Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP > Wilmington, United States > Firm Profile

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP
CHASE MANHATTAN CENTER, 18TH FLOOR
1201 NORTH MARKET STREET
WILMINGTON, DE
DELAWARE
United States

Email firm Visit website 1 302 658 9200 1 302 658 3989

M&A/corporate and commercial > Delaware counsel Tier 1

Hailed as ‘one of the top firms in Delaware, whose name everyone knows‘, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP‘s practice offers an ‘unparalleled knowledge of Delaware law‘ as the team was involved in writing many of the Delaware corporate laws. Daniel Matthews, Jeffrey Wolters, David Harris, and Louis Hering lead the team, and Eric Klinger-Wilensky, known as ‘very responsive, knowledgeable and practical’, is a driver of corporate work within the group, with his practice focusing on corporate advice in the context of transaction and governance litigation. Aside from this, Sara Gelsinger stands out for her ‘commercial and solutions focused’ work. The team is praised for its ‘strong local regulator relationships’ and assists both publicly traded and privately held companies. On the private side, the group has recently seen an increase in ‘business divorce’ cases, where a private company partnership and stakeholders disagree on changing course, liquidating, dissolving or investing to address stressors connected to the pandemic. Melissa DiVincenzo is a key name to note for advising clients on Delaware General Corporation Law. Jason Russell‘s expertise lies in areas such as Delaware alternative entities and limited liability partnerships.

Testimonials

‘Morris Nichols is terrific. They have unparalleled knowledge of Delaware law. They are my go-to Delaware law firm.’

‘Eric Klinger-Wilensky is very responsive, knowledgeable and practical.’

‘Strong local regulator relationships. Practical, considered advice. Efficient and responsive.’

‘Sara Gelsinger is very responsive, commercial and solutions focused’.

‘Morris Nichols is one of the top firms in Delaware. Everyone knows their name. Having them on your team really helps as they were involved in writing many of the Delaware corporate laws and they know them. They also know the landscape and the courts inside and out.’

‘Jeffrey Wolters is excellent. He’s always willing to help and gives very clear advice. He knows the law well and stays calm under pressure.’

Dispute resolution > M&A litigation: defense Tier 2

Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP is widely regarded as one of the top Delaware firms and it frequently works alongside top-tier national defense firms on the most challenging and high-stakes cases in the market. ‘The partners and the team are world class – extremely skilled, diligent, and effective in every respect.‘ Practice heads Megan Ward Cascio and Kevin M. Coen lead a deep bench of experienced partners. Cascio and Kenneth J. Nachbar

are ‘exceptional in every respect‘. William M. Lafferty is ‘an excellent courtroom lawyer with great instincts‘ and John DiTomo ‘exercises great judgment and is a fierce advocate‘. Thomas Briggs, who is known for his ‘patience and coolness under pressure‘, is active in heavyweight cross-border disputes, while Jon Abramczyk‘s recent case load includes matters in the health care arena.

Leading lawyers

William M. Lafferty – Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP

Hall of Fame

Kenneth J. Nachbar

– Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP

Practice head(s):

Megan Ward Cascio; Kevin M. Coen

Other key lawyers:

William M. Lafferty; Kenneth J. Nachbar; David Teklits; Thomas Briggs; Jon Abramczyk; John DiTomo

Testimonials

‘Partners and team world class: extremely skilled, diligent, and effective in every respect. We have worked extensively with many attorneys and firms on a wide variety of matters, and this is the best legal team we’ve ever worked with.’

‘Ken Nachbar and Megan Cascio were each exceptional in every respect. They were each incredibly bright, extensively experienced, tirelessly diligent, and extremely effective. We also enjoyed working with each of them on a personal level, and they were highly professional in every regard.’

‘Morris Nichols has deep and broad knowledge of Delaware substantive law and procedure, and they give real insight into the Judges and other practitioners of the Delaware bar. They are among the very best in the space and there is virtually no scenario under Delaware law they have not encountered and dealt with.’

‘I work often with David Teklits, who is extremely knowledgeable, and has a real feel for the arguments that will prevail with the judges of the relevant courts. He is practical and smart and good and honing in on what matters.’

‘Unmatched knowledge of Delaware law, procedure, and judges.’

