on how New York’s highest court answers two questions certified from the Second Circuit in a case litigating companies’ liability for terrorist attacks, foreign companies with no relevant New York contacts may be subject to suit in state courts by virtue of an asset purchase, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

    Author Photo

    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • Deal-Making Strategies To Explore Amid 2023's Uncertainties

    Author Photo

    Attorneys at White & Case delve into the evolving risks deal makers face in the remainder of 2023, detailing several approaches — such as activist simulations, stock-for-stock deals and divestitures — that may deliver value in an uncertain market.

  • Opinion

    Calif. Policymakers Should Aid Crashing Cannabis Market

    Author Photo

    As California’s cannabis sector nears the brink of financial collapse, it may be time for the state government to seriously consider potential bailout programs for the embattled industry — though the crisis also presents strategic buying opportunities for those with a high tolerance for uncertainty, says Michelle Mabugat at Greenberg Glusker.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

    Author Photo

    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

    Author Photo

    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Mergers & Acquisitions archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!