Corporate & Securities Law

Investor Activism Tops Last Year's Record Pace

By broc

Investor Activism Tops Last Year's Record Pace

Kaja Whitehouse of the WSJ wrote this article on Saturday: "Efforts by activist investors to fight for board seats, oppose mergers and otherwise shake up companies are on track to beat last year's record levels, contrary to expectations that activity would dry up because of unstable market conditions.

There have been 72 campaigns waged by activists so far this year, as of Feb. 11, with targeted companies ranging from Countrywide Financial Corp. to New York Times Co. Last year, when shareholder activism hit record levels, there were just 54 campaigns waged over the same time period, according to FactSet SharkWatch, which tracks proxy contests and corporate-takeover defenses.

Hedge funds continue to be big participants. More than half, or 38, of the campaigns so far this year were initiated by hedge funds, compared with 21 during last year's period, according to FactSet SharkWatch."

MAC Clauses: All the Rage

Join us Thursday for the webcast – "MAC Clauses: All the Rage" – to hear from the experts on how "material adverse change" provisions are under more scrutiny than ever, causing some deal practices to change. These changing practices not only impact how lawyers negotiate deals, but they entail wide-ranging ramifications for dealmakers. The panel includes:

- Professor Steven Davidoff of Wayne State Law School and founder of the "M&A Law Prof" Blog
- John Grossbauer, Potter Anderson & Corroon
- Travis Laster, Abrams & Laster
- Patrick Lord, Dechert
- Derek Winokur, Dechert

Full post as published by DealLawyers.com Blog on February 19, 2008 (boomark / email).