A. Gilchrist Sparks III

Partner

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.

Noteworthy

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

• Morris Nichols Partner A. Gilchrist Sparks, III Elected to American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
  Morris Nichols is pleased to announce that A. Gilchrist Sparks, III was elected to membership in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.
• Chambers USA 2008 Names 18 Morris Nichols Attorneys and Five Practice Groups as Best in Delaware
  The 2008 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business today ranked five Morris Nichols’ practice groups and 18 attorneys as best in Delaware.
• Fifteen Morris Nichols Attorneys Named in the 2008 Delaware Super Lawyers Listing
  Fifteen Morris Nichols lawyers were selected as top Delaware attorneys by Super Lawyers Magazine and within this distinguished group, two were further recognized among the 10 best in the state.
• A. Gilchrist Sparks III Selected As One Of The Most Influential Players in Corporate Governance
  A. Gilchrist Sparks III has been selected as one of the most influential players in corporate governance in Directorship 100 in its September 2007 issue.
• Eighteen Morris Nichols Attorneys Recognized In Best Lawyers In America 2008
  According to Best Lawyers, Morris Nichols had the highest number of attorneys named in Delaware in the practice areas of commercial litigation (5) and corporate law (10).
• Four Morris Nichols Attorneys Named To Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers In America
  Morris Nichols Arsht & Tunnell LLP announced today that four of its attorneys were named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, and that two additional attoneys were named as finalists.
• Four Morris Nichols Partners Named To Lawdragon 500 "Leading Dealmakers" List
  Frederick H. Alexander, Lewis S. Black, Jr., John F. Johnston and A. Gilchrist Sparks, III, have been named to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America list.

Publications

• 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).
• Frederick H. Alexander, A. Gilchrist Sparks III, The Delaware Corporation:Legal Aspects of Organization and Operation, Corporate Practice Series, Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., 2002
• 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)

Professional and Community Activities

• Member, The American Law Institute
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, American Bar Foundation
• Member, Committee on Corporate Laws of ABA Business Law Section - Co-Chair, Director Voting Task Force
• Member, Board of Advisors, University of Pennsylvania Institute for Law and Economics
• Co-Chairman, Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance Advisory Board, University of Delaware
• Executive Editor, Delaware Law Review
• Former Chairman, Delaware State Board of Bar Examiners
• Member, Board of Trustees, University of Delaware
• Co-chair, Delaware Supreme Court's Permanent Advisory Committeee on the Delaware Uniform Rules of Evidence
• Member, Corporation Law Council, Delaware State Bar Association