On July 1, 2025, a federal court of appeals held that the SEC's regulation of proxy advice exceeded its authority and the SEC's 2020 proxy advisor regulations are not valid. The court closely tracks the district court's...more
7/2/2025
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Governance ,
Judicial Review ,
Lack of Authority ,
New Legislation ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Proxy Solicitations ,
Proxy Voting ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholders ,
State and Local Government
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 2337 ("SB 2337") to impose first-of-its-kind regulation and significant disclosure obligations on proxy advisors, such as ISS and Glass Lewis. SB 2337 aims to...more
6/26/2025
/ Business Advice ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Investment ,
New Legislation ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Texas
On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 40 (HB 40), a piece of legislation that expands the Texas Business Court’s jurisdiction and streamlines procedures to expedite commercial disputes....more
The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") is hosting a roundtable discussion on disclosures just weeks after reports of significant increases in executive perks....more
The court rejects the SEC's per se materiality argument and requires proof of a causal connection between the defendant's allegedly inadequate disclosures and purported unlawful profits....more
4/9/2025
/ Appeals ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Materiality ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
On February 27, 2025, Senator Bryan Hughes (R-Tyler) filed Senate Bill 29 (S.B. 29), proposing several corporate reforms designed to cement Texas as the premier business-friendly jurisdiction in the nation. If enacted, S.B....more
3/31/2025
/ Board of Directors ,
Business Development ,
Business Judgment Rule ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware ,
Doing Business ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Shareholder Litigation ,
Texas
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
A new presidential administration is likely to bring change across the federal government, perhaps nowhere more starkly than at the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), which has greatly expanded its enforcement reach...more
In the first opinion to address the issue, the Texas Business Court determined that it lacks jurisdiction over cases pending before September 1, 2024, even if the cases otherwise meet the jurisdictional requirements of the...more
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent Jarkesy decision, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") dismissed two contested Rule 102(e) proceedings against accountants, suggesting that the agency believes...more
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed the majority of claims that the Security and Exchange Commission ("SEC") asserted against SolarWinds, including claims that the company's alleged...more
The electric vehicle company Canoo went public in a de-SPAC transaction in December 2020. After its stock price fell, a stockholder in the SPAC who chose not to redeem his stock sued the SPAC board and its controller for...more
6/20/2024
/ Breach of Duty ,
Business Litigation ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Entire Fairness Standard ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Investment ,
Manufacturers ,
Merger Agreements ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Stock Prices
Recently, a senior officer from the SEC's Division of Enforcement defended the penalties the Commission has levied on firms for failing to capture and retain their employees' "off-channel" electronic communications, and, in...more
On January 30, 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") denied a Petition for Rulemaking to amend SEC Rule 202.5(e), known as the SEC's "no-admit/no-deny" rule or, more pejoratively, the "gag rule."...more
We are pleased to present our latest update on financial reporting and issuer disclosure enforcement activity. This White Paper primarily focuses on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) enforcement activity...more
As public companies increasingly discuss their artificial intelligence ("AI") capabilities, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") reminds us that it is closely watching these claims....more
In light of the DOJ’s most recent guidance on the use of personal devices and third-party messaging applications by corporate personnel, this White Paper addresses issues and challenges that companies are facing in this area...more
10/18/2023
/ CFTC ,
Compliance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Electronic Communications ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Guidance Update ,
Instant Messaging Apps ,
Mobile Devices ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
White Collar Crimes ,
Workplace Communication
In Short -
The Situation: On June 26, 2023, the National Financial Reporting Authority of India ("NFRA") issued a circular reminding statutory auditors in India of their obligation under Indian law to report to the Indian...more
Two SEC commissioners dissented and urged the Commission to provide further guidance on non-fungible tokens ("NFTs")....more
9/7/2023
/ Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Howey ,
Investment Contract ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Transactions ,
Securities Violations ,
Unregistered Securities
We are pleased to present our latest update on financial reporting and issuer disclosure enforcement activity. This White Paper primarily focuses on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) enforcement activity...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has charged a group of small companies with making deficient filings on Form 12b-25, harkening back to the SEC's "broken windows" strategy from the last decade....more
In Short -
The Situation: Following a cyberattack on a law firm's systems, the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") subpoenaed the firm for information, including the identity of clients whose information may have...more
8/15/2023
/ Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Discovery ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Evidence ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Government Investigations ,
Hackers ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subpoenas
A unanimous Supreme Court has confirmed that a claim brought under section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 ("1933 Act") requires that a plaintiff plead and prove that the shares purchased were issued pursuant to an allegedly...more
In Short -
SPAC Deals: Special purpose acquisition companies ("SPACs") boomed in 2020 as a means of taking early-stage private companies public. Following enhanced scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission and...more
The largest-ever award highlights the importance of whistleblowers to the SEC's biggest cases.
On May 5, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") awarded $279 million to a whistleblower, the agency's largest...more