In 2024, in line with our predictions from last year, the UK public takeover market saw a sharp increase in the number of megadeals, i.e., those valued in excess of £1 billion. Seventeen such transactions were announced in...more
On 24 April 2024, the UK Takeover Panel (the Panel) published Public Consultation Paper 2024/1 (the PCP), which proposes a significant change to the applicability of the UK Takeover Code (the Code), by narrowing the scope of...more
4/25/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Investment ,
Listing Rules ,
Mergers ,
Nasdaq ,
NYSE ,
Private Equity ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
UK
The oversight obligations of boards continue to expand. Recent enforcement actions and new laws in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and supply chains create new challenges for boards, as we explain in this...more
2/19/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Activist ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Board of Directors ,
Canada ,
China ,
Competition ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forced Labor ,
Germany ,
International Labor Laws ,
Life Sciences ,
Machine Learning ,
Manufacturers ,
Mergers ,
NGOs ,
Political Campaigns ,
Political Contributions ,
Political Conventions ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholders ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
Key Points -
- The number of activist campaigns launched against European companies rose again in 2023, with a new focus on German targets.
- Many activists surveyed believe that France offers them good opportunities.
-...more
2/15/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Foreign Corporations ,
France ,
Germany ,
Mergers ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholders
The UK government has proposed a number of measures — both legislative and regulatory — to restore trust in audit and corporate governance and maintain the UK’s reputation as a home of sound corporate governance. Some of...more
In this update, we provide four predictions for the UK public M&A landscape in 2024, considering key statistics, trends, developments and highlights regarding UK public takeovers announced during 2023....more
This guide summarises certain key provisions of the Code with a focus on issues that are likely to be of particular concern to a bidder. Although reference is made to other statutory and regulatory instruments and regimes,...more
3/17/2023
/ Acquisitions ,
Board of Directors ,
Companies Act ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Mergers ,
Section 8 ,
Securities ,
Shareholders ,
UK ,
UK Companies Acts
For the third year, Skadden’s European M&A practice has worked with Activistmonitor to survey executives from leading European companies and activist investors to assess their expectations for shareholder activism in Europe...more
In the current environment, tax-free spinoffs may be the best option for companies focusing their business lines, we explain in this issue of The Informed Board. Spin-offs do not depend on third parties, and they preserve...more
2/20/2023
/ Activist Investors ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Culture ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Insider Trading ,
Multinationals ,
Proxy Voting ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Self-Evaluations ,
Shareholders
Economic downturns can put both companies and their boards to the test. An important judgment from the U.K. Supreme Court in October 2022, the Sequana case,1 clarifies the obligations of directors of a company facing the...more
The pandemic’s impact may be subsiding, but businesses are encountering new challenges across the globe, including the potential for an economic retrenchment, rising interest rates, shifting regulatory and litigation...more
12/14/2022
/ Acquisitions ,
Anti-Corruption ,
Antitrust Division ,
Banking Sector ,
Big Tech ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Borrowers ,
Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
China ,
Climate Change ,
Convertible Notes ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Due Diligence ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Executive Compensation ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Forum Selection ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Lenders ,
Mergers ,
Money Laundering ,
Partnerships ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Recessions ,
Repurchases ,
Russia ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Taxation ,
Technology ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers
Takeaways Boards need to ensure that their companies understand who their foreign partners are and that there are legal provisions in place in case the company is forced to exit a business or region on short notice....more
Takeaways - The FCA is poised to adopt rules requiring companies with equity shares listed on the premium and standard segments of the U.K. main market to report annually on their achievement of gender and ethnic diversity...more
Many commentators predicted a boom in M&A and initial public offerings (IPOs) in the U.K. in 2020, a year that proved making predictions is a risky business. As we enter 2021, however, there are good reasons to believe that...more
The U.K. government has announced a series of measures intended to support businesses impacted by coronavirus/COVID-19, including suspension of the wrongful trading regime, a job-retention scheme and a temporary ban on the...more
U.K. public companies preparing for this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) season are facing a number of unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as they seek to comply with their legal obligations while...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
1/30/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Attorney General ,
Backstop Agreements ,
BEPS ,
BitLicense ,
Blockchain ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
CFIUS ,
CFTC ,
Chapter 11 ,
Claim Preclusion ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Common Stock ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Subpoenas ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
Copyright ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Corwin Doctrine ,
Covenant Lite Deals ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
DACA ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Debt Financing ,
Debtors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Disgorgement ,
Disparate Impact ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Down Rounds ,
Drug Pricing ,
EBITDA ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Issuers ,
FRCP 23 ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
General Elections ,
GILTI tax ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Individual Accountability ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intercreditor Agreements ,
International Arbitration ,
International Litigation ,
IRS ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Japan ,
Joint Venture ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Listing Rules ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Make-Whole Premium ,
Mergers ,
MFW ,
Multinationals ,
National Security ,
PCAOB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Parties ,
Preferred Shares ,
Private Offerings ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Refinancing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Separation of Powers ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Split of Authority ,
State Labor Laws ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Litigation ,
Technology Sector ,
Third-Party Release Agrements ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Valuation ,
White Collar Crimes
As we enter the 2020s, we begin the new decade with greater optimism than we had at the start of the previous one. In the U.K., December 2009 ended with negative growth; the government as the owner of the remains of Northern...more