This paper considers whether the concern that implementation of Directive 2004/25 (Takeover Directive) by the Companies Act 2006 will lead to a culture of litigation that would be detrimental to takeovers is justified, with reference to: (1) the common law approach restricting tactical...

Earnouts are contractual agreements in merger and acquisition (M&A) deals that link part of the acquisition price to the future performance of the target company. These contracts seem to be a panacea for adverse selection and valuation risk issues in M&As. However, earnouts are not very popular....

When shareholders of a target firm expect a value improving takeover to be successful, they are individually better off not tendering their shares to the buyer and the takeover potentially fails. Squeeze-out procedures can overcome this free-riding dilemma by allowing a buyer to enforce a payout...

Prior to the establishment of the non-judicial Australian Takeovers Panel in 2001, takeover litigation before the courts rarely led to an appeal to a higher court; for commercial reasons, many cases were settled before a final judicial resolution was reached. Before the introduction of the...

An important component of corporate governance is the regulation of significant transactions – mergers, acquisitions, and restructuring. This paper (a chapter in Oxford Handbook on Corporate Law and Governance, forthcoming) reviews how M&A and restructuring are regulated by corporate and...

This article examines the Proper Purpose Rule and the Exercise of Directors' Power in the recent JKX case as decided by the UK Supreme court. The decision of the JKX case now represents the leading Common law authority on the interpretation and application of the Proper Purpose Rule (the Rule or...

In merger agreements, the seller makes contractual representations and warranties (“reps”) about the state of the target, e.g., attesting to the accuracy of the target’s financial statements. We obtain a proprietary sample of claims for breaches of the reps in acquisition agreements...

The Fortis Bank takeover court case demonstrates how shareholders' claims can make a merger and takeover case less speedy and, indeed, more costly. The case also raises a number of legal issues relating to corporate governance in a takeover situation such as the role of minority shareholders,...

Empirical evidence shows that takeovers are value-maximizing events for target firm shareholders and enhance social efficiency. Takeovers are commonly thought to play a key role in reducing managerial slack in corporate governance through the replacement of inefficient management. Additionally,...