On May 5, 2024, DIS organized a side event during ICCA 2024 Hong Kong, focusing on International and German Perspectives on Post M&A Disputes. In a Sunday lunch session hosted by CMS, participants delved into current issues and recent experiences in resolving disputes arising from M&A transactions.
After a welcome by Mariel Dimsey, Torsten Lörcher provided an overview of DIS, followed by a discussion involving seasoned arbitration lawyers from Asia and Germany moderated by Nicolas Wiegand. Dorothee Ruckteschler opened the dialogue by exploring the typical nature of post M&A disputes and the specific challenges they present in arbitration practice. Nils Eliasson offered insights from his practice across Asian and European jurisdictions, comparing the approaches to post-M&A disputes between continental European civil law and Hong Kong and Singapore’s common law practices.
The panelists further explored specific aspects of M&A deals prone to generating consequential disputes, such as pre-closing conditions, material adverse events, warranties, and earn-out clauses. Dominique Yong provided an overview comparing from a Hong Kong common law perspective contractual warranties with common law and statutory remedies. Yunsoo Shin shared the Korean experience in M&A-related disputes, focusing on fraud allegations concerning representations and warranties.
Overall, the session provided a highly informative overview of the complexities faced by arbitration practitioners in M&A-related disputes, setting the stage for many more discussions in the course of ICCA 2024 in Hong Kong.
Max Joite