S&C Critical Insights

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast, Matthew Hurd, a leader of the Firm’s pharma and life science practice, and Sophie Vandergrift, a leader of the Firm’s antitrust in this area, discuss hot antitrust topics in healthcare M&A. They explore how pharmaceutical and biotech combinations are likely to be affected by the Biden/Harris administration’s approach to antitrust. They also discuss the antitrust reform bill recently introduced by Senator Amy Klobuchar.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast, Bill Monahan, head of the Firm’s Products Liability & Mass Torts Group, and associate Andrew Kaufman discuss two often overlooked, but important tools in defending against consumer fraud claims in products cases: early settlement offers and offers of judgment. Bill and Andrew explore the strategic benefits and challenges of deploying these as risk-shifting litigation defense tactics.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast, Jared Fishman, a partner in S&C’s Financial Services and Capital Markets Groups, and Tony Lewis, special counsel in S&C’s Litigation Group and Cybersecurity practice, discuss a rule proposed by the Federal Reserve, the OCC and the FDIC to address cybersecurity incidents. The proposed rule would require banking organizations to notify their regulator of certain kinds of cybersecurity incidents, and also require bank service providers to notify their banking-organization customers when they experience cybersecurity incidents.

 

Jared and Tony discuss some of the background for this proposal, the new requirements this proposal would impose, and takeaways for organizations that could be affected.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Pavan Surapaneni, partner in S&C’s Sports & Entertainment Group and Commercial Real Estate Group, is joined by associate Rich Le Page to discuss investments by professional sports teams in mixed-use arena and stadium district real estate development projects. As a growing number of teams in each of the major professional sports leagues continue to take leading roles in mixed-use projects, Pavan and Rich explore why these projects might be attractive to teams. They also provide key considerations for a team once it decides to get involved in a project and what the future might look like for these projects in general.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Melissa Sawyer, co-head of S&C’s Corporate Governance & Activism Practice, and associate Lauren Boehmke provide an overview of U.S. activism trends they expect to persist into 2021. They cover the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activism campaigns in the spring of 2020 and look forward to how companies might get back to “business as usual” in the new year. They also discuss the convergence of strategy between activist investors and private equity funds, who are increasingly willing to borrow from each other’s playbooks. Finally, they explore how activists might look to capitalize on the ESP trend that has dominated corporate governance discourse among institutional investors. 
 
Download S&C’s 2020 U.S. Shareholder Activism Review

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Inosi Nyatta, co-head of S&C’s global Project Development & Finance practice, and associate Sarah Mishkin discuss the Equator Principles, one of the most widely adopted environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards in the financial sector. Inosi and Sarah provide an overview of Equator Principles 4, released October 1, 2020.

 

Inosi and Sarah also explore key changes arising under the updated Equator Principles, as the focus on ESG considerations grows. Finally, they discuss how project sponsors and developers might adapt to the updated Equator Principles, as more stringent environmental and social responsibility requirements now apply to a wider range of projects and financing transactions.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Nicky Friedlander, co-head of S&C’s Cybersecurity Practice, and Eric Kadel, co-head of the Firm’s Economic Sanctions and Financial Crime practice, are joined by associate Trevor Chenoweth to discuss two recent Treasury Department advisories on payments made in connection with ransomware attacks.

 

Nicky and Eric provide an overview of ransomware, malicious software used by cybercriminals to encrypt computer systems and data until a demand for ransom is paid. They explain the new advisories issued by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network concerning the need for financial institutions to detect and report ransomware payments, and by the Office of Foreign Assets Control concerning the risks of transacting with sanctioned parties in connection with ransomware attacks.  Nicky and Eric explore why both agencies have released these advisories, what banks should do if they know a requested payment will be made in connection with a ransomware attack, and potential future enforcement in this area.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Sergio Galvis, head of S&C’s Latin America practice, Inosi Nyatta, co-head the Firm’s global Project Development & Finance practice and Benjamin Kent, special counsel in the Firm’s General Practice Group, discuss project finance trends in Latin America, with a focus on the mining sector. The group considers what a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic might look like in the region and explores the direction future financings might take. They also consider the growing influence of ESG criteria on project financings in the region and highlight some of the work S&C has done in this field.

In this episode of S&C’s Critical Insights podcast series, Marc Treviño, co-head of S&C’s Corporate Governance practice and managing partner of its Executive Compensation Group, is joined by Annie Ostrager, co-head of the Firm’s Labor & Employment Group, to discuss lessons from the 2020 proxy season on board diversity.

 

This season was the first time U.S. public companies received a meaningful number of shareholder proposals specifically emphasizing the issue of racial diversity on boards. Marc and Annie highlight why this topic continues to be important for investors and corporate stakeholders. They also explore recent litigation centered on breaches of fiduciary duty and other allegations related to failures to achieve diversity on the board.

 

Click here to learn more about S&C’s 2020 Proxy Season Review and watch our recent webinar.