The outcome of the presidential election, and Mary Jo White’s announcement of her intent to step down as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, are sure to kick off an avalanche of prognostication about her successor, the direction of the SEC, and the fate of some of the laws
Michael R. Hackett
Mike Hackett is a partner in the Litigation Department and Co-Head of the Asset Management Litigation practice. An experienced litigator and trial lawyer, Mike’s practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with a particular emphasis on asset management, financial services, M&A, shareholder, and life sciences disputes.
A significant portion of Mike’s practice concerns disputes and regulation involving private funds, including private equity, venture capital, hedge, real estate and private credit funds, as well as their sponsors, partners, investors, portfolio companies, and officers and directors. Mike’s experience representing private fund clients runs the gamut, from control contests within advisers, to disputes between limited partners and general partners, to representation of investment advisers in connection with regulatory examinations, investigations and enforcement matters. Mike routinely represents funds, fund sponsors, portfolio companies, and their officers and directors, including in significant post-closing M&A disputes.
Mike also litigates high-stakes commercial disputes in the life sciences and financial services areas, including for established pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, emerging and innovative start-ups, asset managers, and other private capital investors, in areas such as M&A, breach of contract, indemnification, fraud, contested earnouts and royalties, securities and capital markets, and corporate governance.
Mike has been recognized by Chambers USA and was named a “Rising Star” by Massachusetts Super Lawyers.
Not So Fast! Qualcomm Cannot Use “Curious Quirk” of U.S. Discovery Law In Korean Antitrust Proceeding
A recent federal court order highlights the scope, and the limitations, of a U.S. court’s authority to order domestic discovery for use in a foreign proceeding under 28 U.S.C. § 1782. The court in In re Ex Parte Application of Qualcomm Incorporated rejected Qualcomm’s Section 1782 applications to subpoena a host of U.S. technology giants for information to use in Qualcomm’s defense of a Korea Fair Trade Commission (“KFTC”) proceeding.