As highlighted in the July 9, 2020, blog post from the FTC, increased interest in levels of M&A activity has warranted that the Bureau of Competition’s Premerger Notification Office (PNO) share the monthly figures for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act filings. This increased activity can be seen in the strong HSR reported transaction numbers for December 2020. December had 192 reported transactions, the highest number of monthly reported transactions in any December between FY 2010 and FY 2021.
[Legal Education Webcast] Only a Matter of Time? From Data Breach Discovery to Defensible Incident Responses
In this expert presentation, cybersecurity incident response, legal discovery, and privacy experts will share how organizations should be prepared to respond to a cyber-related incident, while also gaining insight into cutting-edge data discovery technologies and proven document review services to support the detection, identification, review, and notification processes required by law after sensitive data-related breaches and disclosure.
Off to the Races? A Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Transaction Update (November 2020)
As highlighted in the July 9, 2020, blog post from the FTC, increased interest in levels of M&A activity has warranted that the Bureau of Competition’s Premerger Notification Office (PNO) share the monthly figures for Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act filings. This increased activity can be seen in the strong HSR reported transaction numbers for November 2020. November had 424 reported transactions, the highest number of monthly reported transactions in any month between FY 2010 and FY 2021.
A Fast Start in Fiscal Year 2021? A Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Filing Update
Given the chilling effect of COVID on the business of eDiscovery, many individuals and organizations are interested in the impact of current pandemeconomic conditions on essential audit, investigation, and litigation drivers for legal discovery. One of those drivers is the need for eDiscovery support in FTC and DOJ Second Request investigations. As Second Requests are driven from HSR Act mandated merger transaction reviews, the following HSR Act filing information and comparisons may be helpful for understanding current trends and potential trajectories driving the need for Second Requests.
A Tempo of (Anti) Trust? Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Filings in 2020
Given the chilling effect of COVID on the business of eDiscovery in 2020, many individuals and organizations are interested in the impact of current pandemeconomic conditions on essential audit, investigation, and litigation drivers for legal discovery. One of those drivers is the need for eDiscovery support in FTC and DOJ Second Request investigations. As Second Requests are driven from HSR Act mandated merger transaction reviews, the following HSR Act filing information and comparisons may be helpful for understanding current trends and potential trajectories driving the need for Second Requests.
Time for a Change? FTC Proposes Changes to HSR Act Premerger Notification Rules
The Federal Trade Commission, with the support of the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, recently proposed changes to the rules governing merger notification under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (HSR Act). The revisions would require investment funds to report additional information and would exempt certain minority acquisitions from the reporting requirements, including acquisitions of 10% or less of an issuer’s voting securities by activist investors.
Context for Assertions? The Pulse Rate of Second Requests
Given the relatively small number of Second Request opportunities when compared to the traditional opportunities for eDiscovery in support of audits, investigations, and litigation, claims of expertise and experience in this unique type of discovery may be difficult to assess without the context of the actual numbers of Second Requests made annually by the FTC and DOJ. Many providers may assert experience in conducting the tasks required in Second Requests. However, a significantly fewer number of providers may actually have experience in conducting those tasks as part of an actual Second Request case or matter.
NIST Looks into the Black Box of Computer and Mobile Phone Forensics
According to Barbara Guttman, leader of NIST’s digital forensics research program, “We want to understand the state of the practice. Can experts produce accurate and reliable information when extracting data from a digital device?”
Evaluating Corporate Compliance Programs? Updated DOJ Criminal Division Guidance
The updated guidance document on corporate compliance from the Department of Justice sets forth topics that the Criminal Division has frequently found relevant in evaluating corporate compliance programs. The information shared in the guidance may be beneficial for legal, business, and information technology professionals in the eDiscovery ecosystem as they consider audits, investigations, and litigation in the area of corporate compliance.
Law Enforcement, Digital Data, and Mobile Devices
In 2017, global mobile devices and connections grew to 8.6 billion, and it is estimated that global mobile device traffic will reach almost one zettabyte annually by 2022. These mobile-centric data points coupled with the fact that 85% of criminal investigations include some form of digital data highlight the importance for data and legal discovery practitioners to have a working understanding of how the global law enforcement community considers digital data and devices in their investigative efforts.