‘Megan Cascio combines common sense and good judgment with a thorough knowledge of Delaware law and practice.’

‘The Morris Nichols firm (“MNAT”) stands out for its excellent knowledge of the Delaware courts and related corporate law developments and for their constructive collaboration with outside counsel. I have worked with the Firm for many years and have always found them to be efficient and very responsive.’

‘While I have worked with many fine lawyers at the firm, my primary contacts have been Bill Lafferty and Tom Briggs. Bill is an excellent courtroom lawyer with great instincts as to the thinking of the Court and strategic considerations in litigation matters. Tom is an excellent litigator as well, who has served as an invaluable sounding board and advisor through many challenging situations. Aside from his outstanding commercial litigation instincts and experienced knowledge, I have always valued Tom’s patience and coolness under pressure. Both have proven to be invaluable partners in complex corporate litigation matters.’

Recognized as Delaware’s premier law firm, Morris Nichols handles bet-the company, high-stakes matters in the four key areas of corporate litigation, commercial and corporate counselling, bankruptcy and restructuring, and intellectual property litigation. The firm is regularly involved as lead counsel or co-counsel in matters of national and international significance, as well as those affecting its immediate community.

Main areas of practice

Alternative Entity Counseling. The lawyers in our alternative entity counseling practice specialize in Delaware law governing limited liability companies, partnerships, limited partnerships, statutory trusts and other entities that are not organized as corporations. Our lawyers have been in the forefront of drafting and updating Delaware’s statutes governing the formation and operation of alternative entities – considered to be the most advanced in the nation..

Bankruptcy & Restructuring. Morris Nichols has one of the leading business reorganization and restructuring practices in the nation. At the center of many of the most important bankruptcy matters in Delaware and the United States, we offer clients unmatched guidance on how to navigate the Delaware courts, as well as a multidisciplinary approach steeped in a deep understanding of Delaware business and bankruptcy law – one that leverages the capabilities of our corporate litigation, intellectual property, real estate, and corporate and commercial counseling practices to provide insights on interrelated legal and business issues.

Commercial Transactions. Morris Nichols provides cutting edge transactional counsel to national, international and local clients. Our lawyers excel at complex, innovative transactions — matters that include mergers, asset acquisitions and sales; joint ventures; financing and leasing; bankruptcy-related deals; as well as the structuring of commercial contracts of every kind.

Corporate & Commercial Litigation. Morris Nichols lawyers have litigated many of the landmark cases that established the principles of Delaware corporate law and defined the fiduciary duties governing boards of directors of many major corporations in the United States. From the seminal Revlon case to the more recent landmark decision in MFW, we represent many of the world’s largest companies in litigation of national significance.

We advocate on behalf of corporations, directors, substantial stockholders, partnerships, limited and general partners, and limited liability companies in lawsuits involving challenges to mergers, acquisitions and financing transactions; takeover battles and proxy contests; busted deals; as well as class and derivative actions. We also represent special committees of independent directors in connection with reviewing conflict transactions and with the investigation of potential and pending derivative claims. In addition, we routinely handle matters involving complex valuations of Delaware corporations and alternative entities, as well as statutory proceedings before the Delaware Court of Chancery such claims for inspection of books and records; claims by directors for advancement and indemnification of their legal fees; and claims to compel an annual stockholders’ meetings.

Corporate Counseling. Morris Nichols has for decades, and continues today, to play an important role in the development and evolution of Delaware corporate law. Our lawyers offer unparalleled legal advice to publicly traded and privately held corporations and their boards of directors and officers. We also advise international law firms, in-house counsel, and private equity and venture capital investors.

Our practice focuses on issues of corporate governance and those that are more transactional in nature, including advice concerning mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, financings and other complex transactions. Our work ranges from suggesting simple solutions based on our Delaware experience to providing formal legal opinions to designing and structuring complex transactions for businesses and investors throughout the world. We also regularly serve as special counsel to boards of directors and board committees, particularly in situations involving potential conflicts of interest.

Intellectual Property Litigation. Morris Nichols has one of the leading Intellectual Property Litigation practices in the United States. Best known for our market leading experience in patent litigation, we also represent clients in complex disputes involving trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, and antitrust. We have successfully litigated cases involving products and services in all areas of technology and for clients across a broad range of industries.

