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☆ OpenAI hired the lawyer who helped force Elon Musk to buy Twitter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The firm battling Musk previously helped Twitter in a legal conflict with the billionaire. The billionaire is set to face off again with a lawyer who helped Twitter sue Musk after he attempted to back out of the $44 billion purchase. One of the lawyers from the Wachtell firm, William Savitt, helped lead Twitter's case against Musk. AdvertisementMusk helped found OpenAI in 2015 and has said he invested tens of millions of dollars into the AI venture. Representatives for Musk and OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: OpenAI, Elon Musk's, Musk, —, Elon Musk, Lipton, Katz, Foerster, Sam Altman, William Savitt, Morrison, Ragesh Tangri —, Morgan Chu, Alan Heinrich, Chu, Tesla, Altman Organizations: Twitter, Service, Reuters, Wachtell, Rosen, Morrison, — Jordan Eth, Ragesh, Bloomberg, Microsoft, Musk Locations: — Jordan

☆ US refiner Phillips 66 retains big-name advisers for Elliott duel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. oil company Phillips 66 headquarters in Houston, Texas, U.S., September 27, 2020. REUTERS/Gary McWilliams/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 30 (Reuters) - U.S. oil refiner Phillips 66 (PSX.N) has retained two top financial and legal advisers for its duel with activist investor Elliott Investment Management, according to a person familiar with the matter. Elliott wants two board seats to be filled by executives with refining experience and faster action on restructuring the fourth-largest U.S. oil refiner to improve its lagging financial performance, the New York activist said on Wednesday. Phillips 66 is relying on financial and legal advice from Goldman Sachs (GS.N) and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, the person familiar with the matter said. A Phillips 66 spokesman declined to comment on the advisers or whether it has new meetings scheduled with the activist.

Persons: Gary McWilliams, refiner Phillips, Elliott, Phillips, Goldman Sachs, Lipton, Katz, Tudor Pickering Holt, Matthew Blair, Blair, David French, Chizu Organizations: Phillips, REUTERS, Elliott Investment Management, New, Wachtell, Rosen, Tudor Pickering Holt & Co, Chevron, Thomson Locations: Houston , Texas, U.S, New York, Houston, CPChem

☆ Top Law Firms Call for Universities to Tamp Down on Antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Erin Mulvaney | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Columbia students participating in a rally in support of Palestinians. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesMore than two dozen large law firms urged university deans to address antisemitic harassment, vandalism and assaults reported on college campuses in recent weeks. In a letter sent Wednesday, the law firms, a group that includes Kirkland & Ellis; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; and Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, say they have been alarmed at reports of violence and bigotry on college campuses in recent weeks, including rallies calling for the death of the Jews and the elimination of the state of Israel. The letter was sent to more than 20 top law school deans.

Persons: Spencer Platt, Ellis, Paul, Weiss, Wachtell Lipton Rosen, Katz Organizations: Columbia, Getty, Kirkland, Garrison Locations: Rifkind, Wharton, Israel

Elite law firms send a messageWith universities across the United States grappling with a rise in antisemitism since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, elite law firms are putting schools on notice. In a letter to some of the nation’s top law schools obtained by DealBook, about two dozen major Wall Street firms warned that what happens on campus could have corporate consequences. The letter follows a series of recent antisemitic episodes at universities. Kathy Hochul of New York sought this week to reassure Jewish students at Cornell after online posts threatening violence against them. Students at other schools have said they feel increasingly unsafe amid rallies and other acts that, in some instances, have become violent.

