Shareholder proposal rule
Class Action Trends – Interview with Stephen Gulotta, Managing Member, Mintz Levin's New York Office
We are often asked by clients to assist them in preparing for and holding their annual meetings of stockholders. A variety of materials provide guidance on the major components of an annual meeting, such as proxy statement...more
As we enter the 2024 proxy season, we are providing our annual memorandum to call your attention to certain matters of Maryland law, some new and some continuing, relating to proxy materials and annual meetings about which we...more
As Maryland public companies begin preparing for their 2024 annual meetings, we recommend that each consider the voting results of its 2023 annual meeting of shareholders. Maintaining awareness of institutional investor and...more
Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters are now the subject of significantly greater regulatory scrutiny and are becoming a more prominent part of public companies’ mandatory filings, shareholder proposals, and...more
Companies have important decisions to make as they prepare for the 2023 annual meeting and reporting season. We have compiled this overview of key issues — including SEC disclosure requirements, recent SEC guidance,...more
As companies finalize materials for annual shareholder meetings, we recommend consideration of the following key requirements and disclosures: SEC proxy filing requirements; website and submission requirements; proxy...more
The enduring COVID-19 pandemic continued to impact corporate governance practices and trends in 2021, while other notable developments, including a surge in shareholder proposals, changes to the proxy rules, and increased...more
The two dominant proxy advisory firms — Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis (GL) — have issued their policy updates for the 2022 proxy season. These updates reflect the continuing trend of institutional...more
On November 17, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted final rules requiring the use of a universal proxy card by all parties in contested elections for directors at shareholder meetings. The rules require...more
Considerations for companies planning for next proxy season should include the following: Risk Factors - ..As discussed in our July 13 post, consider current hot topics, including COVID risks, labor market...more
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
As our clients and friends know, each year Mintz provides an analysis of the regulatory developments that impact public companies as they prepare for their fiscal year-end filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission...more
As COVID-19 rages on, companies are again flocking to virtual annual meetings for the 2021 proxy season, but with one important difference: the luxury of time. Many companies are already exploring retention of virtual annual...more
On September 23, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments to Exchange Act Rule 14a-8, also known as the “shareholder proposal rule.” The SEC press release announcing the adopted changes are...more
Overview - The SEC yesterday adopted amendments to modernize Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 — shareholder proposal rule, which governs the process for shareholders to make proposals that will be included in a company’s proxy...more
With annual reports on Form 10-K publicly filed and first quarter earnings releases getting underway, proxy season – the annual practice of filing and distributing proxy statements, reserving meeting venues and courting...more
The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is impacting every aspect of doing business, and annual meetings of shareholders are no exception. Each corporation is required by state corporation law, and usually its own bylaws, to hold...more
As social distancing policies and mandates continue to take hold across the country, companies are grappling to understand the implications of these measures on their business. One compliance issue to resolve is that...more
On March 13, 2020, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued guidance for conducting annual meetings in light of concerns caused by COVID-19....more
In light of the recent COVID-19 global outbreak, on March 13, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission provided guidance to assist issuers, shareholders and other market participants affected by COVID-19 with meeting...more
The SEC staff issues guidance to assist issuers with annual meeting changes to deal with the evolving COVID-19 situation, but SEC regulations are not the only concerns companies have to address. Some companies may have to...more
Public companies impacted by the coronavirus pandemic still have time to access regulatory relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for filings due by April 30. In addition, the SEC is providing companies...more
As the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to develop, public companies are faced with a variety of concerns, including the impact “social distancing” recommendations and restrictions will have on annual...more
In response to developments related to COVID-19, the Securities and Exchange Commission has issued new guidance (available here) to assist public companies, investment companies, shareholders, and other market participants...more
I live and work in the Seattle area. As a result of COVID-19, school districts are now closed for 6 weeks, Seattle public libraries are closed for a month, a number of restaurants have closed for the time being and my beloved...more