Melissa A. DiVincenzo

Morris Nichols received high recognition in the 2025 edition of The Legal 500 United States, earning rankings among leading US law firms for M&A counseling and litigation.

For more than a decade, Chambers USA has ranked Morris Nichols in the top Delaware band for Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Chancery, Corporate M&A & Alternative Entities, and Intellectual Property.

The 11 Morris Nichols attorneys listed in 2025 edition practice in bankruptcy, corporate litigation, corporate counseling, intellectual property litigation, and other categories.

Delaware, the corporate home of a majority of US public companies and venture-backed private companies, has adopted important amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) to provide additional protection and clarity for boards of directors and controlling stockholders. This client alert summarizes the changes which took effect on March 25, 2025 and apply retroactively to all acts and transactions, including demands to inspect books and records, unless legal proceedings were already commenced on or before February 17, 2025.

Melissa DiVincenzo co-presents “The Art of Deal Structuring” session.

On Monday, February 17, 2025, the General Assembly publicly released proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”).  The amendments, which we refer to as the “Balancing Amendments,” are intended to rebalance certain aspects of Delaware law relating to conflict transactions, controlling stockholder liability, and books and records demands. 

Melissa DiVincenzo, Dave Harris, Matt Darby, and Emily LaSpina contributed an article to Bloomberg Law outlining several 2024 amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes.

Melissa DiVincenzo discusses corporate law opinions.

Melissa A. DiVincenzo has been elected to the American College of Governance Counsel 2024 Class of Fellows.

The Best Lawyers in America has released its 2025 edition listing 39 attorneys from Morris Nichols. The results are based on peer-review evaluations from more than 160,000 eligible attorneys.

Morris Nichols earned a Tier 1 ranking among Delaware law firms, and 10 attorneys were selected for inclusion in IFLR1000 “The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms.”

In the 2024 edition, Morris Nichols again appears in two Legal 500 practice categories for M&A litigation defense and Delaware counsel. Nineteen Morris Nichols attorneys are mentioned in the editorial for their work in M&A litigation and Delaware corporate and commercial law.

Morris Nichols again secured a Band 1 ranking Chambers USA in four fundamental Delaware practice areas: Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Chancery, Corporate M&A & Alternative Entities, and Intellectual Property.

On March 28, 2024, the Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association released proposed amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law that, if adopted into law, would address recent caselaw regarding the facial validity of certain stockholder agreements, the ability of parties to a merger agreement to contract for certain pre-closing remedies and for the appointment of a stockholder representative to enforce post-closing remedies, and the process required to approve merger agreements.

Melissa DiVincenzo will speak on “The Art of Deal Structuring” panel.

Melissa DiVincenzo, Dave Harris, Matt Darby, and Emily LaSpina contributed an article to Bloomberg Law outlining several 2023 amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes.

The Best Lawyers in America has released its 2024 edition, listing 39 attorneys from Morris Nichols. The results are based on peer-review evaluations from more than 76,000 eligible attorneys.

IFLR United States 2023 ranks Morris Nichols in two Delaware tables ranking the top M&A law firms and the leading restructuring and insolvency law firms.

The Legal 500 US, a nationwide guide to the foremost law firms in the United States has again ranked Morris Nichols.

Chambers USA has again ranked Morris Nichols in Band 1 for Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Chancery, Corporate M&A & Alternative Entities, and Intellectual Property.

Melissa DiVincenzo will speak on “The Art of Deal Structuring” panel.

In its 2022 session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGGL) and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes. The amendments to the DGCL became effective on Aug. 1, 2022.

IFLR United States 2022 recognized Morris Nichols in two Delaware tables ranking the top M&A law firms and the leading restructuring and insolvency law firms.

The Best Lawyers in America has released its 2023 edition, listing 35 attorneys from Morris Nichols. The results are based on peer-review evaluations from more than 71,000 eligible attorneys.

Morris Nichols’ collaborative culture continues to drive the firm’s inclusion on Law360’s list of 2022 Regional Powerhouses.

Morris Nichols was again ranked in The Legal 500 US, a nationwide guide to the foremost law firms in the United States.

Chambers USA has again ranked Morris Nichols in Band 1 for Bankruptcy/Restructuring, Chancery, Corporate M&A & Alternative Entities, and Intellectual Property.

Lawdragon 500 released its second annual list of Leading Dealmakers in America. Six Morris Nichols partners have been included in the list, accounting for one third of the Delaware honorees.

