A. Gilchrist Sparks III

Of Counsel

Tel: (302) 351-9276
Fax: (302) 425-4683
asparks@mnat.com

Gil is a member of both the Corporate and Business Litigation and the Delaware Corporate Law Counseling Groups.  His practice is concentrated in litigation and counseling arising from mergers and acquisitions and disputes relating to the governance of Delaware corporations.

Professional and Community Activities

• Member, The American Law Institute
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Member, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
• Chair, Committee on Corporate Laws of ABA Business Law Section
• Member, Board of Advisors, University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics
• Former Chairman, Delaware State Board of Bar Examiners
• Chair, Board of Trustees, University of Delaware
• Co-chair, Delaware Supreme Court's Permanent Advisory Committee on the Delaware Uniform Rules of Evidence

Noteworthy

• Best Lawyers’ 2010 Delaware Lawyer of the Year in Mergers & Acquisitions Law
• Best Lawyers’ 2009 Delaware Lawyer of the Year in Corporate Law
• Directorship 100's One of the most influential players in corporate governance (2007)
• Selected as one of the leading M&A lawyers by the Legal Media Group's Guide to the World's Leading Mergers and Acquisitions Lawyers (2008)
• Chambers USA:  America's Leading Lawyers for Business describes Gil as the "dean of the [Chancery] bar".

News

• 25 Morris Nichols Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America 2012
  25 Morris Nichols attorneys have been named to The Best Lawyers in America 2012 in twenty practice areas.
• Chambers USA 2011 Names Twenty Morris Nichols Attorneys and Four Practice Groups as Best In Delaware
  The 2011 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business today ranked twenty Morris Nichols’ attorneys and four practice groups as best in Delaware.
• 19 Morris Nichols Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in Super Lawyers – Delaware Edition 2011
  Super Lawyers® magazine has named 19 Morris Nichols attorneys as top legal counsel in Delaware for 2011.
• Gil Sparks, Rick Alexander, Lou Hering, Patricia Vella, Eric Wilensky – Present at ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting
  Gil Sparks, Rick Alexander, Lou Hering, Tricia Vella, and Eric Wilensky served as panel speakers at the American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Spring Meeting in Boston.
• Morris Nichols Attorneys Listed in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in America
  Rick Alexander, Jack Blumenfeld, John Johnston, Bill Lafferty, Ken Nachbar and Gil Sparks have been recognized in Lawdragon Magazine’s listing of its 500 Leading Lawyers in America 2010.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Participates in Institutional Investor Educational Foundation Roundtable – Shareholder Democracy: Good, Bad or Unimportant?
  Gil Sparks participated in the Institutional Investor Educational Foundation (IIEF) Roundtable “Shareholder Democracy: Good, Bad or Unimportant?” held in Philadelphia.
• 26 Morris Nichols Attorneys Named to The Best Lawyers in America 2011; Firm is Top-Listed in Eight Categories in Delaware
  26 Morris Nichols attorneys have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2011. The firm was also “Top-Listed in Delaware” in eight practice areas.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Article Published in ABA’s The Business Lawyer: Focus on Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
  Gil Sparks co-authored After Twenty-Two Years, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law Continues to Give Hostile Bidders a Meaningful Opportunity for Success.
• Chambers USA 2010 Names Twenty Morris Nichols Attorneys as Leading Lawyers
  The 2010 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business today ranked twenty Morris Nichols attorneys and four practice groups as among the best in Delaware.
• 18 Morris Nichols Attorneys Selected for Inclusion in Super Lawyers – Delaware Edition 2010
  Super Lawyers® magazine has named 18 Morris Nichols attorneys as top legal counsel in Delaware for 2010.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Lou Hering and Patricia Vella Serve on Panels at ABA Business Law Section Spring Meeting
  Gil Sparks , Lou Hering and Patricia Vella served as panel speakers at the American Bar Association (ABA) Business Law Section Spring Meeting.
• Lawdragon Names Four Morris Nichols Attorneys Among 500 Leading Lawyers in America
  Rick Alexander, Jack Blumenfeld, Bill Lafferty and Ken Nachbar have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America 2010 guide.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Presents at Practising Law Institute: Contests for Corporate Control 2010 – Director Fiduciary Duties in M&A Transactions
  Gil Sparks served as a panelist on the session entitled Director Fiduciary Duties in M&A Transactions at the Practising Law Institute (PLI) Contests for Corporate Control 2010: Current Offensive & Defensive Strategies in M&A Transactions seminar in New York City.
• Three Morris Nichols Attorneys Named 2010 Lawyers of the Year by The Best Lawyers in America
  A. Gilchrist Sparks, III, William H. Sudell, Jr. and Kenneth J. Nachbar have been named 2010 Delaware Lawyers of the Year by the Best Lawyers in America Guide.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Patricia O. Vella Present at Office and Trial Practice: Corporate Law – Current Developments; Corporate Transactions – Best Practices
  Morris Nichols’ partner A. Gilchrist Sparks III and Special Counsel Patricia O. Vella served as faculty speakers at the day-long CLE seminar, Office and Trial Practice, co-sponsored by the Delaware State Bar Association and the Delaware Bar Foundation.
• PLI’s In Brief Features Article by A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Christine Dupriest – Pleading Director Knowledge
  The article Pleading Director Knowledge authored by Morris Nichols' partner A. Gilchrist Sparks III and associate Christine H. Dupriest was featured in In Brief, the Practicing Law Institute’s (PLI) on-line weekly eNewsletter series.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Featured in Pennsylvania (and Delaware) Super Lawyers 2009
  A. Gilchrist Sparks III has been profiled in the feature article Company Man that appears in Delaware Super Lawyers 2009.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Delaware
  The University of Delaware has announced that A. Gilchrist Sparks III has been elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the University.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III and Michael Houghton Named 2009 Lawyers of the Year by the Best Lawyers in America
  Partners A. Gilchrist Sparks III and Michael Houghton have been named Delaware Lawyers of the Year by the Best Lawyers in America Guide.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Presents at Practicing Law Institute: Contests for Corporate Control 2009
  A. Gilchrist Sparks III was among the featured faculty panelists speaking at the Practicing Law Institute (PLI) M&A seminar.

