Should Your Company Take a Stand on Political and Social Issues?
Why Every Day Is Proxy Season for Public Companies
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Late last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved amendments to the federal proxy rules to, among other things, mandate the use of a universal proxy card in public solicitations involving director election...more
Thanks to thecorporatecounsel.net for catching this announcement from NYC Comptroller Scott Stringer and the NYC Retirement Systems, which reported that, since the inception of the Comptroller’s “Boardroom Accountability...more
What Is a Proposal? Rule 14a-8(a) defines a shareholder proposal as a ‘‘recommendation or requirement that the company and/or its board of directors take action, which you intend to present at a meeting of the company’s...more
On November 13, 2018, Skadden held our webinar “Preparing for the Shareholder Proposal Season.” The panelists were Peter da Silva Vint, Vice President of BlackRock’s Americas Investment Stewardship Group; Michael Garland,...more
In recent years, the friction between public companies and proxy advisory firms—companies that provide proxy vote recommendations to institutional fund managers and other investment advisers—has intensified. Public issuers...more
When we last left the saga of proxy access, we had just started a new chapter on so-called “fix-it” shareholder proposals—efforts to revise existing proxy access bylaws to make them more “shareholder-friendly.” You might...more
On November 16, 2017, Skadden held our webinar “Preparing for the Shareholder Proposal Season.” The panelists were Michael Garland, Assistant Comptroller for Corporate Governance and Responsible Investment in the Office of...more
Planning for the 2018 Proxy Season - There are number of important considerations that public companies should be aware of as they begin preparing for the 2018 proxy season, including potential changes in law, pay ratio...more
A review of 2017 proxy season activity, including the trend toward adoptions of proxy access bylaws, is here. A suggestion that the big news of the 2017 proxy season was climate change proposals and the shift in Blackrock,...more
In remarks this week before the Chamber of Commerce, new SEC Chair Jay Clayton indicated that the SEC will be taking a hard look at the shareholder proposal rules. As reported in thedeal.com, Clayton advised that it is “very...more
As the 2017 proxy season winds down, one clear take-away is that shareholder proposals attempting to modify the terms of previously adopted mainstream proxy access bylaws did not fare well. Many of these proposals focused...more
As we approach the end of the 2017 proxy season, the third since the New York City comptroller launched the Boardroom Accountability Project to enact proxy access across the U.S. market, proxy access has begun to transition...more
As part of BakerHostetler’s commitment to serve as a strategic business partner, we are pleased to publish this first edition of our Securities & Governance Bulletin. This resource is designed to keep executives, corporate...more
As shareholders continue to submit proxy access proposals, public companies may wish to consider proxy access and develop a response plan. Many public companies have received shareholder proxy access proposals in...more
Dear clients and friends, We present our traditional year-end issue of Snell & Wilmer’s Corporate Communicator to help you prepare for the upcoming annual report and proxy season. This issue highlights SEC reporting and...more
As the 2017 proxy season begins to unfold, proxy access continues to be a focus of shareholder proposals. Last year, companies that had already adopted mainstream proxy access bylaws, or that were planning to put mainstream...more
On November 16, 2016, Skadden hosted a webinar titled “Preparing for the Shareholder Proposal Season.” The panelists were Amy Borrus, deputy director of the Council of Institutional Investors (CII); Skadden M&A and corporate...more
The SEC, by a two-to-one vote on October 26, 2016, proposed amendments to its proxy rules to require universal proxy cards in contested director elections at annual meetings of listed U.S. public companies. If adopted, the...more
With most of the 2016 proxy season in the rear-view mirror, it’s clear that shareholder proposals continue to be a preferred vehicle for certain kinds of shareholder activism, though with limited effectiveness unless the...more
Encouraged by the success of proxy access proposals in the 2015 proxy season, shareholder proponents have submitted almost 200 proxy access shareholder proposals for 2016 annual meetings. As of mid-June, approximately 65...more
Amazingly, the SEC staff continues to scrutinize Securities Exchange Rule 14a-4(a)(3)’s proxy card parameters. As you may recall, the staff recently grappled with the ever-murky “unbundling” aspect of that rule: first via...more
As we previously reported here, companies that adopted mainstream proxy access bylaws received a vote of confidence from the SEC when the agency issued a series of no-action letters allowing companies to exclude related...more
As we roll into a new year and a new public company reporting season, public companies should be aware of a number of rule changes and rulemakings, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff guidance, disclosure trends...more
Initiatives by Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), activist shareholders, and federal and state courts from 2015 will reshape public company disclosure and policies, and offer new avenues for private...more
The 2016 proxy season occurs in an environment of heightened shareholder activism and an ever-increasing focus on compensation and corporate governance disclosures. This Proxy Season Field Guide provides you with an overview...more