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Full-Text Articles in Law
Putting Stockholders First, Not The First-Filed Complaint, Leo Strine, Lawrence Hamermesh, Matthew Jennejohn
Putting Stockholders First, Not The First-Filed Complaint, Leo Strine, Lawrence Hamermesh, Matthew Jennejohn
Lawrence A. Hamermesh
The prevalence of settlements in class and derivative litigation challenging mergers and acquisitions in which the only payment is to plaintiffs’ attorneys suggests potential systemic dysfunction arising from the increased frequency of parallel litigation in multiple state courts. After examining possible explanations for that dysfunction, and the historical development of doctrines limiting parallel state court litigation—the doctrine of forum non conveniens and the “first-filed” doctrine—this article suggests that those doctrines should be revised to better address shareholder class and derivative litigation. Revisions to the doctrine of forum non conveniens should continue the historical trend, deemphasizing fortuitous and increasingly irrelevant geographic …
Sustainability In The Boardroom: Reconsidering Fiduciary Duty Under Revlon In The Wake Of Public Benefit Corporation Legislation, Rugger Burke
Rugger Burke
On July 17, 2013, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed into law legislation establishing the public benefit corporation. This legislation redefines the law of corporate fiduciary duties in Delaware, home to more than 50% of all publicly-traded companies in the United States and 64% of the Fortune 500.
Particularly, this legislation redefines director fiduciary duties within the sale of control context. For the typical Delaware corporation, director fiduciary duties in a sale of control are governed by the seminal corporate law case Revlon, Inc. v. MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings, Inc., which narrows the general fiduciary duties of loyalty and care …
Privacy On The Books And On The Ground, Kenneth A. Bamberger, Deirdre K. Mulligan
Privacy On The Books And On The Ground, Kenneth A. Bamberger, Deirdre K. Mulligan
Kenneth A. Bamberger
No abstract provided.
The United States, Lawrence A. Hamermesh
10 Things That Tick Off The Chancellors, And The Ethical Issues They Raise, Lawrence Hamermesh
10 Things That Tick Off The Chancellors, And The Ethical Issues They Raise, Lawrence Hamermesh
Lawrence A. Hamermesh
No abstract provided.
Dodd-Frank’S Confict Minerals Rule: The Tin Ear Of Government-Business Regulation, Henry Lowenstein
Dodd-Frank’S Confict Minerals Rule: The Tin Ear Of Government-Business Regulation, Henry Lowenstein
Henry Lowenstein
This paper examines an unusual provision included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (2010), Section 1502 known as the Conflict Minerals Rule. This provision, having nothing to do with the subject matter of the act itself, attempts to place a chilling effect on the trade of four identified minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The provision and its subsequent rule, surprisingly delegated to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (an agency lacking subject matter expertise in minrals) presents a case and object lession of almost every cost, procedural and legal error that can take place …
Janus Capital Group, Inc. V. First Derivative Traders: The Culmination Of The Supreme Court’S Evolution From Liberal To Reactionary In Rule 10b-5 Actions, Charles W. Murdock
Janus Capital Group, Inc. V. First Derivative Traders: The Culmination Of The Supreme Court’S Evolution From Liberal To Reactionary In Rule 10b-5 Actions, Charles W. Murdock
Charles W. Murdock
“Political” decisions such as Citizens United and National Federation of Independent Business (“Obamacare”) reflect the reactionary bent of several Supreme Court justices. But this reactionary trend is discernible in other areas as well. With regard to Rule 10b-5, the Court has handed down a series of decisions that could be grouped into four trilogies. The article examines the trend over the past 40 years which has become increasingly conservative and finally reactionary.
The first trilogy was a liberal one, arguably overextending the scope of Rule 10b-5. This was followed by a conservative trilogy which put a brake on such extension, …
Living With Adr: Evolving Perceptions And Use Of Mediation, Arbitration And Conflict Management In Fortune 1,000 Corporations, Thomas J. Stipanowich
Living With Adr: Evolving Perceptions And Use Of Mediation, Arbitration And Conflict Management In Fortune 1,000 Corporations, Thomas J. Stipanowich
Thomas J. Stipanowich
For the second time in fifteen years, leading counsel at many of the world’s largest corporations participated in a landmark survey of perceptions and experiences with “alternative dispute resolution (ADR)”—mediation, arbitration and other third party intervention strategies intended to produce more satisfactory paths to managing and resolving conflict, including approaches that may be more economical, less formal and more private than court litigation, with more satisfactory and more durable results. Comparing their responses to those of the mid-1990s, significant evolutionary trends are observable. As a group, corporate attorneys have moderated their expectations for ADR. At the same time, more corporations …
Janus Capital Group, Inc. V. First Derivative Traders: The Culmination Of The Supreme Court’S Evolution From Liberal To Reactionary In Rule 10b-5 Actions, Charles W. Murdock
Janus Capital Group, Inc. V. First Derivative Traders: The Culmination Of The Supreme Court’S Evolution From Liberal To Reactionary In Rule 10b-5 Actions, Charles W. Murdock
Charles W. Murdock
“Political” decisions such as Citizens United and National Federation of Independent Business (“Obamacare”) reflect the reactionary bent of several Supreme Court justices. But this reactionary trend is discernible in other areas as well. With regard to Rule 10b-5, the Court has handed down a series of decisions that could be grouped into four trilogies. The article examines the trend over the past 40 years which has become increasingly conservative and finally reactionary.
