Panels Discuss International Mergers and Acquisitions

Recently, Vice Chancellor Leo Strine, Jr. hosted two sessions on international aspects of mergers & acquisitions practice in his Mergers and Acquisitions class here at Harvard Law School.

In a presentation entitled Viva Là Difference: Anatomy Of A Cross-Border Deal, David Katz, a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, discussed cross-border mergers and acquisitions, focusing on two French transactions that he’d been involved in, as well as discussing several recent developments relevant to cross-border mergers and acquisitions practice. In particular, he focused on Sanofi’s hostile acquisition of Aventis, and contrasted it with the merger of equals of Alcatel and Lucent. The video of this session is available here.

In the second panel, distinguished practitioners and academics discussed takeover transactions in Europe with the Vice Chancellor. The panel consisted of David Katz; Scott Simpson, co-head of Skadden’s Global Transactions Practice; Jaap Winter, a partner at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek in Amsterdam and professor of international company law at the University of Amsterdam, as well as acting Dean of the Duisenberg school of finance; and John Coates, John F. Cogan, Jr. Professor of Law and Economics here at Harvard Law School. The panel discussed the differences in practice between European Union takeover law and the Delaware regime. Mr. Winter described the EU Takeover Directive, and the panel discussed its effects. A video of their discussion can be accessed here. (video no longer available)

(Videos are in Quicktime .mov format. Click here to download the latest version of Quicktime.)