Persons: Moore Debevoise, Plimpton Kirkland, Ellis Paul, Weiss, Garrison Simpson Thacher, Bartlett Skadden Wachtell, Lipton, Davis Polk, Israel, Kathy Hochul Organizations: DealBook, Rosen, Katz, Wardwell, Gov, New York, Cornell Locations: United States, Israel, Rifkind, Wharton, New

☆ Top law firms call out antisemitism on college campuses
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Some of the nation’s most powerful law firms are warning America’s elite universities to crack down on antisemitism on campus – or the schools and their students will face real consequences. “Over the last several weeks, we have been alarmed at reports of anti-Semitic harassment, vandalism and assaults on college campuses, including rallies calling for the death of Jews and the elimination of the State of Israel,” more than two dozen law firms wrote in a letter obtained by CNN. The letter campaign was spearheaded by Joe Shenker, senior chair of Sullivan & Cromwell, according to the New York-based law firm. “One would hope that by the twenty-first century, antisemitism would have been relegated to the dustbin of history,” Columbia University leaders said in a statement. Last month, a Columbia student hanging up posters on campus in support of Israel was assaulted.

Persons: Moore, Ellis, Paul, Weiss, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Joe Shenker, Sullivan, Cromwell, Ryna Workman, Israel “, ”, Strawn, Workman, “, ” Workman, they’ve, Liz Magill, ” Magill, ” Gillian Lester Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Debevoise, Plimpton, Kirkland, Garrison, Rosen, Yale, Harvard, University of Virginia, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, University of Michigan, University of Michigan , New York University, Stanford, NYU Student Bar Association, Winston, NYU, Columbia University, ” Columbia University, Columbia Law School, Cornell University Locations: New York, Israel, ”, Rifkind, Wharton, Slate, Columbia, Georgetown, University of Michigan , New, Penn, New York City

☆ U.S. Steel explores options after rejecting $7.3 billion offer from Cleveland-Cliffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Jyoti Narayan | Akanksha Khushi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

(Reuters) -United States Steel Corp on Sunday launched a formal review of its strategic options, after rebuffing a takeover offer from rival steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. FILE PHOTO: Steel workers at U.S. Steel Granite City Works in Granite City, Illinois, U.S., May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant/File PhotoThe unsolicited cash-and-stock offer from Ohio-based Cliffs values U.S. Steel at about $7.3 billion, representing a 43% premium to its closing price on Friday. Cliffs said its offer to acquire U.S. Steel had received the support of the United Steelworkers union, which is North America’s largest steel industry union. In a separate statement later Sunday, U.S. Steel confirmed it received an offer from Cliffs and other interested parties.

Persons: rebuffing, steelmaker, Lawrence Bryant, ”, Lourenco Goncalves, Davis Polk, Milbank, Lipton, Katz Organizations: Reuters, United States Steel Corp, Sunday, Cliffs, U.S . Steel, U.S . Steel Granite City, REUTERS, Steel, U.S, China . U.S . Steel, AK Steel Holding Corp, United Steelworkers, Company, UBS, Wardwell, . Steel, Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs Group, Milbank LLP, Wachtell, Rosen Locations: steelmaker Cleveland, U.S . Steel Granite, Granite City , Illinois, U.S, Ohio, China . U.S, steelmaker, North, Wells Fargo, J.P.Morgan, Cleveland

☆ US Steel to explore strategic alternatives after unsolicited bids
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Steel workers at U.S. Steel Granite City Works in Granite City, Illinois, U.S., May 24, 2018. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant/File Photo(Reuters) -United States Steel said on Sunday it is initiating a formal review to evaluate strategic alternatives for the steel producer after receiving multiple unsolicited bids for part or all of its business. The review was begun after the steel producer received “multiple unsolicited proposals that ranged from the acquisition of certain production assets to consideration for the whole company,” CEO David Burritt said in a statement, without disclosing details about the strategic alternatives. Barclays Capital and Goldman Sachs are serving as financial advisors to U.S. Steel, while Milbank LLP and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz are acting as legal advisors, the steel producer said. U.S. Steel also expects to complete about $75 million of repurchases of common stock in the second quarter under its existing $500 million stock buyback authorization.

