On Wednesday, May 26, 2021, a series of events transpired that could have long-lasting impacts on the energy industry and which seem likely to accelerate that industry’s evolving responses to environmental, social and...more
Welcome to Top 10 Topics in 2021: A Brave New World -
The world has changed a lot since our 2020 report. A global pandemic; an ongoing reckoning on race, inequality and social justice; a climate crisis; an economic shock;...more
2/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Executive Compensation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Remote Working ,
State and Local Government ,
Trade Relations
In AB Stable VIII LLC v. Maps Hotels and Resorts One LLC, the Delaware Court of Chancery issued a precedential decision addressing whether a buyer could walk away from an M&A transaction because the target company’s responses...more
In a recent precedential decision, the 2nd Circuit held that funds could delegate beneficial ownership to their investment managers, thereby eliminating the funds’ disgorgement liability under Section 16(b) of the Securities...more
12/4/2020
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Appellate Courts ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Disgorgement ,
General Partnerships ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Limited Partnerships ,
Section 16 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in a 3-2 vote on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, adopted amendments to the eligibility requirements for submitting shareholder proposals to be included in a public company issuer’s...more
On July 10, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed to increase the filing threshold for Form 13F to $3.5 billion (35 times larger than the current $100 million threshold), revise the requirements for...more
The recently announced dispute between BorgWarner Inc. and Delphi Technologies PLC relating to BorgWarner’s planned acquisition of Delphi may turn into one of the first cases of a contested mergers and acquisitions (M&A)...more
- Market participants should review and assess their compliance procedures to prevent and detect insider trading risks associated with COVID-19.
- Companies should increase their vigilance regarding cybersecurity threats...more
4/1/2020
/ CFTC ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
Insider Trading ,
Investors ,
Phishing Scams ,
Pump and Dump ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Wire Fraud
In the wake of COVID-19, global stock prices have plummeted. Yet, the current depressed state of the markets may distort the long-term outlook of many businesses. Hostile bidders and unwelcome activists may capitalize on this...more
Projections of the full impact of COVID-19 (more commonly known as the coronavirus) on the economy remain extremely uncertain and continue to reflect a variety of outcomes. As a result of this uncertainty, businesses who have...more
Gender and racial diversity on the boards of public companies, and in chief executive officer searches, continue to be central points of focus for institutional investors, lawmakers and shareholder activists. In recent...more
In late 2019, COVID-19 (more commonly known as the coronavirus) began to spread throughout mainland China, and has since spread around the world, affecting numerous lives and businesses. As a result, companies spanning a wide...more
In High River Ltd. P’ship v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., No. CV 2019-0403-JRS, 2019 WL 6040285 (Del. Ch. Nov. 14, 2019), the Court of Chancery of the state of Delaware recently refused to hold that Section 220 books and...more
2/19/2020
/ Board of Directors ,
Books & Records ,
Breach of Duty ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Section 220 Request ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Shareholder Rights ,
Shareholders
Election and Impeachment -
The presidential race will garner much of the attention during the 2020 election cycle, but there is fierce competition elsewhere, too. Republicans and Democrats are fighting for both U.S. House...more
1/10/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Impeachment ,
NAFTA ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Corruption ,
Presidential Elections ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Trump Administration
Election and Impeachment -
The presidential race will garner much of the attention during the 2020 election cycle, but there is fierce competition elsewhere, too. Republicans and Democrats are fighting for both U.S. House...more
1/9/2020
/ #MeToo ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
D&O Insurance ,
Diversity ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
General Elections ,
Impeachment ,
NAFTA ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Political Candidates ,
Political Corruption ,
Presidential Elections ,
Quid Pro Quo ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ,
Woman Board Members ,
WTO
On November 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to Securities Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, which requires a public company to include shareholder proposals in the company’s own proxy...more
11/18/2019
/ Anti-Fraud Provisions ,
Comment Period ,
Investment Adviser ,
No-Action Requests ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Public Comment ,
Rule 14a-8 ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Shareholder Proposals
On November 5, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to its rules governing proxy solicitations. If adopted in their current form, these proposals could significantly affect interactions...more
11/18/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Conflict Mineral Rules ,
Corporate Governance ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Public Comment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Solicitation
The Delaware Court of Chancery recently upheld a provision in a merger agreement that prevented the buyer from using privileged emails between the seller and its attorneys in post-closing litigation. The decision, in...more
6/13/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
Attorney-Client Privilege ,
Buyers ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Limited Liability Company (LLC) ,
Merger Agreements ,
Mergers ,
Privileged Communication ,
Sellers ,
Selling a Business
• In a rare move, the Delaware Court of Chancery affirmed a buyer’s contractual right to terminate a $4.75 billion merger based on a sudden and sustained decline in the seller’s business.
• The decision provides guidance to...more
On November 1, 2017, the Division of Corporation Finance (Division) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14I (SLB No. 14I) to offer guidance on the scope and application of Rules...more
Here is our annual list of hot topics for the boardroom in the coming year:
Corporate strategy: Oversee the development of the corporate strategy in an increasingly uncertain and volatile world economy with new and more...more
During its open meeting last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) voted to propose amendments to the federal proxy rules to require the use of universal proxy cards for all annual or special meetings with...more
Background of Kenneth Cole Productions Shareholder Litigation -
The case involved Kenneth Cole Productions (KCP), a public New York corporation well-known as the designer and marketer of shoes, apparel and accessories....more
On February 20, (ISS) published long-awaited FAQs clarifying its voting policies on proxy access proposals that would allow investors to include director nominees in the company’s proxy materials....more
2/27/2015
/ Board of Directors ,
Bylaws ,
Citigroup ,
Corporate Governance ,
Directors ,
General Electric ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Proxy Access Rule ,
Proxy Statements ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals
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