ESG and M&A: Vetting a Target’s ESG Strengths and Weaknesses to Assess Value, Go-Forward Risks and Disclosure Requirements
The corporate sector’s approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues – or “ESG” (the shorthand by which they are commonly referred) – has risen in prominence in recent years as investors have become increasingly socially conscious. It’s clear that what was once just an industry buzzword is here to […]
Delaware (Again!) Requires Upward Adjustment to Deal Price in Appraisal Proceeding Despite Objectively Fair Sales Process
A recent Court of Chancery decision adds yet another wrinkle to the appraisal landscape and the potential for appraisal arbitrage. In BCIM Strategic Value Master Fund LP v. HFF, Inc. (Del. Ch. Feb. 2, 2022), the court found that—despite a sufficiently robust sales process that supported ascribing heavy weight to […]
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Thresholds Jump in 2022
Basic ‘size-of-transaction’ threshold now $101 million The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act thresholds, which govern when mergers and acquisitions must be reported to the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, will jump 9.8% in February 2022. The basic “size-of-transaction” threshold will increase from $92 million to $101 million. The FTC announced […]
Antitrust Trends to Look Out for in 2022
One year into his administration, President Joe Biden has made clear that aggressive competition policy is on the agenda. With a team of progressives filling leadership roles at the Federal Trade Commission and in the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice, companies are able to predict what the […]
Cooley’s 2021 Life Sciences M&A Year in Review
General trends in life sciences M&A Although the COVID-19 pandemic that defined 2020 continued to shape much of the life sciences industry in 2021, the way that it did was markedly different. While 2020’s M&A landscape was characterized by whiplash volatility from choppy deal activity in the first half of […]
Cooley’s 2021 Tech M&A Year in Review
General trends in tech M&A Hello, (virtual) world once again! Despite everyone’s efforts in 2021, including the rollout of vaccines and varying rounds of lockdowns and work-from-home mandates, a true “return to normal” for M&A dealmakers was foiled anew by COVID-19 and its variants. Undeterred by the pandemic, high target […]
Delaware Finds Stockholder Claims Against SPAC Fiduciaries Subject to Entire Fairness Review
As SPAC IPOs broke records – in both value and volume – in 2020 (and again in 2021), it was inevitable that stockholder litigation would follow. More than 50% of the SPACs that went public in 2020 and 2021 are incorporated in Delaware, giving particular significance to SPAC litigation filed […]
Event Recording: Berkeley Fall Forum on Corporate Governance
Cooley and the Berkeley Center for Law and Business met for a two-day hybrid conference, featuring panel discussions, workshops and interviews on cutting-edge topics in corporate governance, M&A and business law. The Berkeley Forum was hosted live in San Francisco, in accordance with local safety regulations and vaccine mandates, and […]
Pleading Bad Faith Against Special Committee Members: A New Trend?
Special committees, by design, are created to address conflicts and to insulate the board of directors from liability for the very conflicts that may invite judicial scrutiny of the fairness of the board’s decision. A well-functioning special committee will also mitigate the risk of personal liability for a company’s fiduciaries, […]
Proposed Federal Tax Legislation Would Reduce QSBS Benefit and Raise Capital Gain Rates
Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee announced its consideration of federal tax legislative proposals that include reducing the exclusion from income of gain on the sale of qualified small business stock (QSBS) and increasing the tax rate on long-term capital gains, in each case for noncorporate upper-income taxpayers.