Professor Stephen Bainbridge, a nationally-prominent corporate law professor whose voluminous scholarship is often cited in Delaware corporate law decisions, and who often provides scholarly insights on his eponymous blog, was kind enough to share our annual review of key Delaware corporate decisions via Twitter (now X) with the following high praise, while referring to a
18th Annual Review of Key Delaware Corporate and Commercial Decisions
By: Francis G.X. Pileggi* and Sean M. Brennecke**
Courtesy of the Delaware Business Court Insider, which published this article in two parts (it’s 34-pages long), this is our annual review of key Delaware corporate and commercial decisions.
This year’s list focuses, with some exceptions, on the unsung heroes among the many decisions that have
Third Circuit Upholds Refusal to Disqualify Law Firm Under Legal Ethics Rules 1.9 and 1.10
In my latest ethics column for The Bencher, the publication of the American Inns of Court, I highlighted a decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit which upheld the refusal to disqualify a law firm based on legal ethics rules 1.9 and 1.10.
In sum, those rules codify the fundamental
Supreme Court Reverses Chancery and Finds that LP Manager Reasonably Relied in Good Faith on Opinion Letter
The Delaware Supreme Court recently reversed a decision of the Delaware Court of Chancery, highlighted on these pages, that addressed whether the general partner of a limited partnership relied in good faith on the formal legal opinion of a law firm to support a going-private transaction. (Photo at right shows the Supreme Court Building in
Supreme Court Offers New Guidance on DGCL Section 220
The Delaware Supreme Court recently provided guidance to corporate litigators regarding the nuances of DGCL Section 220, which most readers recognize as the statute that allows stockholders to demand certain corporate records if the prerequisites in the statute–and those imposed by countless court decisions–have been satisfied. In NVIDIA Corp. v. City of Westmoreland Police and
Deposition Stricken from Court Docket; Not Properly Lodged with Confidential Treatment
Delaware Court of Chancery Rule 5.1 defines the requirements for court filings to receive confidential treatment, contrary to the presumption that all court filings should be made available to the public. (The former terminology “under seal” is no longer used in the current version of the rule.) A recent Chancery decision addressed the filing of
Resources for Judicial Ethics Research
For the last 24 years or so I have written an ethics column for The Bencher, the flagship publication of The American Inns of Court. My current column is entitled: Resources for Judicial Ethics Research.
Most readers will not have a frequent need for the research sources that I have compiled on this topic, but
Consent Statute Not Sufficient Alone to Impose Jurisdiction on Corporate Officer
A recent Delaware Court of Chancery opinion should have a place in the toolbox of litigators who need to be familiar with the latest iteration of Delaware law on the nuanced aspects of the consent statute as a potential basis to impose personal jurisdiction on officers and directors of Delaware corporations by virtue of their
Pro Hac Vice Motions in Delaware: Cases and Commentary
I have highlighted many Delaware decisions addressing issues related to pro hac vice motions on these pages over the last 17 years or so, such as the standards for the admission of a non-Delaware lawyer pro hac vice to represent a party in pending Delaware litigation. Some of the decisions I have highlighted involve efforts
Chancery Provides Guidelines for Non-Delaware Lawyers Issuing Formal Delaware Legal Opinion Letters
The Delaware Court of Chancery published a magnum opus a few days ago that should be required reading for all lawyers who prepare formal legal opinion letters for clients–and whose behavior is subject to review by the Delaware courts.
In Bandera Master Fund LP v. Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP, C.A. No. 2018-0372-VCL (Del. Ch.