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It was a moment that many had been anticipating for years, yet the latest crop of V&E partners didn’t fete their promotions with parties and champagne. Instead they fielded congratulatory phone calls, took part in virtual coffee breaks and held small celebrations at home with their families. But pandemic-related complications notwithstanding, the new partners —…
Joining a big law firm was the last thing on Emily Stephens’s mind when she reached out to V&E partner John Grand last September. Stephens, a 14-year veteran of V&E client Oaktree Capital Management, was getting ready to launch her own law firm advising fund sponsors on fund formation. She was hoping Grand, who represents private equity…
The coronavirus pandemic has upended nearly every corner of the world — and shareholder activism is no exception. As companies struggled to survive in the early weeks of the crisis, activists hit the pause button, fearful of appearing opportunistic and insensitive. Stock market volatility, economic uncertainty, and a slowdown in the M&A market further deterred activists…
On September 23, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted amendments to modernize Rule 14a-8, which governs the process for shareholder proposals to be included in a company’s proxy statement.
V&E SEC Update
Looking for the house of your dreams? OJO Labs is ready to help you find it. The fast-rising real estate tech startup empowers homebuyers to make better decisions with proprietary technology that blends machine learning and human intelligence. It all starts with an A.I.-powered virtual assistant, dubbed OJO, which interacts with consumers via text. Homebuyers…
It was cause for celebration for Vinson & Elkins partners Matt Stammel and Jim Thompson. On July 1, 2020, after a six-day trial, Judge Marvin Isgur of the Southern District of Texas Bankruptcy Court handed a complete victory to V&E client Gavilan Resources. Judge Isgur even took the unusual step of reading his lengthy opinion…
What might happen if China or Russia attacked the nation’s electricity grid? The answer to that question is at the heart of an executive order issued by President Trump on May 1. Foreign adversaries are increasingly looking for ways to exploit weaknesses in the country’s bulk-power system (“BPS”) – the large interconnected electrical system that…
Material adverse event: Those three words can stop a deal dead in its tracks . . . and, indeed, that nearly happened when the devastating impact from two major events, the COVID-19 pandemic and a crash in oil prices, set in motion a number of steps that threatened to derail the heavily negotiated prepackaged Chapter 11 cases of…
On July 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) adopted amendments to the proxy solicitation rules and issued guidance regarding the proxy voting responsibilities of investment advisers.
V&E SEC Update
It’s hard to overstate the damage of the COVID-19 pandemic to the airline industry. As travel demand around the world has plummeted, the resulting crisis for airlines has been unprecedented — far worse than what they experienced in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. In the face of this seismic challenge, Southwest Airlines…