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
Following the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (the Congress) held in Beijing in October 2022, Skadden’s London-China Desk reviewed the two-hour report given by Xi Jinping.1 Below we detail the key...more
Takeaways - Governments in the UK and elsewhere in Europe are demonstrating a clear willingness to exercise new and enhanced powers to review business transactions on national security grounds, including by calling...more
This year, we expect to see new disclosure requirements; rule changes at the Securities and Exchange Commission that will affect directors; activists adopting new tactics; changes to shareholder voting processes; tax and...more
Takeaways -
Since 2018, the U.S. and several other countries have revised or installed national security-related screening of foreign direct investments.
Many jurisdictions now require filings for investments in the...more
Following our prior client alerts regarding the U.K.’s new investment screening regime under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 (the Act), the U.K. government has announced that the Act will come into force on 4...more
Following our prior client alerts regarding the U.K. government's proposals for a new investment screening regime (“UK Government Introduces New Regime for Screening Foreign Direct Investment” on November 11, 2020, and “UK...more
Three Key Takeaways -
There was, and remains, strong parliamentary consensus for reform to the UK’s foreign investment screening laws, stemming from sharpening geopolitical and strategic threats and the growing national...more
On 2 March 2021, the UK government published its response to a consultation on the sectors of the economy which are to be subject to mandatory notification under the new inward investment regime to be introduced by the...more
The UK government’s long-awaited National Security and Investment Bill (the Bill), which paves the way to significant changes in the UK’s regime for screening foreign investment, was laid before Parliament on 11 November...more
In recent months, European states have raced to implement protections against opportunistic acquisitions of key local businesses by foreign buyers amid the economic disruption caused by the spread of COVID-19. ...more
The Takeover Panel (the Panel) has confirmed again in the Moss Bros case how difficult it is for bidders to invoke material adverse change conditions (MACs) and lapse offers in the UK.
On 12 March 2020, Brigadier Acquisition...more
The coronavirus pandemic has weakened European economies and companies. EU and national governments have expressed concern that foreign investors may opportunistically take advantage of the crisis to acquire domestic...more
4/21/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Hostile Takeover ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
On December 31, 2019, the French government issued decree nº 2019-1590 (the 2019 Decree), together with an administrative order of the same date (the Order), that comprehensively reshaped French foreign investment rules (as...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
The Conservative Party’s conclusive win in the U.K.’s recent general election paves the way for long-anticipated and decisive reforms to the country’s national security screening regime. The government first outlined its...more
1/23/2020
/ Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Elections ,
Inbound Investments ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
National Security Review Proceedings ,
Political Parties ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
On March 19, 2019, the European Union adopted a regulation for the screening of foreign direct investments into the EU (the Regulation). The Regulation sets forth national security factors that EU member states (Member...more
7/1/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Member State ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Screening Procedures ,
Sensitive Business Information ,
Transitional Arrangements ,
UK Brexit
The geopolitical environment continues to drive reform of foreign investment rules in Europe, with government proposals clarifying and tightening such rules in the interest of national security. Recent foreign state-backed...more
1/18/2019
/ Anti-Monopoly ,
CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
EU ,
European Economic Area (EEA) ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
France ,
Germany ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
National Security ,
Russia ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Strategic Enterprise Laws ,
UK
On 19 April 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May surprised the country by calling a snap general election for 8 June 2017. While much of the discourse relating to the election is focused on Brexit and normal political...more
5/30/2017
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Employee Rights ,
European Commission ,
Executive Compensation ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
General Elections ,
Nuclear Power ,
Political Parties ,
Popular ,
Power Plants ,
Takeovers ,
The Pensions Regulator (TPR) ,
Theresa May ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
The recent decision of the Hong Kong Takeovers and Mergers Panel (the Panel) in relation to Alibaba Health Information Technology Limited (formerly CITIC 21CN Company Limited (21CN)) has reemphasized the fundamental...more
Levels of shareholder activism are reaching record highs in the United States, and such activity has become increasingly prevalent in Europe. But with the exception of Japan, Asia often is seen as a relative backwater in this...more
1/21/2016
/ Asia ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Corporate Governance ,
Hong Kong ,
Hyundai ,
Mergers ,
Minority Shareholders ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Samsung ,
Shareholder Activism ,
South Korea
For any potential bidder considering the acquisition of a listed company, issues such as ease of transaction execution, the ability to respond to a competing offer, timetable and cost will be of great importance. The chosen...more