Trusts & Estates/Private Client. Morris Nichols is nationally known for the strength of its Trusts & Estates/Private Client practice. We advise a broad range of clients in connection with trusts, estate planning and administration, and fiduciary litigation. We also have a market leading practice advising banks and trust companies in the highly specialized area of Delaware trust law. Chambers High Net Worth (HNW) has ranked our practice in Band 1 among Delaware private wealth law firms, with sources touting the group’s reputation as “one of the leading firms in Delaware,” and the “first point of reference” on Delaware trust law.

Unclaimed Property. Morris Nichols has played an integral role in shaping Delaware’s unclaimed property law – from helping draft the state’s statutes and regulations, to its relevant audit and voluntary disclosure procedures.

Global Connection

Clients often turn to Morris Nichols with matters of international significance. We are the Delaware representative of TerraLex, a global network of 160 independent law firms and 21,000 attorneys in more than 100 countries.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
Corporate Counseling	Daniel D. Matthews	dmatthews@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9204
Corporate Counseling	Jeffrey R. Wolters	jwolters@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9352
Alternative Entity Counseling	David A. Harris	dharris@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9351
Alternative Entity Counseling	Louis G. Hering	lhering@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9213
Corporate & Business Litigation	Megan Ward Cascio	mcascio@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9364
Corporate & Business Litigation	Kevin M. Coen	kcoen@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9301
Bankruptcy & Restructuring	Robert J. Dehney	rdehney@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9353
Intellectual Property Litigation	Jeremy A. Tigan	jtigan@morrisnichols.com	(302) 351-9106

Name	Position	Profile
Jon E. Abramczyk	A partner at Morris Nichols, Jon’s practice focuses on litigation arising from…	View Profile
Thomas W. Briggs Jr.	A partner at Morris Nichols, Tom represents national and regional clients in…	View Profile
Megan Ward Cascio	A partner at Morris Nichols, Megan’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial…	View Profile
Kevin M. Coen	A partner at Morris Nichols, Kevin’s extensive trial experience and diverse litigation…	View Profile
John P. DiTomo	A partner at Morris Nichols, John’s practice includes representing investors, directors and…	View Profile
Melissa A. DiVincenzo	Morris Nichols partner Melissa DiVincenzo provides advice on corporate governance matters and…	View Profile
Sara Gelsinger	Sara advises limited partnerships, limited liability companies and statutory trusts on matters…	View Profile
David A. Harris	David’s practice focuses on the fields of partnership, limited liability company and…	View Profile
Tarik J. Haskins	Tarik’s practice covers a range of commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions,…	View Profile
Louis G. Hering	Morris Nichols partner Lou Hering is actively involved in the organization and…	View Profile
James D. Honaker	Morris Nichols partner Jim Honaker advises public companies, boards of directors and…	View Profile
S. Mark Hurd	Morris Nichols partner Mark Hurd frequently represents committees of independent directors, including…	View Profile
Andrew M. Johnston	Andy serves as chair of the Firm’s Executive Committee. His practice includes…	View Profile
Eric S. Klinger-Wilensky	Eric advises corporations on a broad array of transactions, including business combinations,…	View Profile
William M. Lafferty	Morris Nichols partner Bill Lafferty has spent more than 30 years focusing…	View Profile
Daniel D. Matthews	Dan advises public and private corporations on a wide range of Delaware…	View Profile
Kenneth J. Nachbar	Morris Nichols partner Ken Nachbar focuses on cases involving mergers and acquisitions,…	View Profile
R. Jason Russell	Morris Nichols partner Jason Russell focuses on limited liability company, partnership (including…	View Profile
R. Judson Scaggs, Jr.	For 30 years, Morris Nichols partner RJ Scaggs has concentrated his practice…	View Profile
David J. Teklits	A partner at Morris Nichols, David’s practice focuses on corporate and alternative entity…	View Profile
Patricia O. Vella	Morris Nichols partner Patricia Vella regularly provides advice on corporate governance matters…	View Profile
Susan Wood Waesco	A partner at Morris Nichols, Susan’s practice focuses on proceedings in the…	View Profile
Jeffrey R. Wolters	Morris Nichols partner Jeff Wolters counsels corporations, boards of directors and investors…	View Profile