Persons: Lawrence Bryant, David Burritt, Goldman Sachs, Milbank, Lipton, Katz Organizations: U.S . Steel, U.S . Steel Granite City, REUTERS, United States Steel, Barclays Capital, Milbank LLP, Wachtell, Rosen, . Steel Locations: U.S . Steel Granite, Granite City , Illinois, U.S

☆ US Steel receiving acquisition offers as company promises to maximize stockholder value
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-13 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —United States Steel Corp. (X) is considering a sale after fielding acquisition offers, according to a news release Sunday from the company. The steel producer is under a formal review process after “receiving multiple unsolicited proposals” for both specific assets and the entire firm, the release announced. The company and the rest of the domestic steel industry were supposed to get help from a 25% tariff on steel imports put in place in 2018 by the Trump administration. Prices retreated and problems returned to the industry thanks to stockpiling, as well as slowdowns in the auto, energy and construction sectors. The drop in demand, combined with the increased American production, caused a glut in supply and a sharp drop in prices leaving the steel industry hurting in the years since.

Persons: ” David Burritt, Goldman Sachs, Milbank, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Donald Trump, Trump, we’ve, Burritt Organizations: New, New York CNN — United States Steel Corp, “, Steel’s, CNN, Barclays Capital, Rosen, US Steel Corp, US Steel Locations: New York, China

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoCompanies Canoo Inc FollowNikola Corp FollowAug 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fined electric vehicle company Canoo Inc $1.5 million on Friday for what the regulator alleges were reporting failures related to hundreds of millions of dollars of unreasonable revenue projections. In the run-up to the deal, Canoo (GOEV.O) had projected revenue of $120 million in 2021 and $250 million in 2022 based on deals to provide engineering services to other companies. In March 2021, the carmaker's stock tumbled 21% after it announced it would not achieve the anticipated revenue, the SEC said in court papers. The SEC said Kranz and Balciunas knew before the merger that the projects were unlikely to generate revenue. Canoo said in May it had tentatively agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty to settle with the SEC.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Canoo, Ulrich Kranz, Paul Balciunas, Kranz, Balciunas, Daniel Wachtell, Nikola, Jody Godoy, Jonathan Oatis, Nick Macfie, Deepa Babington, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange, SEC, REUTERS, Nikola, Exchange Commission, DraftKings Inc, Thomson Locations: Washington, Texas, New York

☆ Twitter, now X, threatens suit against nonprofit studying hate speech and misinformation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk's latest legal adversary: a nonprofit that studies hate speech and misinformation on social media. On July 20, X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, sent a letter to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, or CCDH, threatening to sue the British research nonprofit. The letter follows CCDH research published in June, which studied the propagation of hate speech on the social media platform since Musk's buyout. Other CCDH research found that the social media company failed to act on 89% of anti-Jewish hate speech and 97% of anti-Muslim hate speech on the platform. The letter from X Corp. to CCDH is one of a handful of legal threats or actions by the company in recent months.

Persons: Elon Musk's, CCDH, Musk, Imran Ahmed, Elon Musk, Ahmed, Satya Nadella, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz Organizations: X Corp, Twitter, Center, Meta, Rosen

☆ Salesforce hires activist lawyer from Wachtell, Lipton as legal chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

July 17 (Reuters) - Salesforce (CRM.N) appointed Wachtell, Lipton's Sabastian Niles as its chief legal officer on Monday, months after the leading activist lawyer helped defend the business software provider against several hedge funds that had called for changes at the company. "I'm thrilled to welcome Sabastian to Salesforce as part of our world-class management team," CEO Marc Benioff said. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is a major law firm sought out by corporate America to handle merger deals as well as activist investment firms' push for changes. Niles spent nearly 17 years at the law firm, where he began his career as a summer associate after earning his law degree from Harvard, rising to become a partner. Niles was part of the team at Wachtell when it advised Salesforce after Starboard Value, ValueAct and Elliott Investment Management pressured it for making key changes earlier this year.

