---
title: "Screen pre-completion steps against the premerger waiting period"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/mergers-and-acquisitions-private-equity/screen-pre-completion-steps-for-gun-jumping/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A2-TM20261022-1-US"
practice_area: "Mergers & Acquisitions / Private Equity"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Screen pre-completion steps against the premerger waiting period

> Take the list of proposed pre-completion steps the lawyer provides and note, for each step, whether it is proposed before both persons have filed notification and the waiting period in 15 U.S.C. § 18a has ended.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/mergers-and-acquisitions-private-equity/screen-pre-completion-steps-for-gun-jumping/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Mergers & Acquisitions / Private Equity](https://ailawframework.com/practice/mergers-and-acquisitions-private-equity.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Take the list of proposed pre-completion steps the lawyer provides and note, for each step, whether it is proposed before both persons have filed notification and the waiting period in 15 U.S.C. § 18a has ended. Record the waiting period stated on the statute page: it ends on the thirtieth day after receipt of the notification, or the fifteenth day for a cash tender offer, or on a later date set under subsection (e)(2) or (g)(2). Do not clear a step. |
| What the lawyer must review | The lawyer decides whether a step would be an acquisition of voting securities or assets that § 18a forbids before the waiting period expires, whether an exemption in subsection (c) applies, and whether the size tests are met on the current adjusted dollar amounts. The statute states baseline amounts that are adjusted and published for each fiscal year. The page opened does not state this year's adjusted figures. The lawyer also decides which competitive information may be shared. Section 18a is the filing and waiting-period rule. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Screen pre-completion steps for gun jumping](https://ailawframework.com/practice/mergers-and-acquisitions-private-equity/screen-pre-completion-steps-for-gun-jumping.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Take the list of proposed pre-completion steps the lawyer provides and note, for each step, whether it is proposed before both persons have filed notification and the waiting period in 15 U.S.C. § 18a has ended. Record the waiting period stated on the statute page: it ends on the thirtieth day after receipt of the notification, or the fifteenth day for a cash tender offer, or on a later date set under subsection (e)(2) or (g)(2). Do not clear a step.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- In a tender offer, the waiting period runs from the acquiring person's notification. Do not start the count from the target's filing.
- The Federal Trade Commission and the Assistant Attorney General may terminate the waiting period early under § 18a(b)(2). A published baseline dollar figure in the statute is not the current threshold.

## Sources

- [15 U.S.C. § 18a, Premerger notification and waiting period](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/18a) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*