Two recent Delaware Superior Court opinions are essential reading for M&A practitioners drafting language with respect to how disputes related to purchase price adjustments, earnouts, and other accounting-related...more
Over the past 15+ years covered by the ABA studies, materiality scrapes have morphed from being a somewhat uncommon provision, seen in about 14% of transactions in 2005, to something near-ubiquitous in M&A purchase...more
In M&A transactions, unknown target liabilities are typically addressed in different ways throughout the M&A purchase agreement. A no undisclosed liabilities representation is one of the principal representations in an M&A...more
Representation and warranty insurance (“RWI”) is an increasingly important feature of private company M&A transactions. Every other year since 2005 the ABA has released its Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Point...more
In M&A purchase agreements, the parties may stipulate certain non-judicial means for dealing with claims under the agreement (e.g., arbitration or mediation). These ADR provisions will govern how disputes between the parties...more
In M&A transactions, the definitive purchase agreement (whether asset purchase agreement, stock purchase agreement, or merger agreement) typically contains representations, warranties, and covenants, along with related...more
Suppose you are an avid fan of the English Premier League (the “EPL”) like I am. In that case, you have likely heard or read about the ensuing arbitration between Manchester City Football Club and the EPL over the EPL’s...more
In M&A transactions, the definitive purchase agreement, whether asset purchase agreement, stock purchase agreement, or merger agreement, typically contains representations and warranties and related indemnification covenants....more
In merger and acquisition (“M&A”) transactions, the definitive purchase agreement, whether asset purchase agreement, stock purchase agreement, or merger agreement, typically contains representations, warranties, and...more
In merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, the definitive purchase agreement typically contains representations and warranties made by the seller with respect to the target company. The scope and detail of these...more
By including a jury trial waiver in an M&A purchase agreement, the parties agree to waive their rights to a jury trial in any dispute under the M&A agreement. Jury trial waivers may also extend to disputes under all of the...more
In merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions, the definitive purchase agreement whether asset purchase agreement, stock purchase agreement, or merger agreement typically contains representations and warranties made by the...more
The Private Target Mergers & Acquisitions Deal Points Study (“the Study”) is published on a bi-annual basis by the Market Trends Subcommittee of the ABA Business Law Section’s M&A Committee, which I am happy to serve on. The...more
Ambiguous drafting of earnout provisions in M&A agreements is a perennial source of post-closing disputes. What may have seemed clear to parties in the heat of negotiations can often become less so as time passes,...more
In Sjunde AP-Fonden v. Activision Blizzard, Inc., the Delaware Court of Chancery refused to dismiss claims against Activision Blizzard, Inc. (the company) and its board of directors (the board) that the board had violated,...more
In mergers and acquisitions, both the seller and the buyer may need to include employment-related provisions in the M&A documentation. We have gathered together the most frequent and significant employment provisions for...more
Overview - The year 2022 started strong but proved to be a mixed year for M&A in what could be described as a return to earth after the record-setting year that was 2021. The U.S. M&A market alone exceeded $2 trillion in...more
Non-competition agreements and similar restrictive covenants form a bundle of rights and obligations that are hotly negotiated between buyers and sellers in every M&A transaction. These covenants often represent tradeoffs...more
On April 3, 2023, Vice Chancellor Nathan A. Cook of the Delaware Chancery Court dismissed the breach of contract claims by one pharmaceutical company (the “Seller”) against another (the “Buyer”) in connection with the Buyer’s...more
Earnouts, which provide sellers payouts if certain post-closing milestones are reached, have become increasingly popular in recent M&A transactions given today’s uncertain regulatory and financial climate. Inflation, supply...more
Market Trends: What You Need to Know - According to the American Bar Association's nine Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Points Studies, the use of stand-alone indemnities in reported private company M&A...more
Market Trends: What You Need to Know - As reflected in the American Bar Association's Private Target Mergers and Acquisitions Deal Points Studies: “Knowledge” is now almost always defined in private company...more
Market Trends: What You Need to Know - Over the past several years: An express right, or obligation, of sellers to update disclosure schedules between signing and closing is becoming less common; instead, more M&A...more