Mergers & Acquisitions

  • September 04, 2024

    US Steel, Nippon Defend Deal After VP Harris Voices Concern

    U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel on Wednesday reiterated the value they see in their planned $14.9 billion merger, despite opposition voiced by Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

  • September 04, 2024

    Microsoft Hiring Of Inflection AI Team Too Small To Worry UK

    The U.K.'s antitrust regulator said Wednesday it has ended its probe into Microsoft's hiring of Inflection AI staff, finding the U.S. machine learning specialist's operation was too small to trigger competition concerns.

  • September 04, 2024

    J&J Hit With $1B Damages In Del. Merger Milestone Fight

    Johnson & Johnson owes more than $1 billion to a medical robotics developer and entrepreneur caught up in a multibillion-dollar post-acquisition dispute, a Delaware vice chancellor ruled Wednesday.

  • September 04, 2024

    EU Scrambles To Close Competition Gap After Illumina Ruling

    The Europe Union's highest court has left the bloc's antitrust authorities struggling to find a way to close an enforcement gap that could make it easier for dominant companies to neutralize startups with its decision that the European Commission had no authority to probe Illumina’s $8 billion acquisition of Grail.

  • September 04, 2024

    Simpson Thacher-Led Blackstone Inks $16.2B AirTrunk Deal

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP-led Blackstone Inc. said Wednesday it has agreed to acquire AirTrunk, an Australia-based data center platform focused on the Asia-Pacific region, from Macquarie Asset Management and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board at an implied enterprise value of over AU$24 billion ($16.2 billion).

  • September 04, 2024

    Investors Get 3rd Extension For £253M Bid For Payments Co.

    Payments technology company Equals said Wednesday that the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers has granted its request to extend a deadline for the third time for a consortium of investors to confirm or cancel their proposed £253 million ($332 million) takeover bid.

  • September 04, 2024

    Mishcon Helps Starwood Capital Buy UK REIT For £674M

    U.S. investment firm Starwood Capital Group said Wednesday that it will buy a British real estate investment trust for £674 million ($884 million), hoping it will perform better as a private company after facing challenges in a tough property market.

  • September 03, 2024

    NBA, Warner Bros. Eye April 2025 Trial In Media Rights Spat

    The NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery have told a New York state judge they want to complete an expedited discovery process in their broadcasting rights dispute, with a targeted trial start date in April.

  • September 03, 2024

    Alaska Says Nothing's Changed As Flyers Try Merger 'Do-Over'

    Alaska Airlines wants a nixed flyer challenge to its $1.9 billion purchase of Hawaiian Airlines to stay nixed, telling a Hawaii federal judge that declarations from the plaintiffs about their travel plans could have been submitted months ago and are "too little, too late" to overcome the judge's ruling that they had no standing.

  • September 03, 2024

    Aspire Biopharma Inks SPAC Deal At $316M Valuation

    Aspire Biopharma Inc., advised by Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP, on Tuesday announced that it will go public through a merger with special purpose acquisition company PowerUp Acquisition Corp., led by Dykema Gossett PLLC, in a transaction that values the business at a pre-money equity value of roughly $316 million.

  • September 03, 2024

    Harris Follows Biden In Opposing $15B US Steel-Nippon Deal

    Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that she would oppose Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion proposed takeover of U.S. Steel if elected president, following President Joe Biden's lead and signaling that she would take a tough stance when it comes to mergers and acquisitions that could jeopardize national security and domestic jobs.

  • September 03, 2024

    Baker McKenzie Adds MoFo M&A Team In Singapore

    Baker McKenzie member firm Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow has announced it hired a team that was led by the managing partner of Morrison Foerster's Singapore office and an experienced corporate lawyer, bolstering its mergers and acquisitions abilities in the nation.

  • September 03, 2024

    $15M Class Atty Fee Sought In Microsoft-Activision Suit

    Attorneys for Sweden's state pension fund manager have proposed a $15 million attorney fee for their investigation and intervention in a suit seeking Delaware Court of Chancery fixes for defects in some terms of Activision Blizzard Inc.'s $68.7 billion acquisition by Microsoft Corp. last year.

  • September 03, 2024

    Cozen O'Connor Adds 13 Clark Wilson Lawyers In Vancouver

    Cozen O'Connor announced on Tuesday that it has expanded its Canadian presence by adding a team of 22 legal professionals, including 13 lawyers and nine support staff, from Clark Wilson LLP to its fast-growing Vancouver office.

  • September 03, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week in Delaware's court of equity, an iconic rock band got a new member, former President Donald Trump's social media company escaped a contempt ruling, and litigation grew over Illumina Inc.'s $8 billion reacquisition of cancer-testing company Grail Inc. New cases touched on intellectual property, mergers, share transfers and dump trucks. In case you missed it, here's the latest from Delaware's Court of Chancery.

