Legal News

...Construction industry forecasts are difficult in a “normal year” (remember those?), let alone a year following a global pandemic. The fact that the pandemic is not yet in the rearview mirror coupled with: (1) the election of a new president with very different policies than the prior administration; (2) an apparent partisan logjam in Washington; and (3) general uncertainty about the economy, this “Yogi-ism” is particularly germane. However, having analyzed the more reliable industry...By:...

Since late 2019, space- and satellite-based companies and other companies in the aerospace and defense sector have been the focus of interest from special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs). Similarly, SPACs have been looked at by many startup space- and satellite-based companies as attractive vehicles for access to the public equity markets after their original venture capital rounds of funding. SPACs may provide an effective vehicle for going public and accessing the public capital market,....

This edition of Orrick’s series of life sciences publications reviews fullyear 2020 data in depth to identify and summarize the key trends that shaped venture investment across the sector. 2020 was a banner period for many metrics, including: Please see full Publication below for more information....By: Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP

FTC adjusts the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act size thresholds, lowering the minimum size for reportable acquisitions to US$92 million. On February 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced new jurisdictional thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act). The FTC is required to adjust the thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product, which shrunk in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These decreases are scheduled to be published in.....

With virtual connectivity on the rise, the tech industry has seen an increase in dual- and tri-track M&A processes, as well as in private equity investments. 2020 was a year in which technology facilitated rapid changes in how people work and live....By: Latham & Watkins LLP

Size-of-transaction threshold under Hart-Scott-Rodino Act will decrease to $92 million; the first threshold decrease since 2010. As a result of the decrease in the U.S. Gross National Product for 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced lower revised thresholds for the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR), which will become effective March 4, 2021. This is the first time that the thresholds will decrease since 2010......By:...

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, 2020 saw an eruption of IPOs by special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), used to raise nearly $79 billion from investors. The Wall Street Journal reports that the trend is continuing in 2021, already averaging five new SPACs each business day. A surge in related litigation has already begun, and it can be expected to grow and become a feature of SPAC deals throughout 2021....By: McGuireWoods LLP

The Federal Trade Commission has announced new HSR thresholds for 2021, which are lower than the existing thresholds. The thresholds typically increase year-over-year, but are decreasing in 2021 from $94 million to $92 million, potentially requiring HSR premerger notification filings to the U.S. antitrust agencies for smaller transactions. The new threshold will begin to apply to transactions closing on March 4, 2021. The HSR Act and Rules require that parties to certain transactions submit an.....

Baseline HSR threshold now $92 million The Hart-Scott-Rodino Act requires that parties to certain transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, acquisitions of voting securities, and assets and minority investments, file notifications with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission and observe a statutory waiting period if the transaction meets specified size-of-person and size-of-transaction thresholds and does not fall within an exemption....By: Cooley LL...

HM Treasury call for input on review of UK funds regime - HM Treasury has published a call for input on its review of the UK funds regime, covering tax, relevant areas of regulation and opportunities for reform....By: Hogan Lovells