Asset Management

  • September 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Backs Tossing MetLife Suit Over Drug Rebates

    The Third Circuit upheld MetLife's defeat of a lawsuit alleging it kept drug rebate profits for itself instead of lowering workers' health benefit plan costs, saying Wednesday the workers leading the suit hadn't shown they were harmed by missing out on speculative savings.

  • September 25, 2024

    Baker Botts, Latham Lead Natural Gas Producer's $270M IPO

    Natural gas producer BKV Corp. on Wednesday priced a $270 million initial public offering below its range, completing a long-awaited IPO nearly two years after filing plans, represented by Baker Botts LLP and underwriters' counsel Latham & Watkins LLP.

  • September 25, 2024

    Feds Say 'Wall Of Evidence' Supports Petrobras Bribery Case

    A Connecticut oil trader violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by sending millions in bribes to officials at Brazilian state oil giant Petrobras through a shady intermediary, federal prosecutors told a jury during closing arguments Wednesday, arguing that a "wall of evidence" points to the defendant's intent.

  • September 25, 2024

    IP Protection Firm's $426M SPAC Merger Is Scrapped

    Intellectual property management firm Zacco Holdings, formerly known as OpSec Group, and blank check company Investcorp Europe Acquisition Corp. I on Wednesday announced that they will be terminating their merger plans.

  • September 25, 2024

    Merrill, Harvest To Pay SEC $9.3M For Ignoring Clients' Limits

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday announced that investment advisory firms Harvest Volatility Management LLC and Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. will pay a combined $9.3 million to settle claims that they exceeded clients' designated investment limits over a two-year period, causing those clients to incur higher fees and losses.

  • September 25, 2024

    7th Circ. Doubts London Depo Should Trigger New Fraud Trial

    Seventh Circuit judges appeared skeptical Wednesday of a former investment manager's bid for a new trial after he was convicted of bilking investors of roughly $10 million because he could not physically confront a key witness who testified via deposition in London, saying he failed to adequately object to the circumstance.

  • September 25, 2024

    Cancer Detection Biz To Go Public Via $694M SPAC Merger

    Special purpose acquisition company Breeze Holdings Acquisition Corp. on Wednesday announced that it has agreed to merge with and take public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company YD Biopharma Ltd. in a deal that gives the combined company an estimated enterprise value of $694 million and was built by three firms.

  • September 25, 2024

    2nd Circ. Eyes New Trial In Yale Retirement Fee Fight

    The Second Circuit appeared inclined Wednesday to revive a class action against Yale University from employees alleging their $5.5 billion retirement plan was mismanaged, as all three judges on the panel pointed out possible issues with jury instructions before a post-trial verdict in Yale's favor in 2023.

  • September 25, 2024

    NYSE Cancels Proposal To Extend SPAC Merger Deadlines

    The New York Stock Exchange has pulled a proposal that would have provided special purpose acquisition companies with more time to complete mergers while remaining listed, several months after it sought regulatory approval for the extension.

  • September 24, 2024

    Bank Regulators, SEC Face GOP Inquiry Over Crypto Bulletin

    House Republicans have called for the Federal Reserve and other agencies to turn over a host of documents for what the lawmakers say is an inquiry into the origins and behind-the-scenes policymaking impact of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's cryptocurrency accounting guidance.

  • September 24, 2024

    'Be Careful What You Wish For' Post-Jarkesy, SEC Atty Says

    A trial lawyer for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission told the defense bar Tuesday to "be careful what you wish for" after the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the agency's in-house court system, saying cases against gatekeepers "are not going away."

  • September 24, 2024

    'Joker' Producer's Broker To Pay $60M In Ponzi Scheme Suit

    An investor asked an Illinois state judge Tuesday for his early approval of a $60 million settlement with an investment adviser who convinced her and others to put money toward an international Ponzi scheme she says movie producer Jason Cloth carried out by raising new funds to pay off older investors.

  • September 24, 2024

    Ex-Foot Locker Exec To Pay $236K For Insider Trading

    A laid-off Foot Locker executive agreed to pay nearly $236,000 to resolve U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that he engaged in insider trading during and after his time with the sportswear company, the agency announced Tuesday.

  • September 24, 2024

    'The Predators Are Back,' Mich. Tax Foreclosure Attys Warn

    Lawyers for a proposed class accusing Michigan counties of unlawfully keeping proceeds of their tax-foreclosed home sales urged a federal judge Monday to bar a third-party claims firm and a "conspiring" Michigan attorney from trying to snatch away class members using tactics they called abusive and illegal.

  • September 24, 2024

    SEC Says Blockchain Cybersecurity Co. Ran $5M Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued a former blockchain cybersecurity and supply chain management company and its founder, alleging they deceived investors and fraudulently raised more than $5 million by falsely claiming that the company had secured contracts and that it expected to generate millions in revenue.

  • September 24, 2024

    Norfolk Southern Says Stock Drop Suit Based On 'Hindsight'

    Norfolk Southern Corp. is urging a Georgia federal court to throw out a proposed class action alleging it duped stockholders by misleading them about the safety of its operations, leading to a stock drop after last year's derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, saying the claims are a bid to capitalize in hindsight on the crash.

