Be Careful What You Wish For: How Progress Engendered Regression in Related Party Transaction Regulation in Israel

Be Careful What You Wish For: How Progress Engendered Regression in Related Party Transaction Regulation in Israel

Amir Licht

Series number :

Serial Number: 
382/2018

Date posted :

January 29 2018

Last revised :

January 29 2018
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Keywords

  • Corporate governance • 
  • Related Party Transactions • 
  • fiduciary duties • 
  • property rule • 
  • liability rule • 
  • specialized court

The regulation of related party transactions (RPTs) is today the single most important yardstick for the quality of corporate governance systems. It is also one of the thorniest issues because RPTs are a well-documented cause of abuse by corporate insiders, yet they could be valuable and sometimes simply inevitable.

This paper analyzes reform measures adopted in Israel with a view to improving corporate governance in general and RPT regulation in particular. Whereas one set of measures revolved around procedural safeguards based on disinterested informed approval (a property-like rule), another set purported to establish a Delaware-like business court that would implement an “entire fairness” review (a liability-like rule). The latter trend came to dominate the former notwithstanding applicable statutory and case law, thus engendering regression instead of progress in RPT regulation. This case suggests lessons for law makers, be they judges or legislators, who contemplate mimicking the “corporate capital of the world”.

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Authors

Professor
Real name: 
Amir Licht
Research Member
Radzyner School of Law, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya