Eric A. Chiappinelli is the Frank McDonald Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law. This post is based on his recent article, and is part of the Delaware law series; links to other posts in the series are available here.
Delaware is well established as the single most influential state in corporate America. Its prominence persists as the Delaware Court of Chancery continues to be the center for stockholder litigation against corporate fiduciaries. The Court of Chancery occupies this position largely as a result of its unique system for obtaining personal jurisdiction over corporate fiduciaries: Section 3114, the director implied consent statute. My article, which appears as a chapter in the forthcoming Research Handbook on Representative Stockholder Litigation (Sean Griffith, Et Al., Eds.), details the methods by which the Delaware Court of Chancery asserts personal jurisdiction over directors and officers of Delaware corporations.