Persons: Wachtell, Lipton's Sabastian Niles, I'm, Marc Benioff, Lipton, Katz, Niles, Bill Ackman's, Jeffrey Ubben, Mason Morfit's, Salesforce, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Yuvraj Malik, Vinay Dwivedi Organizations: Rosen, Harvard, Bill Ackman's Pershing, Capital Management, Elliott Investment Management, Svea, Thomson Locations: Salesforce, America, Wachtell, New York, Bengaluru

☆ Saudi golf shot plays through CFIUS hazards
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

U.S. congressional lawmakers scrutinized PGA Tour officials on Tuesday this week about the group’s tie-up with a rival golf tournament owned by Saudi Arabia. Enter the Saudis, who launched an upstart golf tournament last year, LIV Golf, that competed with the U.S.-based PGA Tour and its European counterpart DTP. There are worries that Saudi Arabia, a regime viewed as hostile to women and LGBTQ groups, would have significant sway over golf’s culture. LIV Golf is owned by Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Former AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson resigned from the PGA Tour policy board, the Washington Post reported on July 9.

Persons: State Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore, Covid, LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Yasir Al, Ed Herlihy, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, hasn’t, Randall Stephenson, Jamal Khashoggi, ”, Richard Blumenthal, –, Sherrod Brown, Maxine Waters, Janet Yellen, LIV Golf’s, Joe Biden hasn't, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Khashoggi, Uncle Sam, Refinitiv, China’s ByteDance, LIV, Stephenson, Lauren Silva Laughlin, Sharon Lam Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Public Investment Fund, Augusta National Golf Club, State, U.S, PGA, LIV, Rosen, Breakingviews, Former AT, PGA Tour, Saudi, Department of Justice, Foreign Investment, U.S . Treasury, Saudi Arabian Crown, Walmart, Visa, Uber Technologies, Nation Entertainment, National Basketball League, Houston Rockets, People’s, NBA, backtrack, FIFA, Qatar, The Justice Department, Treasury, Committee, Homeland Security, Governmental Affairs, Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, T, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Saudi Arabia, United States, American, U.S, South Carolina, Iran, China, Saudi, Hong Kong, People’s Republic, Beijing

☆ Twitter was hit with a massive $90 million legal fee that Elon Musk is now trying to fight in court. A former Twitter director saw the bill and responded, 'O My Freaking God,' court documents show.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter previously hired a law firm to force Elon Musk to complete the buyout of the company. The law firm, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, hit Twitter with a $90 million bill for its services. According to the suit, $84 million was wired to the law firm minutes before the deal closed. On Twitter, Musk accused Wachtell of specializing "in institutionalized corruption." Since he acquired the company, Musk has refused to pay expenses for some former employees, rent for the company's offices, and, previously, invoices for Google Cloud services.

Persons: Elon Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Musk, Martha Lane Fox, Sean Edgett, Lane Fox Organizations: Twitter, Rosen, X Corp, Elon, San, Google Locations: San Francisco County

The complaint by Musk's X Corp, which owns Twitter, was filed on Wednesday in the California Superior Court in San Francisco. Musk accused Wachtell of exploiting Twitter by accepting, in the final days before the Oct. 27, 2022, buyout closed, huge "success" fees doled out by departing Twitter executives who were grateful that Musk would be forced to close. "Wachtell arranged to effectively line its pockets with funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over" to Musk, the complaint said. Musk wants to recoup "excess" fees that Wachtell charged under an agreement signed on the day of closing by one of its partners and Twitter's chief legal officer Vijaya Gadde. The case is X Corp v Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, California Superior Court, County of San Francisco, No.

Persons: Elon Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Musk, Vijaya Gadde, Martha Lane Fox, Sean Edgett, Mark Zuckerberg's, Carl Icahn, Icahn, Jonathan Stempel, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Rosen, Twitter, Musk's X Corp, California Superior Court, Tesla Inc, SpaceX, Fox, CVR Energy, X Corp, Thomson Locations: California, San Francisco, Delaware, Katz , California, Court, County, New York

☆ Twitter Sues Wachtell Over $90 Million Payout for Musk’s Buyout Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Alexa Corse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Locations: delaware

Twitter’s parent company sued a leading corporate law firm on Friday for what it said were unjust payments related to Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of the social media company last year. A $90 million payment that Twitter made to Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, a top mergers and acquisitions firm, amounted to “unjust enrichment” and should be paid back, according to the lawsuit, which the parent company, X Corp., filed in San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuit said Wachtell Lipton took “funds from the company cash register while the keys were being handed over” to Mr. Musk, who owns X Corp.Twitter’s previous management hired Wachtell Lipton after Mr. Musk tried to terminate his agreement to acquire the company last year. He was unsuccessful, and the purchase closed in October.

