On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued the Non-Compete Clause Rule (“Final Rule”). Under the Final Rule, after the effective date (120 days from publication in the Federal Register), almost all...more
On April 3, 2024, the Department of Labor (DOL) released its final rule amending Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-14 (PTE 84-14). PTE 84-14 exempts from ERISA’s prohibited transaction rules certain transactions between...more
For many companies, the use of “form” employee documents is an efficient practice that ensures consistent treatment. That said, reliance on forms can often breed complacency. In this new year, companies should consider a...more
2/5/2024
/ Employee Handbooks ,
Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Labor Reform ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Whistleblowers
The 2024 proxy season is just around the corner. This quick reference guide, which is intended to supplement Shearman & Sterling’s 21st Annual Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey, summarizes themes from the...more
More than five years after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to vacate the Department of Labor’s (DOL) 2016 fiduciary rule, the DOL has proposed a new rule that, once again, attempts to re-define when financial...more
On October 17, 2023, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) updated its Internal Revenue Manual (IRM) to fully incorporate into the IRM certain e-signature policies and procedures permitting the use of electronic signatures...more
On October 10, 2023, the SEC adopted amendments to the rules governing the reporting of beneficial ownership of securities under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The amendments accelerate the...more
On September 27th, 2023, the SEC brought charges against six officers, directors and major shareholders of public companies for repeated failures to make timely filings pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Securities...more
On June 9, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) and Nasdaq Stock Market’s (Nasdaq) proposed clawback listing standards, including the amendments that delayed the...more
The U.S. Senate recently passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (the “NDAA”), which, if enacted, would subject insiders (i.e., directors, executive officers and greater than 10% shareholders) of...more
On June 20, 2023, the New York State Assembly passed A1278B, which amends the state’s labor law to prohibit non-compete agreements (the “Bill”). The Assembly’s passage of the Bill, which comes on the heels of the New York...more
6/26/2023
/ Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
New Legislation ,
New York ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws
The recent closure of Silicon Valley Bank (the “SVB Closure”) has created liquidity issues for many employers, which in turn may impact their ability to, among other things, timely pay employees and operate their compensation...more
The SEC’s Division of Enforcement has increasingly put the spotlight on disclosure controls— the processes that public companies use to collect information for disclosures in their public filings. The agency recently charged...more
The 2023 proxy season is just around the corner. This quick reference guide, which is intended to supplement Shearman & Sterling’s 20th Annual Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey, summarizes themes from the...more
1/26/2023
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Executive Compensation ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Proxy Voting ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
Last week, the FTC announced two significant moves. First, the FTC brought its first major standalone Section 5 actions, targeting certain companies’ employment noncompete agreements as unfair methods of competition. The very...more
1/10/2023
/ Anti-Competitive ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Human Resources Professionals ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Rules ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Unfair Competition
The Department of Labor (the DOL) has released its final rule clarifying how and when ERISA fiduciaries may consider ESG factors in making investment decisions for a plan. The rule also offers substantial guidance on the...more
On December 14, 2022, the SEC adopted amendments that significantly change the requirements for Rule 10b5-1 plans, including by imposing a 90 to 120 day cooling-off period for plans adopted by directors and officers, and...more
The 2022 proxy season is just around the corner. This quick reference guide, which is intended to supplement Shearman & Sterling’s 19th Annual Corporate Governance & Executive Compensation Survey, summarizes themes from the...more
Recent comments by former SEC Chair Clayton and current SEC Chair Gensler called renewed attention to Rule 10b5-1 plans, which had also received recent legislative interest in Congress, contributing to the current rule...more
On November 3, 2020, California voters approved several ballot initiatives including Proposition 22, which exempts online-enabled applications and platforms (such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash and Instacart) from a state...more
It is well known that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations has directly affected executive compensation decision-making and related disclosures. With this backdrop, the Securities and Exchange Commission...more
Among its many impacts on society, COVID-19 has changed, perhaps permanently, how employees interact with each other and the workplace. As some businesses begin to reopen their doors to their workforce, they should consider...more
It has been three proxy seasons since the CEO pay ratio became the mandatory disclosure for most U.S. public companies. The CEO pay ratio rules allow a registrant to use the same median employee for comparison purposes for up...more
On July 31, 2020, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published proposed regulations providing guidance under Section 1061 (the “Proposed Regulations”) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). Section 1061, which was added...more
We provide a deeper dive into the key stimulus programs under the CARES Act, as summarized in our client note “Congress Passes Largest Ever Economic Stimulus Package: Key Provisions of CARES Act.” The following table...more