  • September 24, 2024

    Dish Slams 'Entitled' Standard General Exec's Race Bias Suit

    Dish Network has called for sanctions against Soo Kim, his hedge fund Standard General and their attorneys, calling Kim's racial discrimination suit against Dish, the Federal Communications Commission and a collection of other media players "an expensive temper tantrum."

  • September 24, 2024

    Star Witness Against Bankman-Fried Gets 2 Years In FTX Case

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced former cryptocurrency executive Caroline Ellison to two years in prison Tuesday, crediting her decision to testify against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried but saying the $11.2 billion fraud was too big to warrant a "get out of jail free card."

  • September 24, 2024

    King & Spalding, Skadden Rep $1.7B DE Shaw-Macquarie Deal

    Australian investment firm Macquarie Asset Management, advised by King & Spalding LLP, on Tuesday announced that it has agreed to take a "significant" minority stake in renewable energy company D.E. Shaw Renewables Investment Group, led by Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, for up to $1.73 billion.

  • September 24, 2024

    Commercial REIT Unveils $251M IPO As Pipeline Builds

    Real estate investment trust FrontView Inc. on Tuesday launched plans for an estimated $251 million initial public offering, represented by Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP and underwriters' counsel DLA Piper LLP, joining a growing IPO pipeline.

  • September 24, 2024

    3 Firms Rep As Blackstone, Vista Ink $8.4B Smartsheet Buy

    Work management platform Smartsheet Inc. will be purchased by private equity giants Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners in an all-cash, take-private deal valued at around $8.4 billion that was built by three law firms, the companies said Tuesday.

  • September 23, 2024

    Credit Suisse Can't Ditch Investor Fraud Suit, But PwC Can

    A New York federal judge has declined to fully dismiss a proposed class action alleging Credit Suisse misled investors about its condition in the run-up to its collapse and takeover by UBS, ruling that a narrow part of the litigation can proceed while much of it — including claims against PwC — must go.

  • September 23, 2024

    3rd Circ. Revives $60M Moroccan Hotel Award Fight

    The Third Circuit has sent a decision over a $60 million arbitral award favoring the Royal Mansour Hotel's current owner back to a lower court for further consideration, saying the company has plausibly argued that it didn't cause the Moroccan establishment to fall into financial ruin.

  • September 23, 2024

    Coinbase Brings On Ex-Citadel Legal Chief With SEC Chops

    Coinbase announced on Monday it has hired Ryan VanGrack to serve as its vice president of legal, where he will be overseeing civil litigation, regulatory probes, employment and intellectual property matters for the crypto exchange after spending seven years with Citadel Securities as general counsel.

  • September 23, 2024

    Petco, Shareholders Battle In Chancery Over Controller Clout

    Attorneys for Petco Health & Wellness Co. Inc. face an "uphill battle" in branding as "wrongly decided" a landmark Court of Chancery ruling earlier this year that struck down an agreement giving a company's controlling stockholder board-trumping power, Delaware's chancellor cautioned on Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Why The SEC Is Targeting Short-And-Distort Schemes

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent crackdown on the illegal practice of short-and-distort trades highlights the urgent need for public companies to adopt proactive measures, including pursuing private rights of action, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Don't Let Loper Lead To Bank Compliance Lull

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    Banking organizations are staring down a period of greater uncertainty over the next few years as the banking agencies and industry navigate the post-Chevron world, but banks must continue to have effective compliance programs in place even in the face of this unpredictability, say Lee Meyerson and Amanda Allexon at Simpson Thacher.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Enron Law Is Still Threat To Execs After Justices' Jan. 6 Ruling

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    While the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent Fischer v. U.S. decision is a setback for prosecutors’ obstruction charges against Jan. 6 defendants, it also represents a strong endorsement of the post-Enron Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s original purpose, serving as a corporate compliance reminder for executives, say Michael Peregrine and Ashley Hoff at McDermott.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • 2nd Circ. Case Reinforces Need For Advance Notice Bylaws

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    The Second Circuit's recent decision in Nano Dimension v. Murchinson illustrates that Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act is a square peg for a round hole, and that advance notice bylaws are far better at protecting against undisclosed coordination among activist shareholders, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • 3 Ways To Lower Insider Trading Risk After First 10b5-1 Case

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    In light of the U.S. Department of Justice's insider trading prosecution against the former CEO of Ontrack based on alleged abuse of a Rule 10b5-1 safe harbor plan — designed to allow executives to sell their companies' securities without liability — companies and individuals should take steps to avoid enacting similar plans in bad faith, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • Evolving Regulatory Oversight For AI And Asset Management

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    Attorneys at K&L Gates discuss the evolving regulatory and legislative landscape for artificial intelligence in the asset management industry, as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and Congress consider how to address potential investor protection and systemic risks associated with AI.

  • Series

    After Chevron: ERISA Challenges To Watch

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    The end of Chevron deference makes the outcome of Employee Retirement Income Security Act regulatory challenges more uncertain as courts become final arbiters of pending lawsuits about ESG investments, the definition of a fiduciary, unallocated pension forfeitures and discrimination in healthcare plans, says Evelyn Haralampu at Burns & Levinson.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

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    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Jarkesy's Impact On SEC Enforcement Will Be Modest

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    Though the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Jarkesy decision found that fraud defendants have a constitutional right to a jury trial, the ruling will have muted impact on the agency’s enforcement because it’s already bringing most of its cases in federal court, say Jeremiah Williams and Alyssa Fixsen at Ropes & Gray.

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