In this episode, the Fenwick team discusses considerations related to the material non-public information that companies are rapidly developing as the COVID-19 situation evolves, including considerations regarding updating...more
Disclosure Guidelines for Public Companies Affected by COVID-19 -
On March 25, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance provided guidance regarding disclosure and other securities...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
3/17/2020
/ Annual Meeting ,
Bylaws ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
New Guidance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Proxy Statements ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Relief Measures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Meetings ,
Virtual Meetings
Impacts of Coronavirus on Commercial Agreements and Public Company Disclosures -
COVID-19, a disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has now spread to at least 70 countries, including the United States. Our thoughts are...more
3/6/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Contract Management ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Paid Leave ,
Performance Standards ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sick Leave ,
Workplace Safety
In January 2020, Institutional Shareholder Services and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to stay litigation filed by ISS in October challenging the SEC’s interpretation and guidance related to voting...more
2/20/2020
/ Corporate Governance ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Interpretive Opinions ,
Motions to Stay Proceedings ,
New Guidance ,
Pending Litigation ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The death of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd in October has highlighted a longstanding public company dilemma: whether and when to disclose the news that a senior leader has a serious health challenge.
Not only is the topic sensitive...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has proposed amendments to the proxy solicitation rules, directly targeting proxy advisory firms (Release No. 34-87457). Consistent with the updated interpretative guidance the SEC...more
11/19/2019
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Exemptions ,
Filing Requirements ,
Investment Adviser ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Statements ,
Proxy Voting ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Public Comment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Meetings
Possibly signaling the future direction of regulation of proxy advisers, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Aug. 21 issued two sets of interpretive guidance, one regarding proxy advisory firms under the...more
This summary has been updated to reflect the amendment to the Nasdaq Proposed Rules now referenced in the third paragraph of the Overview below.
Overview -
On June 20, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission...more