On October 29, 2015, the Berkeley Business Law Journal and the UC Berkeley Department of City & Regional Planning welcomed Leo Pircher ’57, a founding partner at Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, for a Q&A discussion about his career as an industry leading real estate attorney and changing dynamics in real estate law. A graduate of […]
All Cash Is Not Created Equal: Basel III’s Liquidity Coverage Ratio & its Effects
The banking industry, served with a cocktail of financial re-regulation and an anticipated interest rate increase, may be in for a headache. The banking industry has gradually been adapting itself to the regulation regime introduced by Basel III, introduced after the 2008 Financial Crisis to account for its deficiency in focusing only on capital requirements. […]
Tesla’s Unreliability: Instead of Correcting Issues, Focus Shifts to New Model 3
After Consumer Reports released its annual survey of vehicle reliability on October 20, Tesla Motors Inc.’s stock prices took a significant hit, dropping 6.6 percent that day, and have continued to fluctuate since. Tesla is no stranger to this type of fluctuation nor to the impacts of publicity. In fact, in May 2013, after Consumer […]
Tough Law for Investment Banks in Delaware Courts
Investment banks are having a rough time litigating in Delaware Courts, and the horizon does not look any clearer. As the presence of investment banks in major merger deals in US becomes almost mandatory, it is easy to observe an ever-growing number of disputes related to alleged conflicts of interests between the investment banks and […]
Recap: “Practitioner Speaker Series – Life of a Corporate Finance Attorney: A Conversation with Philip Jonathan Tendler, Partner in Pillsbury’s SF Office”
On October 22, 2015, the Berkeley Center for Law, Business, and the Economy (BCLBE) welcomed Philip J. Tendler, Partner in Pillsbury’s SF Office, for a Q&A discussion about his career and how law school can arm students with the skillset needed to succeed in the wild world of debt finance. A former equity securities analyst […]
Volkswagen’s U.S. CEO Blames “Individuals” for Dieselgate
Volkswagen’s cheating scandal began in September when emissions data gathered from multiple studies of its vehicles found that additional emissions were present during road tests compared to lab tests. It was discovered that several of Volkswagen’s models contained software that switches to a low-emission compliant mode when it detects an ongoing emissions test. Consequently, multiple […]
Uber Investigates Connection between Data Breach and Lyft CTO
The rivalry between ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft continues, as Uber probes further into the identity of the hacker responsible for the company’s driver data breach. In February, Uber announced that a hacker improperly downloaded the names and license numbers of about 50,000 of the company’s drivers. Shortly after announcing the breach, Uber filed a […]
Square Discloses IPO Plans
On October 14, 2015, Square, the mobile payments start-up, made public its prospectus for its initial public offering. Private investors valued Square at $6 billion and more than two million merchants accepted five or more Square transactions last year. Even so, Square’s recent filing to raise up to $275 million revealed new information on its […]
Securing the Cloud: Microsoft’s Battle with the Department of Justice
Reliance on cloud storage has become an integral, and often overlooked, aspect of the daily activities of individuals and businesses throughout the world. Information stored in the “cloud” such as emails, photos, contact lists, and documents are actually stored in data centers located in many different countries. The information stored by a user is located […]
Valeant Pharmaceuticals Shares Drop Following Subpoena by U.S. Officials
On October 14, 2015, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Massachusetts and the Southern District of New York subpoenaed Valeant Pharmaceuticals for details on its patient assistance programs, drug pricing, and distribution practices. Valeant shares fell following this announcement, closing down 4.7 percent at $168.87. The shares stumbled further by 1.2 […]