Shareholder Proposal -
Rule On July 13, 2022, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed amendments to revise three of the substantive bases for exclusion of shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8 of...more
7/18/2022
/ Corporate Governance ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
On June 30, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court decided West Virginia et al. v. Environmental Protection Agency, holding that the EPA lacks authority under Section 7411(d) of the Clean Air Act to limit greenhouse gas emissions from...more
7/8/2022
/ Air Pollution ,
Clean Air Act ,
Clean Power Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Digital Assets ,
Discharge of Pollutants ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Power Plants ,
Regulatory Authority ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
West Virginia v EPA
This practice note discusses market trends in capital markets and securities related considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and has continued for more than two years. It describes how the U.S....more
On June 8, 2022, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a release (“New Reopening Release“), reopening the comment period on the clawback listing standard rules that it proposed in 2015 (“2015 Proposal“). At...more
6/10/2022
/ Clawbacks ,
Comment Period ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Incentive Compensation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rulemaking process has received much attention under Chair Gensler’s leadership not only because of the volume and substance of proposed rules, but also because of the...more
5/9/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation ATS ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
In an April 5, 2022 letter, 25 trade associations jointly criticized recent US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rulemakings and requested that the SEC provide longer, more appropriate comment periods (and more...more
On March 30, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) proposed new rules and amendments to existing rules and forms (the “Proposed Rules”) addressing the treatment of special purpose acquisition companies...more
4/4/2022
/ Capital Markets ,
Capital Raising ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Market Participants ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Background -
On March 21, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted 3:1, with only Commissioner Hester Peirce dissenting, to propose long-awaited rules that, if adopted, would require extensive reporting...more
3/23/2022
/ Annual Reports ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
Background -
On March 9, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) released proposed amendments (the “Proposed Amendments”) aimed at enhancing and standardizing disclosure relating to cybersecurity...more
3/15/2022
/ Business Development Companies ,
Comment Period ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Form 8-K ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final amendments to its rules on December 2, 2021 to implement the requirements in the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act of 2020....more
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final amendments to its rules on December 2, 2021 to implement the requirements in the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act of 2020. ...more
In our latest Legal Update, we summarize the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2022 calendar year filing deadlines and financial statement staleness dates.
...more
Background -
On December 15, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued proposed amendments (the “Proposed Amendments”) to its existing rules (the “Existing Rules”) regarding disclosures about...more
On November 17, 2021, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted mandatory universal proxy rules that will apply for all contested director elections, which it had previously proposed in 2016. Under the final...more
This practice note examines some of the issues most commonly raised in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff comment letters on registration statements filed for initial public offerings. It is intended to guide you,...more
On November 3, 2021, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission) issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (SLB 14L), providing information regarding the...more
11/9/2021
/ Corporate Governance ,
New Guidance ,
Ordinary Business Exception ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Rule 14a-8(i)(7) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders
Once again, it is time to prepare for the proxy and annual report season. There are many issues to take into consideration when crafting required regulatory disclosures in a manner that conveys effective messaging to the...more
9/27/2021
/ Annual Reports ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Statements ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Meetings
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance (Division) published a sample letter with comments that the Staff intends to issue to public companies regarding their climate change disclosures—or...more
SEC Division of Corporation Finance Acting Director John Coates participated in a fireside chat on April 7, 2021 during the annual Global Capital Markets & the US Securities Laws program hosted by the Practicing Law Institute...more
Acting SEC Chair, Allison Herren Lee, announced in a February 11 statement that going forward, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will review offers of settlement and requests for waivers of collateral consequences...more
The William (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA, or the Act), which was enacted into law on New Year’s Day when the US Congress overrode President Trump’s veto of the legislation,...more
In its 2019 Concept Release on Harmonization of Securities Offerings,1 the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) included a section requesting comment regarding resale exemptions, including Rule 144. While the SEC...more
On December 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (HFCAA) into law. Later that day, US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton published a statement providing an...more
On December 16, 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), by a 3-2 vote, adopted final rules requiring annual disclosure on Form SD of payments by SEC reporting companies engaged in the commercial development of...more
On November 24, 2020, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed for comment amendments to Rule 701 under the Securities Act of 1933, which is the exemption from the registration requirements relied upon most...more