The first trilogy was a liberal one, arguably overextending the scope of Rule 10b-5. This was followed by a conservative trilogy which put a brake on such extension, …
Csr And Law As Alternative Regulatory Systems, Benedict Sheehy
Csr And Law As Alternative Regulatory Systems, Benedict Sheehy
Benedict Sheehy
Abstract: CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is an increasingly important area of corporate and legal concern. In addition to problems defining the meaning of the term and understanding the implications for, there is a lack of understanding how it can, does and should interact with law. This paper answers this gap using a method used in the sociology of law, systems theory. The paper argues that CSR can be understood as a response to social costs and law’s apparent failure to curb those costs. It focuses the examination on social costs generated by large industrial organisations and how they are regulated …
Patterns Of Adr Use In Corporate Disputes, David B. Lipsky, Ronald L. Seeber
Patterns Of Adr Use In Corporate Disputes, David B. Lipsky, Ronald L. Seeber
David B Lipsky
[Excerpt] Is it reasonable to expect that the use of ADR by U.S. corporations will continue to grow in the future? We asked the respondents in our survey a series of questions designed to determine their view on this issue....In general, a large majority of the respondents in our survey believe that they are "likely" or "very likely" to use mediation in the future—38% and 46%, respectively. They were more cautious about the use of arbitration. Only 24% said they were very likely to use it in the future, while 47% said they were likely to do so. More than …
Recent Developments In Delaware Corporate Law, Lawrence Hamermesh, Faiza Saeed, Mark Gentile
Recent Developments In Delaware Corporate Law, Lawrence Hamermesh, Faiza Saeed, Mark Gentile
Lawrence A. Hamermesh
No abstract provided.
Redefining Corporate Law, David K. Millon
The Law Of Corporate Purpose, David Yosifon
The Law Of Corporate Purpose, David Yosifon
David G. Yosifon
Delaware corporate law requires corporate directors to manage firms for the benefit of shareholders, and not for any other constituency. Delaware jurists have been clear about this in their case law, and they are not coy about it in extra-judicial settings, such as speeches directed at law students and practicing members of the corporate bar. Nevertheless, the reader of leading corporate law scholarship is continually exposed to the scholarly assertion that the law is ambiguous or ambivalent on this point, or even that case law affirmatively empowers directors to pursue non-shareholder interests. It is shocking, and troubling, for corporate law …
Law And Legal Theory In The History Of Corporate Responsibility: Corporate Personhood, Lyman P.Q. Johnson
Law And Legal Theory In The History Of Corporate Responsibility: Corporate Personhood, Lyman P.Q. Johnson
Lyman P. Q. Johnson
This paper, part of a larger scholarly project, addresses one of four areas – i.e., the emergence of corporate personhood – where, historically, law has both influenced and mirrored cultural expectations concerning corporate responsibility. The other areas (treated elsewhere) are corporate purpose, corporate regulation, and corporate governance. Corporate personhood is a subject of longstanding and recurring interest that, notwithstanding it has been a settled concept since the 19th century, continues to vex and excite, as seen in the U. S. Supreme Court’s splintered 5-4 decision in the 2010 case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The decades-long debates about …
Enduring Equity In The Close Corporation, Lyman P.Q. Johnson
Enduring Equity In The Close Corporation, Lyman P.Q. Johnson
Lyman P. Q. Johnson
This Article develops the theme of change/sameness in corporate law. Written to commemorate the thirty-fifth anniversary of Wilkes v. Springside Nursing Home, Inc., the Article argues that the equitable fiduciary duties so central to Wilkes endure today in the close corporation precisely because equity, by its nature, is so exquisitely adaptive – under constantly changing circumstances − to the ongoing pursuit of a just ordering within the corporation. Unlike fixed legal rules – which are categorical, static, and do not take sufficient account of changes wrought by time or human arationality – equity is malleable and timely as it reckons …
New Approaches To Corporate Law, Lyman P. Q. Johnson
New Approaches To Corporate Law, Lyman P. Q. Johnson
Lyman P. Q. Johnson
No abstract provided.
