Chancery Court approves sale of TransPerfect
The long TransPerfect saga in the state of Delaware may finally be over.
TransPerfect
Saving Thousands of Employee Jobs in A Courtroom Drama
Tusk was hired in 2016 by a group of TransPerfect employees to help make their voice heard in the legal battle for the future of the company. A Chancery Court judge had ruled to force the sale of the company in 2012, which would have cost the jobs of thousands of employees. We formed a group to advocate, produce and place ads, sign petitions and go door to door. We also introduced and advanced legislation in the Delaware State Legislature.
Press Hits
Unusual media blitz rips top judge of Delaware's corporate court
A bitter boardroom battle has prompted an unusual media blitz in Delaware that warns residents that the state’s nationally renowned corporate court is on the cusp of destroying Delaware’s pro-business reputation.
TransPerfect employees attack Delaware law
Phil Shawe, co-chief executive officer of TransPerfect, insists the legal fight with his ex-fiancée and co-CEO Liz Elting for control of their nearly $1 billion translation business is not a love story gone awry.
The Stakes
The company was at risk of being broken up, costing thousands of jobs. And for most of the time, it looked like a lost cause.
The Process
Tusk formed an advocacy and lobbying group, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware, to lobby on behalf of TransPerfect employees who feared losing their jobs, benefits and pensions if the company were sold to an external buyer. We successfully shifted the conversation away from the dispute between the two owners towards the effect that a rogue judge’s decision would have on the livelihoods of employees.
News JournalBut the story is very much about love. It is about the passion TransPerfect employees have for their company and the lengths they will go to defend it… Hundreds of them have descended on Delaware in the last few months and will soon surpass $1 million spent of their own money to try to change Delaware law so that Chancery Court judges cannot order companies to be sold off. They have intensely lobbied the General Assembly and have been educating citizens about what they view as a judicial overreach by Bouchard, considered one of the top corporate jurists in the world.
The Conclusion
After becoming the premier legal business case in the country and a near-household name in Delaware, the company was awarded to Co-Founder Phil Shawe in an auction process, keeping the company intact and saving the jobs of thousands of employees.