Over the last decade, corporate responsibility and sustainability has moved to the forefront. Large businesses have Chief Sustainability Officers and produce sustainability reports—indeed, more than 80% of the S&P 500 do so. Investors seek consistent sustainability information and propose resolutions on matters from gender equality to human rights to climate change, and these are... Continue Reading

Fifteen years ago Delaware enacted its decanting statute with the addition of Section 3528 to Title 12 of the Delaware Code. Decanting became part of a growing list of innovative laws that propelled Delaware into the leading jurisdiction that it is for the creation and administration of trusts. Decanting may seem simple, but its execution can be complicated. This article will identify some of the... Continue Reading

David A. Harris, Louis G. Hering, “2018 Summary of Delaware Case Law Relating to Alternative Entities,” 2018 Annual Meeting of ABA, Section of Business Law (Feb. 20, 2018).. Continue Reading

For many years Delaware corporate law was mainly public company law. But now there is a critical mass of case law relevant to private and venture-backed companies, with 2017 adding to that law perhaps more than any prior year... Continue Reading

Morris Nichols attorneys A. Gilchrist Sparks III and Daniel D. Matthews co-authored a book chapter on “Delaware’s Continued Resilience, The Next Hundred Years.” The piece is the closing chapter in a treatise on legal developments in Delaware and the First State’s contributions to U.S. corporate law... Continue Reading

Litigation in Delaware in 2017 has somewhat turned on its head the long-held expectation that “every public deal draws a lawsuit” but “private company stockholders rarely sue.” Early indications that public company deal litigation would decrease in Delaware courts have proven to be accurate through 2017. Yet the Delaware Court of Chancery has been busier than ever — so much that Chief... Continue Reading

Ten or so years ago, the founders of B Lab, a tiny new nonprofit, had an audacious idea. They wanted to create a system that would allow for-profit businesses to account for their impact on all their stakeholders... Continue Reading

In its last session, the Delaware Legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the ‘‘DGCL’’) and the Delaware ‘‘alternative entity’’ statutes—the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the ‘‘DLLCA’’), the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (‘‘DRULPA’’) and the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act... Continue Reading

Shareholder activism is everywhere. In May, hedge fund Jana Partners pushed Whole Foods Market to overhaul its board, fix its operations and pursue “all avenues to shareholder value creation,” following a slump in its share price and stiff competition from other grocers entering the organic food market. .. Continue Reading