Daily Compliance News: April 24, 2025, The Made in Malaysia Edition
Innovation in Compliance - Key Board Issues Going Forward with Christina Bresani
This Week in FCPA-Episode 77, the Home for the Holidays Edition
Preparing a Company to Deal With Activist Investors
Why Every Day Is Proxy Season for Public Companies
Under Sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shareholders that beneficially own more than five percent of an issuer’s outstanding publicly traded voting equity...more
In an effort to reverse corporate departures from Delaware, its state legislature amended the Delaware General Corporation Law to overturn multiple Chancery Court decisions....more
Key Points - Revised guidance from the SEC regarding ownership reporting is making institutional investors circumspect about raising issues with management. - Seeking to influence a company’s executive compensation, or...more
As many spent the first quarter chasing their New Year’s fitness goals, so, too, did the SEC, resolving to trim down its climate rules and bulk up other key guidance. In this Snapshot, we review the agency’s decision to walk...more
In our earlier blog post, we discussed Staff Legal Bulletin 14M (SLB 14M), which rescinded prior Staff Legal Bulletin 14L (SLB 14L). The staff of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicated that SLB 14M is...more
On February 12, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") Division of Corporation Finance published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M ("SLB 14M") relating to the application of the shareholder proposal rules and...more
On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (SLB 14M) concerning shareholder proposals for public company proxy...more
In June 2023, then-Commissioner Mark Uyeda (currently, Acting Chair) spoke to the Society for Corporate Governance 2023 National Conference on the topic of shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8. Alluding to the frequent...more
On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporate Finance (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) issued new guidance on Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals, which comes one day after the Staff...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
Corporate crises happen—and that means we have to plan for them. While it isn’t practical to prepare for every possible corporate crisis, there are steps that boards and management teams can take to be better prepared. In...more
Despite a strong start to the year, activist activity in Canada in 2024 tapered to pre-pandemic levels. This reversion to more historic annual totals follows a notable resurgence of shareholder demands directed at Canadian...more
Over the last five years, stockholder activism has undergone significant transformation, shaped by changing market conditions, regulatory developments, and evolving societal expectations. Activism has continued to spread...more
At what point has a director served too long? What about term limits? A mandatory retirement age? When do a director’s skills become stale? These issues are addressed in this issue of The Informed Board, as well as why proxy...more
On November 14, 2024, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the SEC’s ability to intervene in shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Rule 14a-8...more
SEC Penalizes Director for Misleading D&O Questionnaire Response - The SEC recently brought an enforcement action against a director for causing violations of the proxy rules by failing to disclose a close personal...more
In this program, we will focus on SEC developments affecting, and practical aspects of preparing for, public companies’ annual meetings and annual reports, including compensation, shareholder proposals and corporate...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This edition contains updates and reminders on: ..The federal court decision that struck down the FTC’s noncompete ban, blocking it from taking effect...more
In our previous client alert, The Rise of the “Occasional Activist,” we discussed the increase in shareholder activism through 2022 by “occasional activists” – investors who are not funds dedicated to activist strategies or...more
Last month, the SEC announced another enforcement action emphasizing the need for early disclosure of cybersecurity events. In the recent action, the company had taken three weeks to act on internal alerts of malware on its...more
In the June edition of our Public Company Watch, we cover key issues impacting public companies, including the recent SEC staff statement on cybersecurity disclosures in Form 8-K, structural defenses against shareholder...more
Over the past decade, environmental, social and governance (ESG) topics have featured heavily in social and political discourse. ESG has also become prominent in the boardroom as directors navigate how best to address...more
Who may be interested: Closed-End Funds; Boards of Directors; Investment Advisers - Quick Take: The staff of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management (Staff) recently granted no-action relief to three closed-end funds...more
The oversight obligations of boards continue to expand. Recent enforcement actions and new laws in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and supply chains create new challenges for boards, as we explain in this...more
Closed-end investment companies registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act"), have proven to be a product sought by many investors, especially individuals. Despite their appeal to long-term...more