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During the third quarter, U.S. dealmaking contributed to a larger-than-usual share of global activity and offset a decline in volumes in Europe and Asia Pacific, accounting for about half of global volumes. Deal volumes in Europe and Asia Pacific fell 31% and 9%, respectively. To date, private equity deal volumes have slumped 48% to $313.73 billion, compared to the same period last year. Deal activity driven by activist shareholders was muted as several big-name activists reached settlements with corporate boardrooms. Dealmaking in technology, which typically accounts for the largest share of deal volumes, has fallen 51% so far this year.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, dealmaking, We're, Melissa Sawyer, Sullivan, Cromwell, dealmakers, headwinds, Tony Kim, Roark Capital's, ”, Andre Kelleners, Goldman Sachs, Naveen Nataraj, Kappa, WestRock, it’s, Rob Kindler, Weiss, Garrison, it'll, Anton Sahazizian, Anirban Sen, Timothy Gardner Organizations: REUTERS, Cromwell LLP, Asia Pacific, Investment, U.S . Steel, Centerview Partners, U.S . Investment, Evercore Inc, Cisco, Splunk Inc, Fidelity National Information Services, Reuters, Paul, Moelis, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, United States, Europe, Asia, Cleveland, Rifkind, Wharton, New York, London

☆ Former US SEC chair calls for companies to disclose China risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Carolina Mandl | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jay Clayton, former chairman of the SEC, speaks during the 13D Monitor's Active-Passive Investor Summit in New York City, U.S., October 18, 2022. In his testimony, the former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair proposed that companies with market capitalizations above $50 billion or with China-based revenues or costs above $10 billion unveil their exposure to the world's second biggest economy. He also recommended those companies explain how their operations would be affected in the event of a disruption in U.S.-China economic ties. Clayton's views as the former SEC chair still carry weight among Washington policymakers, though he is no longer in government. If the level of risk is decreased, they will invest," he said, adding more disclosure would reduce systemic risk.

Persons: Jay Clayton, Brendan McDermid, Cromwell, Clayton, Jim Chanos, Anne Stevenson, Yang, Donald Trump's, Carolina Mandl, Michelle Price, Chizu Organizations: SEC, REUTERS, Sullivan, Big U.S, Chinese Communist Party, Wall, Securities and Exchange Commission, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Big, China, Wall Street, Washington, York, New York

The logo of Calgary-based Enbridge, one of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies, is displayed during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsSept 5 (Reuters) - Enbridge (ENB.TO) will buy three utilities from Dominion Energy (D.N) for $14 billion including debt, the Canadian pipeline operator said on Tuesday, creating North America's largest natural gas provider and doubling its gas distribution business. The deals for East Ohio Gas, Questar Gas, and Public Service Co of North Carolina will consist of $9.4 billion in cash and $4.6 billion of assumed debt. U.S.-listed shares of Enbridge fell 6.5% to $33.01 in extended trading after the company also announced a C$4 billion ($2.9 billion) bought-share sale to fund a portion of the deal. The modest improvement in Enbridge's business risk profile is not enough to "offset ongoing pressure on the company's financial profile," said Gavin MacFarlane, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody's, in a statement.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Berkshire Hathaway, Greg Ebel, Enbridge, Patrick Murray, Moody's, Gavin MacFarlane, Morgan Stanley, Sullivan, Cromwell, McCarthy Tétrault, Arunima Kumar, David French, Denny Thomas, Shailesh Kuber, Sriraj Kalluvila, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, Dominion Energy, East Ohio Gas, Public Service Co, Dominion, Federal Trade Commission, Foreign Investment, Co LLC, RBC Capital Markets, Thomson Locations: Calgary, North, Vancouver , British Columbia, Canada, Canadian, North Carolina, Enbridge, Point, United States, Ohio , North Carolina , Utah , Idaho, Wyoming, North America, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Wells Fargo, a juicy target, sparks lead counsel fight among shareholder firms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Meanwhile, yet another plaintiffs' firm, Robbins, is deep into a similar derivative suit against Wells Fargo board members in San Francisco Superior Court. But it’s worth noting that in 2022, Wells Fargo won the dismissal of a previous shareholder derivative suit accusing the board of regulatory compliance failures. Kessler said its complaint, which includes "detailed" and "substantial" references to Wells Fargo internal documents, was more likely to withstand a dismissal motion from the bank. Scott + Scott told Tigar that it had the most up-to-date documents from Wells Fargo because it brought a Section 220 demand after the $3.7 billion CFPB agreement. I would not be surprised to see a rival derivative suit filed in Delaware Chancery Court by one of the shareholder firms spurned by Tigar.

