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In connection with the upcoming Form 10-K/proxy season, public companies with a fiscal year ending on December 31 will be required, for the first time, to publicly file their insider trading policies as exhibits to their...more
Both investors and companies are maturing in how they view critical issues raised at the corporate ballot box. Even amid a proxy season that included “the priciest shareholder fight ever,” according to The Wall Street...more
Shareholder proposals submitted for 2024 annual meetings continued to cover a wide range of environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics. And companies seeking to exclude shareholder proposals they deemed inappropriate...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update....more
You may recall that, in January, ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit against Arjuna Capital, LLC and Follow This, the two proponents of a climate-related shareholder proposal submitted to Exxon, seeking a declaratory judgment that it...more
In December 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules relating to insider trading arrangements and related disclosures. Among other things, the final rules require new issuer disclosures...more
NEW CLIMATE-DISCLOSURE RULES SUBJECT TO HEAT OF LEGAL CHALLENGES - While your winter blues are hopefully melting away, recent rule making from the Securities and Exchange Commission is feeling the heat of several lawsuits....more
Each year in our Annual Memo series, White & Case's Public Company Advisory Group provides practical insights on preparing Annual Reports on Form 10-Ks, Annual Meeting Proxy Statements and, for FPIs, the Annual Report on Form...more
As we approach the 2024 proxy season, companies are preparing for the second year of compliance with the pay vs. performance (PvP) disclosure required under Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K. As a reminder, under Item 402(v) of...more
As we enter the 2024 proxy season, public companies should consider a number of key disclosure and governance matters. Below is a high-level summary of applicable rule changes, guidance, and disclosure considerations for the...more
Pursuant to rules that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued in late 2022, publicly traded companies must generally provide both tabular and narrative and/or graphical disclosure of the relationship between...more
In this Client Alert, we highlight key considerations public companies should keep in mind when preparing their upcoming annual reports on Form 10-K and proxy statements, including rule changes, recent guidance and reporting...more
As 2023 comes to an end, we reflect on how active the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rulemaking agenda was throughout the year. As companies prepare for their annual reports and proxy statements, we summarize new...more
Glass Lewis (“GL”) recently released its annual Benchmark Policy Guidelines for 2024. This update makes several changes to how the proxy advisory firm will evaluate company policies related to executive compensation. ...more
As the calendar year flips over to 2024, we want to remind registrants about several new rules that will impact disclosure for the 2023 Form 10-K and 2024 proxy season, update the status of some pending Securities and...more
Each year in our Annual Memo, White & Case's Public Company Advisory Group provides practical insights on preparing Annual Reports on Form 10-Ks, Annual Meeting Proxy Statements and, for FPIs, the Annual Report on Form 20-F....more
A change to DGCL Section 102(b)(7) that took effect last year permits Delaware corporations to eliminate or limit the personal liability of corporate officers for monetary damages to stockholders for breaches of their...more
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the two most influential proxy advisory firms, recently released updates to their voting policies for the 2024 proxy season. The ISS US policy update will apply for...more
In anticipation of the upcoming reporting season, this Update highlights some of the most significant rule changes, guidance, institutional investor areas of focus, and trends for public companies to consider in preparing...more
As companies prepare for the upcoming proxy and annual report season, the following supplements the list of key items to consider contained in our October 2, 2023 post...more
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for the 2024 annual meeting and reporting season. We have compiled this overview of the latest key issues — including SEC disclosure requirements, SEC guidance,...more
In light of new disclosure rules as well as investor interest, companies may wish to modify their D&O Questionnaires for the 2024 proxy season to address certain hot topics...more
For the upcoming 2024 proxy and annual reporting season, there are a number of key issues to consider and keep an eye on for further developments as preparations commence. This alert provides an overview of these issues and...more
On November 17, 2023, the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") issued new and revised proxy-related compliance and disclosure interpretations ("CDIs") that provide guidance on the...more
On November 16, 2023, proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis released its 2024 Proxy Voting Policy Guidelines. The new guidelines apply to shareholder meetings occurring after January 1, 2024. Unsurprisingly, many of Glass Lewis’s...more