Expert Analysis

• Why Bear Hugs Are Making A Comeback In UK M&A Deals

  

  With "bear hugs" recently reemerging as an attractive negotiation tool for bidders in mergers and acquisitions, both target boards and potential acquirers should note the effect of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers' timing and drafting limits, says Ben Land-Maycock at Covington.

• Series

  Practice Leader Insights From Morgan Lewis' Paul Denham

  

  Paul Denham, head of Morgan Lewis' London finance practice group, discusses why working with nurturing partners helped him understand what good leadership should look like, how a Formula 1 financing transaction allowed a personal interest to cross into his day job, and the importance of being willing to adapt as markets change.

• UK Corp. Crime Landscape Raises Global Governance Stakes

  

  The Crime and Policing Act 2026 recently entered into force, highlighting a growing emphasis on governance and senior management oversight, the influence of compliance on commercial decision-making, and an overlap between legal and regulatory risk across jurisdictions, say lawyers at McDermott.

• Int'l Arbitration Can Serve As Critical Tool In Hormuz Crisis

  

  As the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to severely disrupt global commercial navigation, companies should understand the key claims likely to arise in emergency and expedited arbitration procedures — including force majeure, breach of contract and pricing disputes — and the contractual safeguards and protective measures to consider, say lawyers at McDermott.

• Despite Acquittal, Gallery Case Warns Of UK Sanctions Risk

  

  Although art gallery Hauser & Wirth was able to defeat criminal charges of breaching the U.K. Russia sanctions regime, the ruling illustrates that prosecution for those operating in high-value international markets is a real-world risk, say lawyers at Fieldfisher.

• Saxon Woods Ruling Clarifies Directors' Duty Of Good Faith

  

  The U.K. Supreme Court’s recent landmark judgment in Saxon Woods sends a clear message to businesses that a director's conduct must withstand objective scrutiny, affirming that even if an individual believes they are acting in the company's best interests, they cannot deceive fellow board members, says Richard Clayman at Kingsley Napley.

• UK Bill Would Transform Commercial Payments Terms

  

  A bill recently introduced to Parliament, if enacted, would replace significant areas of contractual freedom concerning payment terms with mandatory rules that would fundamentally alter the balance of power between smaller suppliers and larger counterparties, says Sam Cooper at Crowell & Moring.

• Making Deals Once EU Merger, Investment Screenings Overlap

  

  Though proposed updates would result in greater overlap between European Commission merger control efforts and foreign investment screening, dealmakers must understand how different objectives still drive these regimes and how this recalibrated regulatory environment will affect their transactions, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

• UK-Gulf Trade Deal Offers Key Benefits, But Hurdles Remain

  

  The U.K.’s recent free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council is expected to deliver U.K. businesses a competitive advantage, with simplified procedures and tariff removal across manufacturing, services and digital trade sectors, but navigating Gulf regional tensions and differing regulatory regimes will create challenges, say lawyers at King & Spalding.

• EU Protocol Strengthens Int'l Criminal Asset Recovery Powers

  

  The Council of Europe’s recently adopted protocol to the Warsaw Convention marks a significant evolution in the international asset recovery landscape, signaling a focus on proactive and coordinated methods that require organizations to consider how to respond quickly to unexpected enforcement action, say lawyers at Trowers & Hamlin.

• How UK Unfair Dismissal Reforms Could Affect PE Sponsors

  

  The U.K. government’s unfair dismissal rights reforms taking effect from January 2027 could create uncertainty over management incentive arrangements and complicate senior management changes, representing a material shift in the risk landscape for private equity firms, say lawyers at Debevoise.

• How FCA Proposal Would Change IPO Research Rules

  

  The Financial Conduct Authority’s recent proposals for the governance of information flows in equity initial public offerings represent a recalibration rather than a wholesale deregulation of the current framework by maintaining that connected research be grounded in approved disclosure, say lawyers at Sullivan & Cromwell.

• AI Deals Call For Tailored Approach To Address Hidden Risks

  

  As artificial intelligence deals continue to advance, they raise complex intellectual property questions with hard-to-verify technical facts that require a different approach to due diligence, risk allocation and execution, say lawyers at Katten.

• EU Foreign Subsidies Report Offers Chance To Take Stock

  

  The European Union’s forthcoming review of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, revealing reassuringly low intervention rates but a burdensome prenotification process, offers the European Commission a timely opportunity to address genuine distortions and be more proportionate in its demands on market participants, say lawyers at Dechert.

• 'EU Inc.' Proposal Offers Startups Flexibility But With Limits

  

  While the European Commission’s recent proposal for a single corporate framework across the European Union should offer a seamless and more accessible structure for high-growth businesses, seemingly minor variations complicate deal structuring and give rise to legal uncertainty in practice, says Mathieu de Korvin at Alkeom.