Attorneys See Sober Outlook for Deals After JP Morgan Event

Mergers and acquisitions attorney Paul Jaskot spoke with Law360 about highlights and key takeaways from this year's J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference. One cloud that hung over the conference was the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recent proposal to restrict noncompete agreements, a policy that purportedly aims to protect employees' freedom to secure better-paying jobs elsewhere. The issue is sensitive for life sciences companies, which use noncompete agreements to prevent executives from leaving to competitors, fearing they will take knowledge of proprietary data with them. The FTC will seek public comment on the proposal for 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, marking the first step in the regulatory process.

"There's great expectation that the proposal that is currently out there is going to, one, receive significant comment, and two, probably undergo significant change to the extent that it ever becomes a final rule," he said.

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