Persons: Elon, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Wachtell Lipton, Musk Organizations: Elon Musk’s, Rosen, X Corp, San, San Francisco Superior Court Locations: San Francisco, ”

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter sues top law firm Wachtell over $90 million fee for work under prior ownership
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Attorneys for Elon Musk filed suit this week against the law firm that represented Twitter when Musk was trying to take the company private last year, claiming the firm charged too much for its work. The lawsuit says Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz, which was Twitter's firm prior to Musk's acquisition, racked up a $90 million "last minute" legal bill. Wachtell represented Twitter after Musk reneged on his initial offer to take Twitter private for $44 billion. The law firm helped close the deal in November 2022, and was paid that $90 million fee for its work securing the transaction, which was tendered at a significant premium to Twitter's public market valuation. Twitter sued Musk for not honoring his commitment to the company's shareholders, and Musk eventually relented, purchasing Twitter at the agreed upon price.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, Katz, Reid Collins, Tsai, It's, Ben Roth, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Tesla Inc, Elon, Twitter, X Corp, San Francisco, Google, Rosen Locations: San Francisco , California, Austin , Texas, Delaware, California, San Francisco

Adenza was created in 2021 when Thoma Bravo merged Calypso Technologies with AxiomSL and is expected to generate about $590 million in revenue this year. As part of the Adenza deal, Thoma Bravo will get a 14.9% stake in Nasdaq, making the private equity firm one of the company's biggest shareholders. Nasdaq said buying Adenza is expected to increase the medium-term organic revenue growth outlook for its Solutions Businesses, which designs and develops financial software for investors, from 7%-10% to 8%-11%. Goldman Sachs & Co and J.P. Morgan Securities are financial advisers to Nasdaq, while Qatalyst Partners is lead financial advisor to Thoma Bravo and Adenza. Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is serving as legal adviser to Nasdaq, while Kirkland & Ellis is serving as legal adviser to Thoma Bravo and Adenza.

Persons: Thoma, Adena Friedman, Morningstar, Michael Miller, Friedman, Adenza, Andrew Bond, Holden Spaht, Thoma Bravo's Spaht, Goldman Sachs, Wachtell, Lipton, Katz, Ellis, Manya Saini, Anirban Sen, John McCrank, David French, Milana, Michelle Price, Sruthi Shankar, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Nick Zieminski, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Thoma Bravo, Nasdaq Nasdaq, Nasdaq, Calypso Technologies, REUTERS, OMX, International Securities Exchange, Rosenblatt Securities, Solutions, Goldman Sachs & Co, Morgan Securities, Qatalyst, Rosen, Kirkland, Adenza, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Adenza, Bengaluru, New York, Washington

Golf becomes a geopolitical trophyThe shock news that the PGA Tour plans to join forces with LIV Golf, the upstart circuit that it has spent the past year feuding with, rattled the normally staid world of golf. Saudi Arabia, LIV’s backer, now stands to hold enormous sway over golf, as it invests billions to extend its presence throughout pro sports — and beyond. It’s an additional sign of how the kingdom is seeking to assert its role as a growing geopolitical and global business power. Covert jet-setting talks led to the golf deal. Those on the Saudi side included the banker Michael Klein, a longtime adviser to the kingdom.