An Alternative Universe To §1113 Of The Bankruptcy Code: The Mediation Between American Airlines And Its Workforce, Max Schatzow
An Alternative Universe To §1113 Of The Bankruptcy Code: The Mediation Between American Airlines And Its Workforce, Max Schatzow
Max Schatzow
This paper explores mandatory mediation as an alternative method to the current §1113 framework, where judges determine the fate of collective bargaining agreements. Through dialogue, this paper will explore one potential outcome to the ongoing dispute between the various labor unions with collective bargaining agreements with American Airlines.
An Introduction To The Federalist Society's Panelist Discussion Titled "Deregulating The Markets: The Jobs Act", Lawrence Hamermesh, Peter Tsoflias
An Introduction To The Federalist Society's Panelist Discussion Titled "Deregulating The Markets: The Jobs Act", Lawrence Hamermesh, Peter Tsoflias
Lawrence A. Hamermesh
At its 2012 National Lawyers Convention in Washington, D.C., the Corporations, Securities & Antitrust Practice Group of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies hosted a panel discussion titled "Deregulating the Markets: The JOBS Act." The panel members were the Honorable Daniel M. Gallagher, Joseph H. Kaufman, Joanne T. Medero, Professor Robert T. Miller, and Professor Robert B. Thompson. The Honorable Frank H. Easterbrook moderated the discussion. This Article begins with a cursory overview of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the "JOBS Act" or "Act") provisions discussed by the panelists. It then summarizes the positions expressed by …
Revisiting Omnicare: What Does Its Status 10 Years Later Tell Us?, Megan Wischmeier Shaner
Revisiting Omnicare: What Does Its Status 10 Years Later Tell Us?, Megan Wischmeier Shaner
Megan Wischmeier Shaner
No abstract provided.
Skating Too Close To The Edge: A Cautionary Tale For Tax Practitioners About The Hazards Of Waiver, Claudine Pease-Wingenter
Skating Too Close To The Edge: A Cautionary Tale For Tax Practitioners About The Hazards Of Waiver, Claudine Pease-Wingenter
Claudine Pease-Wingenter
The Federal Rules of Evidence defer to common law in establishing the rules of attorney-client privilege. As a general matter, such an approach creates a fairly uncertain legal landscape as each court articulates the baseline rules somewhat differently. The varied judicial applications of those differing rules can then exacerbate the uncertainty even more.
Unfortunately, in the area of tax law, the rules and their application are particularly uncertain because attorneys and accountants have overlapping responsibilities to clients and the courts have historically refused to recognize an accountant-client privilege. During my approximately eight years practicing corporate tax law, I was acutely …
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Charitable Contributions And The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, William Alan Nelson Ii
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Charitable Contributions And The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, William Alan Nelson Ii
William Alan Nelson II
The area of charitable contributions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) is an ambiguous area of law where liability for companies can be enormous. This article examines the challenges companies face under the FCPA when making charitable contributions. It provides an in-depth analysis of the Schering-Plough case, which illustrates how the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) applies the record-keeping provisions of the FCPA in a situation of charitable giving; it examines Department of Justice (“DOJ”) FCPA Review Opinion Procedure Releases that provide guidance on when companies’ charitable contributions will violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA; it discusses the …
Segmented Settlements Are Not The Answer: A Response To Professor Squire’S Article, How Collective Settlements Camouflage The Costs Of Shareholder Lawsuits, Christopher C. French
Segmented Settlements Are Not The Answer: A Response To Professor Squire’S Article, How Collective Settlements Camouflage The Costs Of Shareholder Lawsuits, Christopher C. French
Christopher C. French
In his recent article, Professor Richard Squire offers a provocative theory in which he claims the underlying claimants in shareholder litigation against corporate policyholders are overcompensated due to what he describes as “cramdown” settlements, under which insurers are forced to settle due to the “duty to contribute” that arises under multi-layered directors and officers (“D&O”) insurance programs. He also offers a novel idea regarding how this problem could be fixed by what he refers to as “segmented” settlements in which each insurer and the policyholder would be allowed to settle separately and consider only its own interests in doing so. …
Veil-Piercing Unbound, Peter B. Oh
Veil-Piercing Unbound, Peter B. Oh
Peter B. Oh
Veil-piercing is an equitable remedy. This simple insight has been lost over time. What started as a means for corporate creditors to reach into the personal assets of a shareholder has devolved into a doctrinal black hole. Courts apply an expansive list of amorphous factors, attenuated from the underlying harm, that engenders under-inclusive, unprincipled, and unpredictable results for entrepreneurs, litigants, and scholars alike. Veil-piercing is misapplied because it is misconceived. The orthodox approach is to view veil-piercing as an exception to limited liability that is justified potentially only when the latter is not, a path that invariably leads to examining …