According to California Lawyer, gone are the days when those buying companies rushed to wrap up deals and wrest hot companies from their competitors’ grasp. In today’s market, buyer due diligence is thorough and can easily lead to renegotiating terms. Increasingly those deals hinge on the value of patents, and firms are responding by creating IP “swat teams” to handle the load. A panel of lawyers from Northern and Southern California discussed these issues as well as strategies for bridging valuation gaps, cross-border deals, and the market’s impact on M&A.
The panel of experts included WilmerHale partners Daniel Zimmerman and Joseph Wyatt; Doug Cogen of Fenwick & West; Eric McCrath of Morrison & Foerster; Ed Wes of Perkins Coie; and Marc Empey of Slovak, Baron & Empey. The roundtable was moderated by California Lawyer and reported by Paula Shi of Barkley Court Reporters.