Persons: LIV Golf, LIV, Jay Monahan, Ed Herlihy, Wachtell, Jimmy Dunne, Piper Sandler, Michael Klein Organizations: PGA Tour, PGA, Allen & Company Locations: Saudi Arabia, what’s, Saudi

NEW YORK, May 4 (Reuters) - The practice of short selling is coming under increased scrutiny as shares of regional banks remain under pressure, with some calls for more regulatory oversight of the practice. Short sellers, who borrow shares they expect to fall and hope to repay the loan for less later to pocket the difference, have profited from the banking crisis. During the financial crisis, short selling was temporarily banned in the U.S., although a New York Federal Reserve review later showed the curb did not achieve the intended effect. The SEC declined to comment on Thursday when asked if it should impose a short selling ban. While some market participants criticized the practice, others, like non-profit group Better Markets, said short sellers warned markets about the challenges regional banks were facing.

☆ A new sign of panic in the US banking industry: Law firm Wachtell Lipton calls on SEC to crack down on short selling of bank stocks.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jeffrey Cane | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Influential law firm Wachtell Lipton says the SEC needs to respond by stopping bets against bank stocks in the form of short sales. Read the law firm's memo here. On Thursday, the law firm Wachtell Lipton sent a memo to clients asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to crack down on the short selling of bank stocks. Calls for limits on short selling can be seen as a sign of stress in the financial system. Other longer-term solutions may include reinstitution of the traditional up-tick rule, and aggressive enforcement combating abusive short sales, market manipulation and groups acting in concert.

And that has the impact of postponing some announcements," said Anu Aiyengar, global head of M&A at JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N). M&A volumes dropped 44% to $282.7 billion in the U.S. and 70% to $81.87 billion in Europe. Reuters Graphics"Having a well-functioning financing market is a critical ingredient for M&A. Global M&A volumes in Q1 2023LACK OF CONFIDENCEThe depressed market valuations also presented an opportunity for prominent activist investors to launch new proxy fights, with dealmakers anticipating a boost to M&A volumes from activist campaigns in the coming quarters. "Inflationary pressures aren't subsiding as fast as people expected; there's still a lot of geopolitical tensions, and in a lot of ways, the disruption in the financing market is intensifying," Langston said.

☆ Bath & Body Works adds director, Third Point backs off proxy fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Shoppers wait in line outside a Bath and Body Works retail store in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., December 8, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoNEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) - Bath & Body Works Inc (BBWI.N) on Monday named veteran financial executive and board member Thomas Kuhn as a new director, ending a potential challenge from billionaire investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point. "Tom’s 35 year history as a respected financial and legal advisor, including working with consumer companies, will bring an important perspective to Bath & Body Works as it focuses on its key strategic initiatives to maximize shareholder value," Bath & Body Works board chair Sarah Nash said in a statement. Bath & Body Works, which is valued at roughly $10 billion, has been operating as a standalone company since 2021. At Bath & Body Works the company was advised by law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz, financial services company J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, proxy solicitor Innisfree M&A Inc and public relations firm Joele Frank.

While law firms sometimes negotiate fixed fees on transactions, market participants said such deals would be unlikely on transactions that faced the amount of legal uncertainty of Rogers-Shaw. The Rogers-Shaw deal is expected to be the tenth-largest deal in Canadian history since 1995, according to data from Dealogic. Law firms Lax O’Sullivan Lisus Gottlieb represented Rogers, while Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and Wachtell are lawyers for Shaw. None of the law firms responded to Reuters queries on the legal fee. Rogers and Shaw on Friday extended the closing deadline for the fourth time to March 31.

Jan 13 (Reuters) - NI Corp (NATI.O), a provider of testing and measuring equipment, said on Friday it was exploring strategic options after acquisition interest from companies that people familiar with the matter said include Emerson Electric Co (EMR.N). The acquisition interest from potential suitors, according to the sources, forced NI to adopt a so-called poison pill, which would be triggered if a person or a group's ownership of the firm reaches 10%. The sources, who requested anonymity as the discussions are confidential, cautioned that the talks with suitors including Emerson are subject to market conditions, and a deal is not guaranteed. Texas-based NI, formerly known as National Instruments, specializes in making automated testing and measurement tools to aid in research and validation of new technologies. In October, Emerson sold a majority stake in its climate technologies unit to Blackstone Inc (BX.N) in a deal that valued the business at $14 billion.

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