Notable Publications and Presentations

• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, John P. DiTomo, The Short-term vs. Long-term Dilemma, Practising Law Institute Corporate Governance 2011
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Helen Bowers, After Twenty-Two Years, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law Continues to Give Hostile Bidders a Meaningful Opportunity for Success, 65 Bus. Law. 761 (2010)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, John P. DiTomo, Management Projections: To Disclose or Not to Disclose?, 1677 PLI/Corp 379 (2008)
• S. Mark Hurd, Jay N. Moffitt, A. Gilchrist Sparks III, The Delaware Court of Chancery Concludes Directors' Action To Reschedule A Stockholder Vote Satisfies Blasius' Compelling Justification Standard
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, A Comment Upon Unocal at 20, Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, Vol. 31, No. 3, p. 887-889, 2006
• S. Mark Hurd, A. Gilchrist Sparks III, The Walt Disney Company Derivative Litigation - Delaware Supreme Court Affirms Court of Chancery Decision
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Corporate Democracy - What It Is, What It Isn't, and What It Should Be, Presentation at Tulane University, 18th Annual Law Institute, New Orleans, LA (February 2006)
• David A. Drexler, Lewis S. Black Jr., A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Delaware Corporation Law and Practice, Matthew Bender (1987-2005)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks, III, Andrew H. Lippstone, Changes in the Corporate Law After Enron: Emerging Director Liability Issues, Presentation at Tulane University, 15th Corporate Law Institute, New Orleans, LA (March 13-14, 2003).
• S. Mark Hurd, A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Special Committees of Directors – When Does the Business Judgment Rule Apply and To What Extent Are Committee Proceedings Confidential, Delaware Law Review, Vol. 2 (Delaware State Bar Association 1999)
• Lewis Black, Jr., A. Gilchrist Sparks, III, David A. Drexler, Delaware Corporation Law & Practice, (Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., 1996-98)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Special Committees and the Role of Outside Directors, Presentation at the 15th Annual M & A Lawyer Conference, New York, NY (February 2, 1998)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks, III, Eric L. Schnabel, Stockholders v. Directors A Status Report on Defensive Measures, Presentation at University of Miami, Second Annual Institute on Mergers & Acquisitions, Miami, FL (February 5, 1998)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, A Step Beyond - Reflections on the Jurisprudence of Chancellor William T. Allen, 22 Del. J. Corp. L. 921-27 (1997)
• R. Judson Scaggs, Jr., A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Delaware Law Issues in Spin-Offs And Split-Offs, Presentation at the Twenty Fourth Annual Securities Regulation Institute, Coronado, CA (January 24, 1997)
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Merger Agreements Under Delaware Law - When Can Directors Change Their Minds, 3 U. Miami L. Rev. 815-21 (1997)
• S. Mark Hurd, A. Gilchrist Sparks III, Special Negotiating Committees, The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, Vol. 30, No. 8, 97-101 (McGraw-Hill Companies, 1997)