After two decades practicing law in Silicon Valley and five formative years working on cross-border deals in Europe, I’ve come to appreciate the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences in how merger and acquisition (M&A)...more
Negotiating and signing a Letter of Intent (LOI) is a key inflection point in the process of selling your business. Buyers and sellers both want the LOI to ensure a base level of understanding on certain key terms such as...more
This year’s M&A Report offers a detailed review of the M&A market and outlook, including a breakdown by various geographies and industry sectors. We examine what might be in store with antitrust and CFIUS under the Trump...more
In most M&A deals involving private targets (including the sales of divisions of publicly traded companies), the purchase agreement will include a baseline dollar value for the target, with several adjustments. Often, the...more
In the complex world of business transactions, particularly mergers and acquisitions (M&A), purchase price adjustments are a critical concept that help ensure fairness and accuracy in the final transaction price. Purchase...more
What is the typical size of an adjustment escrow? A common rule of thumb is 1% of overall deal value, but the size varies depending on deal value and the underlying characteristics of the business (including the net working...more
Despite a recent slowdown in global M&A activity, the private M&A market in both the US and the UK remains intensely competitive due to an abundance of available capital. As a consequence, and in order to present potential...more
By now, probably everyone that works in M&A or private equity has heard of the concept of a locked box as an alternative to completion accounts (or, in the U.S., “closing accounts”) on a deal....more
Purchase price adjustment mechanisms are common in private M&A transactions to determine the final price to be paid by the buyer. However, the manner in which the price adjustment is achieved varies by jurisdiction. In the...more
A key to success for any growth company is navigating the numbers, with success and visibility in accounting and finance, preferably up and to the right. Nowadays, companies are experiencing accounting challenges as they...more
Rhode Island Federal Court Dismisses Securities Class Action Against CVS Arising From Statements Made After Omnicare Acquisition; SEC Division of Corporation Finance Suggests Companies Issue Additional Disclosures When...more
Roma Landmark Theaters, LLC v. Cohen Exhibition Co., LLC, C.A. No. 2019-0585-PAF (Del. Ch. Sept. 30, 2020) - In Roma Landmark Theaters, the parties’ purchase agreement contained a framework for post-closing price...more
The vast majority of private company acquisitions contain some type of purchase price adjustment to account for any changes in certain financial metrics (including working capital) of the target between a specified reference...more
Global M&A was sluggish in the beginning of 2016, but ended strong with a fourth quarter burst of activity. While aggregate 2016 deal volumes dropped 16% from the highs of 2015, Thomson Reuters reports that 2016 global deal...more
When it is time to sell a company, there are a number of financial and legal steps a business should consider to ready itself for a merger or acquisition. When the potential buyer is a U.S. public company, that list may get...more
Many contracts for the sale of a company have a provision addressing how the parties should resolve disagreements concerning post-closing adjustments to the sale price. Exactly who is to resolve those disputes (be it an...more