Buyout firms and portfolio companies should take note of heightened scrutiny of HR and employment practices by antitrust enforcers, both in the US and in Europe. No-poach and wage-fixing agreements — arrangements between...more
12/9/2019
/ Antitrust Division ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Competition Authorities ,
Contract Terms ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Authority ,
EU ,
France ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Ireland ,
Italy ,
Merger Controls ,
No-Poaching ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
Wage-Fixing
Sustainable finance and its surrounding infrastructure offers growing potential for deals and green innovation.
The global sustainable finance market has expanded rapidly in recent years, approaching US$320 billion in new...more
12/9/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Asset Management ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Debt Market ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Green Bonds ,
Green Finance ,
Investment ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Sustainability ,
UK ,
United Nations
Drawing on Latham’s Sixth Private M&A Market Study, we explore trends and developments in consideration mechanics and deal conditionality.
Uncertainty has been a significant market factor in 2019....more
Subcontractors, security, and audit and termination rights will require special consideration under forthcoming EBA outsourcing guidelines.
Recent growth in divestiture and carve-out deals in the M&A landscape, including...more
10/29/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Banking Sector ,
Carve Out Provisions ,
Contract Terms ,
Divestiture ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Exit Strategies ,
Financial Institutions ,
Mergers ,
Outsourcing ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Subcontractors ,
Third-Party Service Provider ,
Transitional Arrangements
Companies must mitigate risks to antitrust privilege posed by cross-border megadeals and increased regulatory demand for documentation.
A strong M&A market has driven a high volume of megadeals across the globe in recent...more
10/29/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Contract Terms ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Jurisdiction ,
Mergers ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Risk Management ,
UK ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
Buyers’ best defence against M&A fraud requires rigorous, pre-closing due diligence — when fraud is suspected, deal teams should seek legal advice and proceed with caution.
Recent high-profile fraud cases gravely...more
10/29/2019
/ Accounting Fraud ,
Acquisitions ,
Auditors ,
Contract Terms ,
Due Diligence ,
Forensic Accounting ,
Fraud ,
Limitation of Liability Clause ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Representations and Warranties ,
Risk Management ,
UK
As management terms converge, deal teams must still navigate cross-border differences in ratchets, put and call options, and management warranties.
French and UK private equity firms are increasingly looking across the...more
How can private equity firms identify and mitigate inherited liability risk from vulnerable portfolio companies?
Ongoing big ticket regulatory fines coupled with high profile corporate veil cases indicate that private...more
9/30/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
British Airways ,
Data Breach ,
Due Diligence ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) ,
Mergers ,
Piercing the Corporate Veil ,
Portfolio Companies ,
Private Equity ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Successor Liability ,
UK
Adherence to secrecy, pre-announcement preparations, realistic expectations-setting, and strategic plans for taking control are keys to P2P deal success.
The deal market has seen a resurgence in public to private (P2P)...more
Firms targeting assets divested by conglomerates still face obstacles, though barriers to PE investment in Japan are gradually falling.
Many hurdles that traditionally challenged private equity firms looking to invest in...more
9/30/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
Foreign Exchanges ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Trade Regulations ,
Global Economy ,
Japan ,
Mergers ,
Popular ,
Private Equity ,
Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018 (TCTA 2018)
Persisting political and economic uncertainty means awareness of market changes remains crucial.
The 2008 distress cycle triggered defaults and restructurings for European PE portfolio companies, as maintenance covenant...more
Cornerstone investments can assist a firm’s overall exit objective, particularly when there are bidders for a portfolio company but no outright buyer.
Cornerstone investments, which involve taking a stake in an...more
Companies previously considered immune from activist campaigns have come under pressure, driving new public and private deal opportunities for private equity.
US shareholder activists are an established presence in Europe....more
6/25/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Complex Corporate Transactions ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
Financial Sponsors ,
Mergers ,
Private Equity ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholders ,
Short Selling ,
UK
With the explosion of AI applications, private equity houses and their portfolio companies must understand where key opportunities lie.
Artificial intelligence (AI) developments provide increasing opportunities for...more
Corporates should leverage growing carve-out and divestment activity across the European market with a strategic approach to deal making.
In the current deal market, corporates are taking an increasingly strategic and...more
Litigation funding, the third-party financing of legal costs in disputes, is increasingly common in the UK. As litigants have become comfortable with sophisticated litigation funders, these funders are responding to business...more
Ten years ago, a PE investment in a European bank would have been a rare occurrence. However, more recently, PE firms have deployed capital in the banking sector, encouraged by changing regulatory perceptions of PE bidders....more
In a continually evolving antitrust landscape, we consider five key trends that PE deal teams should be aware of.
Focus on Non-Controlling Stakes in Competing Companies -
Antitrust authorities are paying closer...more
3/13/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Division ,
Common Ownership ,
Competition Authorities ,
Document Productions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Gun-Jumping ,
Investors ,
Merger Controls ,
Private Equity ,
UK
Recent and upcoming regulatory guidance on cryptoassets and the regulation of companies engaged in digital currency, such as issuers, crypto-exchanges, crypto-custodians, crypto-brokers, and other service providers, could...more
3/13/2019
/ Banking Sector ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
EU ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Payment Processors ,
Private Equity ,
Regulatory Reform ,
UK
In recent years, China has taken significant steps in developing its environmental policy. In 2014, China’s Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war on pollution”, which began in earnest in 2017....more
Warranty and indemnity insurance (W&I) has become a common feature of European transactions in recent years, amid a strong sellers’ market that has enabled vendors to offload risk to buyers. According to the most recent...more
As the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) prepares to assume sole jurisdiction for UK competition reviews post-Brexit, M&A deal teams must evaluate the competitive consequences of deals bridging the Brexit period and...more
1/11/2019
/ EU ,
European Merger Control Regulation ,
Jurisdiction ,
Member State ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Risk Management ,
Strategic Planning ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
This year has seen a significant number of business failures, particularly on the high street, as businesses have struggled in the face of market fragility and Brexit uncertainty. When a UK company is underperforming, the...more
In June 2018, the UK adopted new powers to review certain technology related deals on national security grounds, extending the scope and breadth of its control regime to those that concern computing hardware, or quantum...more
1/11/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
EU ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Germany ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Technology Sector ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)
In recent years, China has taken significant steps in developing its environmental policy. In 2014 China’s Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war on pollution”, which began in earnest in 2017. Since then, regulators have been...more