Doing Deals 2026: The Art of M&A Transactional Practice

What’s next after a blistering year of M&A activity in 2025? As dealmakers continue to test a more deal-friendly regulatory environment, and with AI investment and rate cuts providing ballast to M&A activity in 2025 (second highest M&A volume year on record!), there are a host of macroeconomic and geopolitical factors – wars, tariffs, interest rates, stock and financing market fluctuations, and periods of stock market volatility (in particular fears of an AI bubble) – that could create uncertainty in M&A activity. We are also seeing a significant amount of new Delaware M&A case law and legislation (including on controlling stockholders) as well as a large number of hostile and activist campaigns. These developments are among the points that will be discussed at the Doing Deals program.

A prominent faculty of top outside and in-house lawyers, investors, and investment bankers will share their years of experience and teach you how best to represent your clients by creatively structuring, coordinating and managing M&A transactions.

After completing this program, participants will be able to:

• Choose a transaction structure: Navigating the world of mergers and tender offers

• Recognize special considerations when doing cross-border deals

• Get the deal done in an increasingly difficult and uncertain regulatory environment

• Understand the critical importance of pre-deal documents, such as confidentiality agreements 

• Master the nuts and bolts of definitive agreements – representations and warranties, covenants, conditions and indemnification provisions

• Navigate the new Delaware rules on M&A and control shareholder transactions

• Learn the ins and outs of private equity funds and deal making

• Launch or defend against a hostile deal or an activist hedge fund