Persons: Cromwell, Wells Fargo, Wells, Robbins Geller Rudman, Dowd, Kessler Topaz Meltzer, Scott, Scott –, They're, Jon Tigar, Robbins, Wells Fargo’s, Kessler Topaz, Kessler, Robbins Geller, Tigar, Robbins Geller didn’t, Randall Baron, board's, Andrew Cheng, Read Organizations: Sullivan, U.S . Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, U.S . Office, Currency, OCC, Wells, U.S, District, San Francisco Superior Court, Tigar, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, Thomson, Reuters Locations: Oakland, Wells Fargo, San Francisco, Wells, San, California, Delaware Chancery

Reuters reported on Tuesday on a so-called earn-out agreement that was key to Roark clinching a deal for Subway. Roark prevailed over a rival bidding group led by buyout firms TDR Capital and Sycamore Partners, whose final offer was for $8.75 billion including an earn-out, and $8.25 billion without, the sources said. Roark took the view that the restaurant market is too fragmented for the deal to raise competition concerns, the sources added. Roark and Subway, which announced the deal on Thursday, declined to comment on the terms. Roark currently controls Inspire Brands, the owner of restaurant chains including Jimmy John's, Arby's, Baskin-Robbins and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Persons: Roark, DeLuca, Buck, John's, Jimmy John’s, Jimmy John's, Neil Saunders, Peter Buck, Fred DeLuca, JPMorgan Chase, Sullivan, Cromwell, Weiss, Garrison, Roark Capital, Morgan Stanley, Anirban Sen, Abigail Summerville, Deborah Sophia, Greg Roumeliotis, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Roark, Reuters, Subway, TDR Capital, Sycamore Partners, Inspire Brands, Baskin, Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, JPMorgan, Cromwell LLP, Thomson Locations: Connecticut, U.S, Bridgeport , Connecticut, The Milford , Connecticut, Rifkind, Wharton, New York, Bengaluru

☆ SEC punts on whether syndicated loans are securities, in closely watched appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Law firm alerts have gone so far as to call the appeal an “existential threat” to the entire syndicated loan market. The SEC later added to the suspense by requesting two more extensions from the 2nd Circuit, noting the complexity of the issue. On the other hand, any remaining uncertainty will be resolved as soon as the 2nd Circuit issues a ruling. But it’s a good bet that the trustee's lawyers from McKool will urge the 2nd Circuit to read the SEC’s silence as proof of the complexity of the issue. An earlier version incorrectly reported that Judge Michael Park was part of the 2nd Circuit panel that heard oral argument.)

Persons: Cromwell, JPMorgan Chase, Marc Kirschner, Paul Gardephe, Manhattan, Gardephe, McKool Smith, Jose Cabranes, Joseph Bianco, Myrna Perez, ”, Malcolm Stewart, Christopher Johnson, McKool, SEC wouldn’t, Michael Park, Alison Frankel, Leigh Jones Organizations: Sullivan, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, U.S, Circuit, SEC, 2nd, JPMorgan, Millennium, U.S . Justice Department, District, Trading Association, Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Justice Department, U.S . Treasury Department, Thomson, Reuters Locations: U.S .

SummaryLaw Firms FTX founder allegedly misappropriated customer funds for European acquisitionFTX failed to find a buyer for the company in bankruptcy saleNEW YORK, July 13 (Reuters) - Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX sued insiders at FTX Europe AG late Wednesday, seeking to recover $323 million that FTX had invested in an ill-fated expansion into European crypto markets. After FTX filed for bankruptcy in November, it sought to sell FTX Europe, only to conclude that no buyer would offer meaningful value for the company, according to FTX. FTX acquired Digital Assets for nearly $400 million in three transactions in 2020 and 2021, hoping to obtain regulatory approvals and expand into European markets. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in November, saying it was unable to completely repay customers who had deposited funds on its exchange. Prosecutors have charged Bankman-Fried, 31, with stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer funds to cover losses at its affiliated hedge fund Alameda Research.

