Mergers & Acquisitions

  • July 16, 2024

    FTC's In-House Kroger Case Delayed Until After Fed Suit

    Kroger and Albertsons are getting a limited respite from the Federal Trade Commission's looming in-house merger challenge after an agency administrative law judge agreed to delay the case, but only until immediately after an Oregon federal court fight plays out.

  • July 16, 2024

    ​​​​​​​Apollo's $1.85B Mining Co. Deal Sparks Del. Suit For Docs

    An investor sued a mining and logistics company in Delaware's Court of Chancery seeking documents regarding the firm's $1.85 billion go-private deal with affiliates of asset management giant Apollo, approved Tuesday by the mineral producer's stockholders, asserting that there are credible concerns over pre-transaction communications between its executives and Apollo about their jobs.

  • July 16, 2024

    Chancery Orders Illumina Docs Released In Grail Merger Fight

    Benefit fund shareholders of biotech giant Illumina Inc. won a Delaware Court of Chancery order on Tuesday for a rare, limited release of legal advice documents on Illumina's merger agreement with cancer-testing firm Grail Inc., a deal that has cost the company billions in fines and lost value.

  • July 16, 2024

    Chancery OKs $42.5M Brookfield-GGP Settlement, $11.4M Fee

    Shareholders of mall operator GGP Inc. who sued in 2018 to stop its $9.25 billion acquisition by Brookfield Property Partners LP got the Chancery Court's nod Tuesday to settle the litigation for $42.5 million, including an $11.4 million fee for the plaintiffs' counsel and incentive awards for three shareholder plaintiffs.

  • July 16, 2024

    Manatt Adds Healthcare Transactions Partner From McDermott

    Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP has added a new healthcare partner to its Boston office.

  • July 16, 2024

    AI Robotics Investor Sues In Delaware For Duty Breaches

    A shareholder of a special purpose acquisition company that took artificial intelligence robotics company Berkshire Grey Inc. public filed a putative class action in Delaware's Court of Chancery late Monday against the company's officers and directors, seeking damages for breaches of fiduciary duty.

  • July 16, 2024

    UK's Probe Of Microsoft-Inflection AI Deal Moves Ahead

    The U.K.'s antitrust enforcer launched a formal merger inquiry on Tuesday into Microsoft Corp.'s relationship with Inflection AI after asking for public input earlier this year on several artificial intelligence investments made by Microsoft and Amazon.

  • July 16, 2024

    Stradley Ronon Hires 2 Corporate Attorneys In DC

    Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP has hired two corporate partners in Washington, D.C., and one of those new additions will co-lead the firm's private investment funds practice, according to a Monday announcement.

  • July 16, 2024

    Kirkland-Led Blue Owl Buys Atalaya Capital For Up To $800M

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP-advised private-equity shop Blue Owl Capital Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to buy alternative credit manager Atalaya Capital Management LP, led by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, for up to $800 million, continuing a trend seen earlier in the year of private-equity firms merging with or acquiring other asset managers.

  • July 16, 2024

    Starboard Demands Change At Tinder Owner Match

    New York-based activist investor Starboard Value LP has amassed a 6.6% stake in Match Group Inc. and is pushing the company to go private if it can't make "value-enhancing" gains after its stock plummeted from its 2021 heyday, according to a letter published Tuesday by Starboard.

  • July 16, 2024

    The 2024 Diversity Snapshot: What You Need To Know

    Law firms' ongoing initiatives to address diversity challenges have driven another year of progress, with the representation of minority attorneys continuing to improve across the board, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Here's our data dive into minority representation at law firms in 2023.

  • July 16, 2024

    Rising Star: Wachtell's Eric M. Feinstein

    Eric Feinstein of Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz has advised various companies on highly complex M&A transactions, including Fidelity National Information Service's $18.5 billion carve-out sale of its Worldpay merchant solutions business to private equity giant GTCR, earning him a spot among the mergers and acquisitions law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 16, 2024

    These Firms Have The Most Diverse Equity Partnerships

    Law360’s law firm survey shows that firms' efforts to diversify their equity partner ranks are lagging. But some have embraced a broader talent pool at the equity partner level. Here are the ones that stood out.

