Commercial Law Commons^™

Making A Case For Business Courts: A Survey Of And Proposed Framework To Evaluate Business Courts, Anne Tucker

Anne Tucker

This article addresses the issues related to specialized courts, specifically focusing on business courts, and provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of non-Delaware business courts. After addressing the theoretical assumptions of and civil justice goals served by business courts, the article proposes a framework to evaluate and measure the success of business courts by focusing on efficiency, quality of decision-making, and the perception of due process. The article surveys existing business courts and undertakes a comparative analysis of their structural elements: case subject matter, jurisdiction, minimum damages thresholds, and transfer procedures. The article then analyzes the existing programs under …

Reward The Stalking Horse Or Preserve The Estate: Determining The Appropriate Standard Of Review For Awarding Break-Up Fees In § 363 Sales, Zachary Frimet

Zachary Frimet

Following the surge of bankruptcies in the wake of the Great Recession, a growing and somewhat controversial trend has emerged whereby companies seeking to purchase a debtor’s assets in bankruptcy frequently make use of Section 363 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (“§ 363”). In general, § 363 sales are accomplished via public auction. This aspect of § 363 exposes initial bidders, known in bankruptcy as “stalking horses bidders”, to the risk that they will commit time and resources in pursuit of the acquisition and yet fail to succeed as the prevailing bidder. To hedge against this risk, stalking horse …

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, …

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, …

Product Due Diligence And The Suitability Of Minibonds: Taking The Benefit Of Hindsight, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

This article focuses on some problems arising from applying the product due diligence requirement of the suitability rule to complex financial products. The article draws several conclusions. First, the ‘not unsuitable’ test should be adopted to reduce legal uncertainty. Second, the comparative risk approach is a better choice in assessing the suitability of investment products. However, there must be further elaboration of the classification of product risk. Third, there must be a balance between risk and return to avoid risk mismatches in product design. Fourth, what have been termed minibonds raise the problem of documentation suitability. Though it is difficult …

Classification Of Clients Of Financial Firms: From Comparative Law Perspective, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

The purpose of this article is to examine current regulations under Taiwan law with regard to classification of clients of financial firms in Taiwan from the perspective of comparative law. After comparing with relevant laws in the EU, UK, USA, Hong Kong, and Singapore, this article argues that there are certain points worth further consideration and revision under Taiwan law: first, the level of current regulation in Taiwan and its scope are rather limited compared with foreign laws; secondly, it is necessary to introduce other standards than mere ‘total assets’ in order to determine a ‘large’ enterprise; and thirdly, current …

Contractual Structure Of Structured Notes And Legal Characterisation Of Non-Discretionary Trust, Christopher Chao-Hung Chen

Christopher Chao-hung Chen

This article argues that if a structured product is documented as “notes”, it should be deemed as “securities” under the Securities Exchange Act in Taiwan. It should be regulated issuance, purchase or brokerage activities under securities regulations, if a structured note is issued directly in Taiwan or if a domestic investor authorized a securities broker to have it purchased in a foreign country on his behalf,. In addition, even if one invests in structured notes issued by a foreign company via a non-discretionary trust with a commercial bank, this activity should still constitute sales of foreign securities; and thus it …