QuickLaunch University: Term Sheet Negotiation

Healthcare M&A activity maintained steady momentum through Q2 2026, driven by physician practice consolidation, AI-enabled technology acquisitions, and strategic outpatient expansion. Private equity investment persisted despite intensifying regulatory scrutiny of MSO arrangements, while digital health buyers paid significant premiums for platforms demonstrating production-grade AI capabilities and proprietary data assets.

The SEC and CFTC have fundamentally shifted their enforcement approach in 2026, moving away from high-volume technical violations toward targeted actions addressing serious fraud and market manipulation. This mid-year update examines new leadership priorities, enhanced inter-agency coordination, revised cooperation policies, the elimination of "no-deny" settlement provisions, and a landmark Supreme Court ruling on disgorgement that collectively reshape the regulatory landscape for market participants.

As we look ahead to 2025, the landscape of debt financing and M&A activity is poised for significant transformation.

On 30 September 2026, the SEC proposed rule amendments advancing Chairman Paul S. Atkins’ “responsible retailization” of private markets, expanding retail access to private-market strategies while adding key investor safeguards.

What Every Owner Needs to Know Before Signing on the Dotted Line

Law firms are one of the last major professional services segments without meaningful private equity (PE) penetration.

Simpson Thacher Sustainability And ESG: Regulatory Update – September 2026

SEC-registered investment advisers are subject to an array of reporting and compliance obligations in order to maintain registered investment adviser status.

The European Union's Cyber Resilience Act introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for software and connected hardware sold in the EU market, with vulnerability reporting obligations beginning September 2026...

State legislatures across the U.S. have enacted a complex web of AI regulations affecting private sector businesses, spanning employment decisions, healthcare applications, consumer interactions, and digital rights. These laws impose compliance obligations including bias audits, disclosure requirements, and restrictions on automated decision-making, with enforcement mechanisms ranging from regulatory oversight to private rights of action. Understanding which state laws apply to your AI systems is critical,

The USPTO has released its latest economic impact report on IP-intensive industries, announced a new community engagement office in North Carolina, and issued several administrative updates including relief for Japanese applicants affected by a severe earthquake. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has also designated new precedential and informative decisions addressing obviousness-type double patenting and Markush groupings.

The SEC has proposed a comprehensive overhaul of transfer agent regulations that would formally recognize distributed ledger technology and blockchain-based recordkeeping systems within the existing regulatory framework. This modernization effort imposes enhanced operational, safeguarding, and compliance obligations while establishing technology-neutral standards that could significantly impact tokenization initiatives and digital asset market infrastructure.

As discussed in previous client alerts, the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and digital services has dramatically increased demand for data centers.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown released the state's first Data Privacy Report, examining how the modern data economy incentivizes personal information collection and retention. The report catalogs resulting harms and recommends that lawmakers strengthen privacy protections, enforcement, and public education while highlighting Washington's continued lack of a comprehensive consumer privacy statute despite inspiring other states' privacy laws.

California's Air Resources Board has released significant modifications to its greenhouse gas emissions reporting regulation, deferring the first reporting deadline to November 10, 2026, and clarifying key requirements for companies doing business in California with over $1 billion in annual revenue. The updates provide additional flexibility for 2026 reporting while enforcement of the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act remains paused pending federal litigation.

The US International Trade Commission has opened a rare public comment period on how it should fulfill its data collection and reporting obligations under Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a long-dormant authority recently invoked by the Trump Administration to impose restrictions on Canadian imports. This presents a unique opportunity for companies and stakeholders to shape from the ground up how the Commission interprets discriminatory foreign trade practices, evaluates allegations, and reports findi

The sports and gaming industries are evolving faster than existing legal frameworks can accommodate, creating unprecedented jurisdictional battles, regulatory shifts, and commercial opportunities. From the escalating fight over prediction markets between federal regulators and states to the emergence of responsible gaming as a standalone policy priority, the first half of 2026 has reshaped the legal landscape governing these sectors while raising fundamental questions about innovation, consumer protection

The US Department of Justice has signaled a potential expansion of enforcement under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and Section 951, despite earlier indications of limited criminal enforcement. Recent regulatory developments, policy announcements, and high-profile prosecutions of US officials suggest a renewed focus on foreign agent disclosure requirements and potential criminal liability for undisclosed relationships with foreign governments.

As investment in data center infrastructure accelerates globally, disputes are emerging from contractual and investment-related risks that commonly accompany large-scale infrastructure projects. This analysis examines the growing wave of contractual claims among owners, contractors, and subcontractors, as well as investment treaty claims that may arise when governmental actions impact overseas data center developments.

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced three major settlements totaling over $558 million against healthcare providers partnering with Medicare Advantage plans for allegedly submitting false diagnosis codes. These enforcement actions reveal DOJ's intensified scrutiny of risk-sharing payment arrangements between Medicare Advantage plans and healthcare providers, while demonstrating the significant benefits that self-disclosure and cooperation can provide to companies facing potential False Claims Act l