  • July 16, 2024

    Gibson Dunn, Kirkland Steer $737M KBR-LinQuest Deal

    Gibson Dunn is steering Houston-based defense and space contractor KBR on a new deal to buy LinQuest Corp., a provider of defense analytics to the U.S. government represented by Kirkland & Ellis, for $737 million, according to a statement from KBR on Tuesday.

  • July 16, 2024

    Precision Tools Supplier To Buy US Rival For Up To $683M

    Spectris said Tuesday that it has agreed to buy rival U.S.-based Micromeritics in a deal worth up to $683 million as the British precision tools supplier looks to improve its advanced materials analysis division and grow into the clean technology sector.

  • July 15, 2024

    T-Mobile Broke Price-Lock Promise After Merger, Suit Says

    T-Mobile's promise to federal regulators not to raise prices for three years after its megamerger with Sprint has now expired and it's hiking prices, even on plans that it told customers it would never raise the rates on, according to a new proposed class action.

  • July 15, 2024

    JetBlue-Spirit Flyers Seek $20M Atty Fees Following DOJ Win

    The private plaintiffs who challenged the failed JetBlue-Spirit merger asked a Massachusetts federal judge to award their counsel at least $20 million in fees, saying they "substantially contributed" to the U.S. Department of Justice successfully squashing the deal and are the prevailing party in their case.

  • July 15, 2024

    CD&R Tells Del. Court Covetrus Sale 'Fully Informed'

    An attorney for private equity firm Clayton Dubilier & Rice LLC told a Delaware vice chancellor Monday that stockholders of animal health company Covetrus Inc. were fully informed when they approved a $21-per-share takeover by CD&R and TPG Capital in 2022, disputing allegations of knowing standstill agreement violations and disclosure failures.

  • July 15, 2024

    Pump Co. Execs Must Face Trustee's $59.7M Transfer Suit

    A Connecticut federal judge won't toss a Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee's lawsuit claiming that three former engineering company executives transferred $59.7 million to a holding entity and sent the company into ruin to avoid paying asbestos claims, ruling Monday that the suit plausibly alleges that the executives had conflicts of interest and concealed their conduct.

  • July 15, 2024

    Cybersecurity Investor Sues For Docs On PE Merger Wipeout

    California-based cybersecurity company Exabeam Inc. has been hit with a books and records request by a shareholder seeking to halt the company's private stock-for-stock merger with competitor LogRhythm, which is owned by private equity firm Thoma Bravo.

  • July 15, 2024

    Chancery Finds Truth Social SPAC Should Get Docs

    The sponsor of the special purpose acquisition company that took former President Donald Trump's Truth Social public must turn over most of the documents the SPAC sought as part of the parties' Delaware litigation, a Chancery Court judge ruled Monday, teeing the case up for trial on July 29.

  • July 15, 2024

    Calif. Man Avoids Prison For Lumentum Insider Trading

    A California man who pled guilty to trading on tips from a former executive of laser company Lumentum Holdings Inc. avoided prison Monday in light of his assistance to the government's investigation.

  • July 15, 2024

    Towers Watson Asks 4th Circ. To Find Merger Dispute Covered

    Towers Watson's insurers must pay out $54 million in remaining directors and officers coverage to help fund a $75 million settlement in a shareholder suit over the company's merger with Willis, Towers Watson told the Fourth Circuit, saying a so-called bump-up exclusion does not apply.

  • July 15, 2024

    B. Riley, Others Sued In Del. After Franchise Group Buyout

    Four Franchise Group LLC stockholders sued the company's principals and top investors in Delaware's Court of Chancery Friday, alleging that they and others were shortchanged by an insider-controlled $2.8 billion take-private sale of the business after an allegedly sham marketing effort and undisclosed conflicts.

  • July 15, 2024

    $6.4B IBM-HashiCorp Deal Gets FTC Second Request

    The Federal Trade Commission is taking a deeper look at IBM's planned $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp Inc., about one month after IBM voluntarily reset a 30-day initial review period for the transaction, a Monday securities filing shows.

Expert Analysis

  • Comparing Corporate Law In Delaware, Texas And Nevada

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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

    Author Photo

    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.

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!