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
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved mandatory “universal proxy” on November 17, 2021. The final rules will apply to contested director elections at shareholder meetings held after August 31, 2022. The...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
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has amended its rules governing the procedural requirements for submission and resubmission of shareholder proposals to be included in a company’s proxy statement under Rule 14a-8....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
Delaware adopted new amendments to its General Corporation Law (DGCL) on July 16, 2020. Amendments to sections 102, 110, 116, 145, 212, 228, 232, 251, 363, 365 and 367 appear to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, while others...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
In recent weeks, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and market participants have dealt with the current and potential impact of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. To help market participants remain in...more
On March 13th, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued guidance allowing companies who had already filed proxy statements to switch to virtual-only meeting formats due to COVID-19 without mailing additional proxy...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
In light of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”), the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) recently released guidance to assist public companies with their upcoming annual shareholder meetings. As explained in the...more
UPDATE - After this article was published, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order clarifying this issue. According to the order, due to the coronavirus pandemic, until April 19, 2020, companies...more
The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the responses of governments and societies to the crisis are having a profound impact on public companies and capital markets worldwide. Such companies, including those in the United...more