Legal News

Transactions by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, exploded in 2020, resulting in a 320% increase in the number of SPAC initial public offerings (IPOs) compared to 2019. SPACs have been around for 15 years and now are established as a legitimate alternative to a traditional merger or IPO. This is due in part to an evolution of the SPAC vehicle, which now offers enhanced investor protections and positions sophisticated managers as “sponsor teams” that guide the company through bot...

On February 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the annual changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act notification thresholds. The FTC is required by law to revise the jurisdictional thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product. Accordingly, the 2021 Hart-Scott-Rodino reporting thresholds will decrease by approximately 2.1% over 2020. These changes are expected to be published in the Federal Register on February 2, 2021 and will become effective 30 days...

Welcome to the Akin Gump Global Private Equity/M&A Survey 2021: Opportunities Ahead. The last 12 months have been hugely challenging for dealmakers around the world but, after an initial period of disruption following COVID-19 lockdowns, activity has rebounded and merger and acquisition (M&A) investors are looking forward to 2021 with renewed optimism. Dealmaking has changed during the pandemic, but M&A participants have been resilient and flexible. Dealmakers have adapted to remote due...By: ...

HSR Act Thresholds - The Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") recently announced the revised transaction thresholds that trigger the requirement to file a premerger notification and report form under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act ("HSR Act"). The FTC revises the thresholds annually based on changes in the gross national product....By: Hodgson Russ LLP

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced its annual revisions to the thresholds under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR), which will apply to all transactions closing on or after March 4, 2021. The FTC is required under the Clayton Act to revise the HSR thresholds annually based on changes in the gross…...By: Holland & Knight LLP

...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:...

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:...