- Mark S Cohen, Partner:  White Collar Advisory Board - Robert J Gavigan, Partner: Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory Board - Bonnie J Roe, Partner:  Private Equity Advisory Board - Daniel H Tabak, Partner: Legal Ethics Advisory Board - Christopher M P Jackson, Counsel: Life Sciences Advisory Board

C&G partner Robert Gavigan weighs in on the unique compliance challenges in multinational mergers.

Partners Mark S Cohen and Robert J Gavigan have been selected as members of Law360’s 2014 editorial advisory boards. Each year, Law360 selects a small group of practitioners from across the country in each of its practice area and industry groups to aid in shaping the publication’s editorial content for the following year.  Mr. Cohen was named to both the Banking and the White Collar editorial advisory boards, and Mr. Gavigan was selected for the Mergers & Acquisitions editorial advisory board.

Much of modern corporate governance law turns on the roles of independent directors, but determining who is an independent director is often a complicated task, with separate state law, regulatory, and exchange standards that have evolved over time.  This article looks at key recent developments and provides a field guide for general counsel trying to understand what independence really means.

A recent SEC no-action letter provides significant relief from SEC registration requirements for so-called "M&A brokers," involved in the purchase or sale of privately-held companies.  Although the letter does not eliminate all of the risks involved in acting as or employing an unregistered intermediary in an acquisition, it represents a step in the right direction for those wishing to lift the regulatory burden on such intermediaries.

With the recent increase in enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), it is prudent for counsel to conduct in depth due diligence when acquiring a foreign target. Their conduct may become your company’s FCPA liability.

A recent arbitration ruling which determined that Kraft Foods Group/Mondelez International Inc. must be paid more than $2.7 billion by Starbucks Coffee Company to conclude a lengthy breach of contract dispute, is a venti wake-up call to inside counsel negotiating long-term ventures, supply and distribution agreements, and other commercial and strategic alliances.

The SEC adopted amendments disqualifying private securities offerings involving felons and other “bad actors” from relying on the Rule 506 safe harbor exemption. The lesson learned here is to know who you are dealing with especially when it comes to large investors, brokers and even potential targets and acquirers. Questionnaires and other fact-checking exercises should now be part of the due diligence process.

The Delaware Court of Chancery recently found that the board of Trados Incorporated did not breach its fiduciary duties in approving a merger of its company with SDL plc, even though the common stockholders received nothing, and the majority of directors approving the merger were conflicted through their relationships with the preferred stockholders. Trados is a reminder to boards to run a tight ship during the sales process.

The SEC is firming up their controversial proposal for new regulations under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which will require certain public companies to disclose the ratio between CEO compensation and the median pay of rank-and-file employees.  Counsel to such companies are urged to advise clients on the potential backlash from investors, competition, and otherwise.

The choice of entity in which to conduct your business is significantly affected by tax considerations.  This session will provide a business and corporate law perspective on the various pass-through entities recommended for tax reasons by the preceding speakers by considering the non-tax issues in doing business as a sole proprietorship, “S” corporation, partnership or limited liability company.