Melissa DiVincenzo and Patricia Vella will speak on Delaware law developments regarding controlling stockholders and drag-along rights.

Melissa DiVincenzo speaks on “The Art of Deal Structuring” panel.

Four Morris Nichols partners will attend the conference as committee leaders and speakers, sharing insights on Delaware corporate law and VC/PE developments.

IFLR United States 2021 - The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial and Corporate Law Firms again ranked Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP in two Delaware tables ranking the top M&A law firms and the leading restructuring and insolvency law firms.

The Best Lawyers in America has released its 2022 edition, listing thirty-two attorneys from Morris Nichols. The results are based on peer-review evaluations from more than 66,000 eligible attorneys.

In its 2021 session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes—the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (DLLCA), the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (DRULPA), and the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act (DRUPA). The amendments to the DGCL, the DLLCA, the DRULPA, and the DRUPA became effective on August 1, 2021.

Morris Nichols was ranked in The Legal 500 US, a nationwide guide to the foremost law firms in the United States.

The 2021 edition of Chambers USA has again ranked Morris Nichols in the top tier in four Delaware practice categories.

Lawdragon 500 recently released its inaugural list of Leading Dealmakers in America. Six Morris Nichols partners were selected for inclusion, comprising one third of the Delaware honorees.

Silicon Valley Directors’ Exchange (SVDX) presents, “Busted Deals – How Do Directors Prepare for a Baked Deal that Flops.”

The program will cover recent developments in navigating the actual and potential conflicts of interest that often surface in M&A transactions when dealing with significant stockholders, boards of directors, senior executives, and investment bankers.

Morris Nichols partner Melissa DiVincenzo speaks in a webinar focusing on benefit corporations and corporate governance.

Morris Nichols’ partner Melissa DiVincenzo will serve as a panelist at the Practising Law Institute (PLI) program, "Doing Deals 2021: The Art of M&A Transactional Practice."

The Practising Law Institute will hold its annual two-day conference on mergers and acquisitions live via webcast from January 21 to 22, 2021. Morris Nichols partners Patricia Vella and Melissa DiVincenzo will offer Delaware perspective as program faculty.

In its 2020 session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes—the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act and the Delaware Statutory Trust Act.

Morris Nichols attorneys Eric Klinger-Wilensky and Melissa DiVincenzo published three guides on Delaware public benefit corporations for Practical Law Corporate & Securities. 

Thirty-one Morris Nichols attorneys were recognized in the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. The results are based on peer-review evaluations from more than 67,000 eligible attorneys.

In its 2019 session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes - the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, and the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act.

Wilmington, DE (May 29, 2019) - The Legal 500 United States released its 2019 edition today. Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP is once again “highly rated” in the nationwide guide to the foremost law firms in the United States.

Wilmington, DE (September 17, 2018) - The 2018 edition of IFLR United States - The Guide to the World’s Leading Financial Firms has been released.  Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP appears at the top of the two Delaware tables ranking the leading M&A law firms and the leading restructuring and insolvency law firms.

In its last session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) and the Delaware “alternative entity” statutes - the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act (the “DLLCA”), the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (the “DRULPA”), the Delaware Revised Uniform Partnership Act (the “DRUPA”) and the Delaware Statutory Trust Act (the “DSTA”).

In its last session, the Delaware legislature passed a number of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) and to three of Delaware’s four “alternative entity” statutes.

Louis Hering, Morris Nichols Commercial Law Counseling Group partner, and Melissa DiVincenzo, Morris Nichols Delaware Corporate Law Counseling Group partner, co-authored 2013 Amendments to Delaware's General Corporation Law and Alternative Entity Statutes appearing in the July 19, 2013 edition of Corporate Accountability Report, a publication of Bloomberg BNA.

Louis Hering, Morris Nichols Commercial Law Counseling Group partner, and Melissa DiVincenzo, Morris Nichols Delaware Corporate Law Counseling Group partner, co-authored “Considerations for Contractual Provisions Extending Statutes of Limitations” presented at the 2013 Working Group on Legal Opinions Spring Seminar in New York City, May 14, 2013.

Melissa A. DiVincenzo, Louis G. Hering, “2012 Amendments to Delaware’s General Corporation Law and Alternative Entity Statutes,” BNA’s Corporate Counsel Weekly, Vol. 256, No. 27 (Aug. 15, 2012)