Justice Karen L. Valihura of the Delaware Supreme Court delivered the keynote address at the 2019 IBRADEMP Conference on Merger and Acquisition (M&A) disputes in São Paulo, Brazil on Oct. 7, 2019.
More than 200 attended the sold-out conference sponsored by IBRADEMP – The Brazilian Institute of Business Law – a non-profit organization, which is dedicated to the promotion of best practices in the development of business law in Brazil.
The 2019 IBRADEMP Conference focused on conflicts that arise during the purchases and sales of companies, and improving how those transactions are handled. Justice Valihura was invited to present the keynote address because of her broad experience and knowledge with M&A agreements both during her time on Delaware’s highest court and in private practice. According to conference organizers, Brazilian M&A practice is broadly influenced by American jurisprudence on the subject.
“This conference has been a tremendous sharing of learning and ideas in the important area of M&A disputes. I am grateful to my Brazilian hosts for their interest in learning more about our Delaware corporate law. I am also grateful to them for the warm hospitality they extended to me during the visit.” – Justice Karen L. Valihura
In addition to Justice Valihura’s address, other topics discussed at the conference included: duties and liability in the pre-contractual phase, issues related to signing and closing, price determination in M&A disputes, representations and warranties clause and indemnification.
Justice Valihura was sworn in as a Justice of the Supreme Court in July 2014. Prior to her appointment, Justice Valihura was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP. Her practice in corporate and complex commercial issues included federal and state securities claims, mergers and acquisitions, and fiduciary duties of directors. While in private practice, Justice Valihura was consistently selected for inclusion in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America.
