This panel will discuss the current antitrust regulatory landscape with a focus on issues that commonly arise in the context of the regulatory approval process for transactions. 

After completing this session, participants will be able to:

• Understand recent enforcement trends in M&A
• Identify potential regulatory trends following the 2024 US elections
• Identify the sectors that are under more scrutiny and the legal and economic theories that the agencies are using to evaluate them
• Discuss developments in the national security area relevant to mergers

M&A activity was generally down in 2024 with sporadic bursts of activity. Along with regulatory and financing uncertainty, concerns over general economic conditions and the impact of the November elections suppressed buyer and seller confidence. Deals seemed to take longer or were more complicated. The ability to properly advise companies, their boards of directors and special committees and to effectively negotiate M&A transactions requires detailed knowledge of the latest trends and developments affecting M&A.

This program will help you stay up to date on M&A activity and cutting-edge trends and developments regarding the impact of macro factors, M&A litigation, difficult negotiation and contractual issues, SEC disclosure matters, regulatory review of transactions, tax, compliance due diligence and other issues with important M&A implications. Panels that include some of the most experienced and sophisticated legal and investment banking professionals, members of the Delaware judiciary and the Chief of the Office of Mergers & Acquisitions at the Securities and Exchange Commission will discuss these and other developments.