Senior members of the Division of Corporation Finance (“Corp Fin”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gathered with two former SEC commissioners at the Practising Law Institute’s annual “SEC Speaks”...more
A recent decision from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York allowing a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) civil enforcement action to proceed against two former stockbrokers for...more
4/23/2015
/ Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Illegal Tipping ,
Insider Trading ,
Judge Rakoff ,
Personal Benefit ,
Quid Pro Quo ,
SEC v Payton ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
US v Newman
The U.S. Supreme Court found middle ground in Omnicare this week, holding that issuers’ statements of opinion issued in registration statements can be the basis for liability under Section 11 if either the speaker does not...more
The increasing cost of healthcare is a significant concern for companies that provide health care benefits to their employees. With certain key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known...more
On November 19, 2014, the five commissioners of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unanimously voted to adopt Regulation SCI, which stands for Systems Compliance and Integrity, to govern the technology...more
In a speech delivered on June 5, 2014 at the Sandler O’Neill Global Exchange and Brokerage Conference in New York, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White unveiled a package of SEC initiatives aimed...more
The boards of all public companies should consider adopting a forum selection bylaw, if they have not already put one in place. The purpose of such a provision is to designate an exclusive venue for stockholder derivative...more
Bill Ackman’s public disclosure earlier this year of confidential JC Penney board deliberations not only outraged his fellow directors but also stunned the corporate community. His actions, however, were not without...more
Shareholder activism is on the rise. Through the first three quarters of 2013, activist investors submitted 91 initial Schedule 13D filings, well on pace to eclipse the 109 filings made in all of 2012. In addition, proxy...more
In addition to heightened focus on director tenure, companies are facing increasing pressure to diversify their boards. The SEC requires companies to disclose whether and how the board or nominating committee considers...more
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted director tenure in an article titled “The 40-Year Club: America’s Longest Serving Directors.” While the article noted that fewer than 30 public company directors have at least 40...more
Whether to separate the CEO and chairman positions is one of the most hotly debated issues in corporate governance. During the 2013 proxy season, calls for an independent board chair were the second most frequent proposal...more
Despite the continuing legal challenges and political hardball, as well as the delays and technical glitches, it appears that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare, is here to stay. ...more
Executive compensation is a topic that just won’t go away, particularly with pay disparity and pay for performance regulations still looming. We highlight below some of the matters directors should be considering as they...more
12/26/2013
/ Board of Directors ,
CEOs ,
Chief Compliance Officers ,
Clawbacks ,
Compensation Committee ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Directors ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Pay Ratio ,
Pay-for-Performance ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Say-on-Pay ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Constantly changing and overlapping legislative and regulatory requirements are weighing down corporations and usurping more and more board time. It is a telling sign when, according to a recent survey, directors ranked...more
Cybersecurity has become one of the hottest topics in the boardroom as companies wrestle with ever increasing threats to their information systems and intellectual property. A recent study by the Ponemon Institute found that...more
Just last week the SEC issued its largest whistleblower payment to date, awarding an unidentified whistleblower more than $14 million for providing information to the SEC that led to an enforcement action and the recovery of...more
On September 18, 2013, the SEC commissioners voted 3-2 to propose a new rule that would amend existing executive compensation disclosure rules by requiring public companies to disclose the ratio of a CEO’s annual total...more
On July 10, 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to its safe harbor rule for private placements of securities, Rule 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”)....more
7/26/2013
/ Accredited Investors ,
Advertising ,
Bad Actors ,
General Solicitation ,
Marketing ,
Regulation D ,
Rule 144A ,
Rule 506 Offerings ,
Safe Harbors ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Verification Requirements