  • September 03, 2024

    Bain One-Ups KKR's $4B-Plus Bid In Battle For Fuji Soft

    Private equity firm Bain Capital said Tuesday that it made a nonbinding offer to take Fuji Soft private, as Bain pushed the Japanese software developer to open up formal discussions for the $4 billion-plus tender offer so it has a chance to beat out rival bidder KKR.

  • September 03, 2024

    $2.2M Bowling Co. Investor Settlement Gets Initial Green Light

    A Maryland federal judge has preliminarily approved a nearly $2.2 million settlement ending a class action that alleged Bowl America's board of directors acted in bad faith when approving a merger with Bowlero Corp.

  • September 03, 2024

    Semnur Pharmaceuticals To Go Public Via $2.5B SPAC Merger

    Paul Hastings LLP-advised Semnur Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Tuesday unveiled plans to go public via a merger with Winston & Strawn LLP-led blank check company Denali Capital Acquisition Corp. in a deal that gives the pharmaceutical company a pre-transaction equity value of $2.5 billion.

  • September 03, 2024

    CMA Clears Tate & Lyle Sugar Biz Deal

    Britain's competition authority said Tuesday it has now cleared Tate & Lyle's planned purchase of sugar producer Tereos' U.K. business, as the unit was at risk of shutting down without the deal, which would lead to reduced competition in the industry anyway.

  • September 03, 2024

    TotalEnergies Forms $444M India JV With Adani

    Energy giant TotalEnergies said Tuesday that it has agreed to invest $444 million to set up a new joint venture with India's largest renewable energy company, Adani Green Energy Ltd., for a solar project in the southeast Asian country.

  • September 03, 2024

    Paul Hastings Adds Ex-Goodwin Tech M&A Partner In Boston

    Paul Hastings LLP announced Tuesday that it has strengthened the firm's global mergers and acquisitions capabilities and emerging companies and venture capital practice by hiring a former Goodwin Procter LLP partner for its Boston office.

  • September 03, 2024

    EU Wrong To Probe Illumina's $8B Grail Deal, Top Court Says

    Europe's highest court said Tuesday that the European Commission had no authority to investigate Illumina's $8 billion acquisition of cancer detection company Grail and unwind the deal, as it delivered a blow to the bloc's merger control powers.

  • September 02, 2024

    Simpson Thacher-Led Blackstone Inks €1B Property Deal

    Blackstone Inc. is snapping up an 80% holding in a portfolio of European properties valued at approximately €1 billion ($1.1 billion), seller Burstone Group Ltd. said Monday, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP advising the asset management giant.

  • September 02, 2024

    UK Underwriter Dual Buys Specialist Travel Insurance Co.

    Underwriter Dual UK said Monday that it has acquired International Passenger Protection, a managing general agency, as it plots further expansion into the travel insurance sector.

  • September 02, 2024

    Dickson Minto-Led Investor Phoenix To Take Over UK Rival

    Phoenix said Monday that a trust it runs has agreed to a proposal to merge with rival Artemis Alpha Trust PLC to create a stronger investment company with combined net assets potentially worth approximately £353 million ($464 million).

Expert Analysis

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

  • 5 Tips To Succeed In A Master Of Laws Program And Beyond

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    As lawyers and recent law school graduates begin their Master of Laws coursework across the country, they should keep a few pointers in mind to get the most out of their programs and kick-start successful careers in their practice areas, says Kelley Miller at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.

  • How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'

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    Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process

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    Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.

  • The Licensure Landscape For Psychedelics Manufacturers

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    As the need for bulk manufacturing of psychedelic substances grows, organizations aiming to support clinical trials or become commercial suppliers must navigate a rigorous and multifaceted journey to obtaining a license from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Jaime Dwight at Promega Corp.

  • What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires

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    Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.

  • Foreign Threat Actors Pose Novel Risks To US Tech Cos.

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    A recent bulletin jointly issued by several U.S. intelligence agencies warns technology startups and the venture capital community about national security risks posed by foreign threat actors, so companies interested in raising foreign capital should watch for several red flags, say Robert Friedman and Jacob Marco at Holland & Knight.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • 4 Steps To Address New Sanctions Time Bar Extension

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    Recent guidance from the Office of Foreign Assets Control clarifies details of the newly extended statute of limitations for civil and criminal enforcement of U.S. sanctions law, so compliance teams should implement key updates, including to lookback periods and recordkeeping policies, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Tips For Revamping Patent Portfolio Strategy In AI Deal Era

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    Recent data suggests patents are significantly enhancing exit valuations, particularly with cutting-edge technologies like those powered by artificial intelligence, but it is necessary to do more than simply align patent strategy with business goals, says Keegan Caldwell at Caldwell Law.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

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