Persons: FTX, Sam Bankman, Patrick Gruhn, Robin Matzke, Brandon Williams, Cosima Capital, Williams, Fried, Gruhn, Steven Holley, Stephen Ehrenberg, Brian Glueckstein, Christopher Dunne of Sullivan, Cromwell, Read, Clinton, Dietrich Knauth Organizations: FTX, AG, DA AG, Assets, Matzke, Gruhn, Prosecutors, Alameda Research, Trading, Bankruptcy, District of, Cromwell LLP, Thomson Locations: Zurich, Switzerland, Europe, Delaware, Matzke, Oregon, Alameda, U.S, District of Delaware

☆ Goldman to pay $215 mln to settle gender discrimination lawsuit - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 8 (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) has agreed to pay $215 million to settle a long-running class-action lawsuit that accused the investment bank of widespread bias against women in both pay and promotions, Bloomberg News reported on Monday citing a person familiar with the matter. Last week, Reuters reported that the talks were ongoing to settle roughly a month before the trial was set to begin. The plaintiffs alleged the bank systematically paid women less than men and gave women weaker performance reviews that impeded their career growth. They are led by Cristina Chen-Oster, Mary De Luis and Allison Gamba, who were Goldman vice presidents, and Shanna Orlich, who was an associate. The lawsuit is among the highest-profile cases targeting Wall Street's alleged unequal treatment of women, including in litigation against many banks that stretches back decades.

☆ Brookfield Infrastructure to take Triton International private for $4.7 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 12 (Reuters) - Brookfield Infrastructure (BIPC.N) said on Wednesday it would buy intermodal container lessor Triton International Ltd (TRTN.N) for about $4.7 billion, to help expand its services in the transportation and logistics sector. Brookfield has offered about $85 per Triton common share consisting of $68.50 in cash and $16.50 in BIPC class A exchangeable shares. The offer represents a premium of nearly 35% to Triton stock's last close. Goldman Sachs is the financial adviser to Triton and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP the legal adviser. Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan stake competing claims to No. 1 deal advisory spot
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Anirban Sen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JPMorgan edged out Goldman to claim the top spot in global league tables compiled by Refinitiv Deals Intelligence, having worked on $119.8 billion worth of deals versus $115.4 billion for Goldman in second place. In Dealogic's global league tables, however, Goldman claimed the top spot in the first quarter with $120.5 billion worth of deals. The discrepancies led to Goldman asking Refinitiv and JPMorgan asking Dealogic for explanations, according to people familiar with the conversations. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan stake competing claims to No. 1 spot, though there are some known differences in how the league tables of Refinitiv and Dealogic are compiled.

☆ Former Allianz Fund Manager Accuses Firm and Its Lawyers of Double-Crossing Him
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

In his brief, Mr. Tournant excerpted a slide containing photos of himself and two other former Allianz executives, which his lawyers likened to a most-wanted poster. Mr. Tournant was also represented by a third firm that wasn’t jointly retained by Allianz, according to his motion. The firms’ agreements required them to inform Mr. Tournant in the event that a conflict of interest arose, according to his motion. Allianz’s posture toward Mr. Tournant changed after Mr. Bond-Nelson broke ties with the firm’s defense team and began shifting blame to Mr. Tournant, according to his brief. The pivot was a direct result of the policies outlined in recent years by officials such as Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, according to Mr. Tournant.

