Crefovi has teams of governance practitioners, takeover defense planning advisors and proxy contest defense lawyers. They advise CAC 40 and Footsie 100 corporations, as well as mid and small capitalisation companies, for their Activist & proxy contest defense.
A law firm ready for activist & proxy contest defense
Threats to the long-term interests of stockholders take many forms, which implies a strong retaliation strategy and activist & proxy contest defense. In particular, activist investors in the marketplace, the boardroom or at the annual meeting, can be destabilising, and require careful planning and experienced counseling.
Crefovi advises CAC 40 and Footsie 100 corporations, as well as mid and small capitalisation companies, on activist & proxy contest defense, in particular on:
- planning for potential governance challenges on matters ranging from board structure and governance to executive compensation;
- review of ratings by proxy advisory firms, and compliance with their various policy mandates;
- evaluation of specific threats posed by activist accumulations of share positions, including the removal and nomination of directors at annual or special meetings or action by written consent, and
- active implementation of defenses such as rights plans, including those designed to address the threats posed by derivative share acquisitions by insurgent hedge funds.
If the fight comes to a meeting or by a solicitation, Crefovi can deploy its ‟Mergers & acquisitions” and ‟Litigation” teams, who work closely with the client’s management team and bankers, investor and public relations advisors to bring the contest to a successful outcome for the company however that may be defined — be it a quick settlement to avoid disruption to the board’s broader agenda or a win at the annual meeting to assure continuity in the boardroom.
A global network
Clients praise Crefovi’s lawyers for their responsiveness & ability to understand the technical, business and legal aspects of each matter in relation to activist & proxy contest defense, and come back, matter after matter, to be advised by them.
While London and Paris based, we routinely work across borders. The vast majority of our engagements are multi-jurisdictional. We are used to working in multinational teams, and rely on our network of specialist lawyers for support in other jurisdictions.
The team has therefore established an extensive international network of mergers & acquisitions contacts and a close association with other specialist lawyers worldwide. Our history of successes in high profile, politically sensitive matters reflects an ability to act swiftly and with the utmost discretion.
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