Goodwin’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense practice was recognized by Bloomberg for its work defending public companies against activist investors in 2022. Among all law firms globally, Goodwin had the fifth most engagements advising companies throughout the year. Goodwin also ranked fourth globally for company side representations involving targets under $1 billion. In addition, for the 2022 Insightia Adviser Awards and FactSet US Activism and Defense league tables, Goodwin was ranked in the top ten for total company representations by both publications.
Key Goodwin engagements in 2022 included WisdomTree Investments, Inc. in its proxy contest defense against ETFS Capital Limited and Lion Point Capital, LP, Mimecast Limited in its defense against an unsolicited bid from Proofpoint, American Outdoor Brands, Inc. in its defense against a threatened proxy contest by Engine Capital Management, Rapid Micro Biosystems in defending against an unsolicited acquisition proposal by Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, and Poshmark, Inc. in its defense against an activism campaign by Kinesic Capital.
Joe Johnson is head of Goodwin’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense practice. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America for his work in Mergers and Acquisitions Law for 2022-2023. He was recently recognized as one of the nine go-to lawyers in the country for companies defending themselves against activist investors by Business Insider.
This excellent recognition demonstrates the strength of Goodwin’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense practice, which has decades of experience designing strategies to protect public companies of all types and sizes from activist campaigns and hostile takeover attempts. The practice is known for its ability to help public companies devise innovative strategies that protect them from a wide array of activist attacks and hostile bids.