Public Deals Become More Private

If nothing else, the JOBS Act has focused more attention on the “metaphysics” of securities offerings.  Even those who are not securities geeks might readily acknowledge that at some point in our recent past, there were some characteristics typically associated …

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Editor's Tweet: Anna Pinedo of Morrison & Foerster discuss the phenomenon of public deals becoming more private.

Delaware Law as Lingua Franca

Delaware dominates the corporate chartering market in the U.S—it is the only state that attracts a significant number of out-of-state incorporations. As a result, incorporation decisions are “bimodal,” with public and private firms typically choosing between home-state and Delaware incorporation.…

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Editor's Tweet: Professor Jesse Fried of Harvard Law discusses "Linga Franca" as the reason incorporators may choose Delaware.

Wachtell Discusses the Supreme Court’s Decision in Amgen

A divided Supreme Court ruled on February 27th that proof of materiality is not a prerequisite to certification of a Rule 10b-5 securities fraud class action. Amgen Inc. v. Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, No. 11-1085 (Feb. 27, …

Should Angel-Backed Start-ups Reject Venture Capital?

My new Essay Should Angel-Backed Start-ups Reject Venture Capital? challenges the conventional wisdom that venture capital is a necessary – and even desirable – source of financing for all start-ups.  In particular, this Essay argues that some start-ups that attract …

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Editor's Tweet: Professor Darian Ibrahim of Wisconsin Law discusses whether angel-backed start-ups should reject venture capital.

Harnessing Tomorrow’s Technology for Today’s Investors and Markets

The following post is based on a speech Chairman Walter gave at the American University School of Law in Washington D.C. on February 19, 2013

Thank you Dean Grossman. And thank you to the Washington College of Law for hosting …

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Editor's Tweet: SEC Chairman Elisse Walter discusses how the SEC is harnessing tomorrow's technology for today's investors and markets.

Money Market Fund Reform: Endorsement of the Minimum Balance at Risk Proposal

On February 28, I submitted a letter on Money Market Fund Reform to the Financial Stability Oversight Council in response to their November 2012 request for comments on a number of alternative proposals.  I endorse the so-called “Minimum Balance at …

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Editor's Tweet: Professor Jeffrey N. Gordon of Columbia Law School discusses Money Market Fund Reform

Shielding Corporate Counsel from Retaliatory Termination

My draft article, Blocking the Ax: Shielding Corporate Counsel from Retaliation as an Alternative to White Collar Hypercriminalization, recommends that the NYSE and Nasdaq amend their corporate governance listing standards to require that termination of a public company’s general …

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Editor's Tweet: Professor Eric Alden of Northern Kentucky University Law discusses a proposal to shield corporate counsel from retaliatory termination.

A Primer on the Uncorporation

More and more companies appear with strange abbreviations behind their business name. Consider Chrysler Group LLC (instead of Inc.) or LVMH Montres & Joaillerie France SAS. Some even speak about the “endangered corporate form” and point to the rise of …

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Editor's Tweet: Joe McCahery of Tilberg University School of Law discusses his recent work on Uncorporations

Investigating Shareholder Derivative Claims: The Importance of Independent Counsel

A shareholder typically brings a derivative suit on behalf of a corporation against the company’s current or former officers or directors in one of two contexts:  either after the shareholder has demanded that the board cause the company to bring …

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Editor's Tweet: S&C's Bill Monahan and Adam Magid discuss the importance of independent counsel in investigating shareholder derivative claims