☆ Amazon, Facing Questions Over Workplace Safety, Also Probed on Bank Dealings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

The office has deployed the 1989 law at the same time the Labor Department presses a workplace safety investigation of Amazon that has already led to several citations. The office also wants video surveillance footage of Amazon facilities and has served subpoenas to take testimony from Amazon employees, including high-level executives, according to Ms. Ahmad. Amazon in court papers in the case in Seattle said the information demands are “unrealistic” and the U.S. Attorney’s Office stretched to assert jurisdiction under Firrea. Any fraud case against Amazon would turn on whether the company had made misrepresentations to lenders and whether those misrepresentations impacted their decision-making, he said. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan didn’t respond to a request for information on the identities of the financial institutions whose dealings with Amazon are under scrutiny.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried Says Law Firm Worked Closely With FTX Before Bankruptcy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Sam Bankman-Fried said cryptocurrency exchange FTX had a closer relationship than previously disclosed with its bankruptcy law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, adding to questions about the law firm’s work for past FTX management. Mr. Bankman-Fried is currently under house arrest at his parents’ California home as he faces federal fraud charges. Sullivan & Cromwell was one of two primary law firms FTX International used before the bankruptcy and it was FTX U.S.’s main law firm, Mr. Bankman-Fried wrote in a post Thursday on Substack, an online subscription-based newsletter platform. He added that FTX U.S.’s general counsel was a former member of the law firm without naming him. The new FTX CEO would also be in charge of the bankruptcy process that later picked the law firm as the bankruptcy counsel.

☆ FTX Hires Ex-Regulators to Investigate Firm’s Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Mengqi Sun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX, whose recent collapse has led to questions about lacking regulatory oversight, has hired a fitting team to help untangle the mess: former senior U.S. regulators. FTX said this week it has been in contact with investigators, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. FTX, which is based in the Bahamas, also has hired Nardello & Co., an investigations firm that specializes in anti-corruption and fraud cases, Mr. Bromley said in court Tuesday. The name of the cybersecurity company wasn’t disclosed because of concerns over continuing cyberattacks on FTX, he said. The collapse of FTX has set off the largest crypto-related bankruptcy ever, and court filings are already shedding light on what went wrong and how complicated things could get.

☆ Former top lawyer for Slack, Groupon joins Sullivan & Cromwell
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Chinekwu Osakwe | Thomson Reuters | Chinekwu Osakwe Covers Legal Industry News With A Focus On Midsize Law Firms. Reach Her At Chinekwu.Osakwe Thomsonreuters.Com. | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Law firms Sullivan & Cromwell LLP Follow(Reuters) - Sullivan & Cromwell has hired a former general counsel for Slack Technologies LLC, Groupon Inc and Salesforce.com Inc to join its Palo Alto office, the law firm said Monday. David Schellhase, who left his position at Slack in Aug. 2021 after almost five years, will be part of the firm's general practice group as of counsel. Before his time at Slack, Schellhase spent over a year as chief operating officer for software company Honest Work Corp. Schellhase said in a statement that he is eager to join the New York-founded law firm as the maturing technology industry seeks out legal expertise. Read More:Sullivan & Cromwell leads first-half M&A in slower 2022 for firm dealmakersSullivan & Cromwell antitrust co-head Holley departs for hedge fundOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ United Rentals to acquire Ahern Rentals for $2 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 14 (Reuters) - United Rentals Inc (URI.N) said on Monday it will acquire the assets of smaller rival Ahern Rentals Inc in an all-cash deal for about $2 billion, as the equipment rental firm looks to expand its U.S. presence. Ahern was founded in 1953 and is a family-owned equipment rental firm with about 2,100 employees. It operates across 106 locations in 30 U.S. states, with a rental fleet that consists of aerial lifts. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP acted as legal advisor to United. Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Priyamvada C in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wanted: Paralegal. Starting Pay: Depends on Which New York Firm.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Lauren Weber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York City’s pay-transparency law, which took effect Nov. 1, was designed to help eliminate pay inequities, but it has many other effects, including this one: For the first time, New Yorkers can compare salaries for the same role at multiple companies. Now job seekers can discover that a New York-based litigation paralegal at white-shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell LLP will earn a base salary of $55,000. Someone hired for the same job title at smaller firms Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Mintz can expect to earn at least $70,000 and $80,000, respectively. The smaller firms are seeking candidates with five or more years of experience, while Sullivan & Cromwell’s ad notes that legal experience is beneficial but not required.

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