What are ISS and Glass Lewis and Why Should My Bank Care?
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
Glass Lewis recently announced the opening of its 2025 Policy Survey. The survey seeks input on several key governance topics including board diversity, executive compensation, ESG considerations, shareholder rights, and...more
Companies should not minimize the extent of a material cybersecurity incident by omitting material facts regarding the scope and potential impact of the incident. Cybersecurity risk factor disclosures should be tailored to a...more
President-elect Donald Trump’s impending return to power on January 20, 2025, has created uncertainty and challenges for proxy advisory firms, such as ISS and Glass Lewis, which provide voting recommendations to investors on...more
In what will likely mark the final outcome, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, struck down the Nasdaq Stock Market’s diversity-disclosure framework on Dec. 11, 2024. The Nasdaq rules issue —...more
Insider Trading Policies. As previously discussed in our Winter 2022-2023 Corporate Communicator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted final rules in December 2022 relating to insider trading policy...more
This guide discusses important themes from the 2024 proxy season and developing trends we are monitoring for 2025. It also includes a “housekeeping checklist” designed to assist you as you prepare your proxy statement. For...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit vacated the SEC’s approval of Nasdaq’s board diversity rules. Consequently, Nasdaq-listed companies are no longer required to satisfy Nasdaq’s “comply or explain” director...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
This article is the seventh and final in our series on equity-based compensation. It will provide an overview of special considerations for publicly-traded companies when granting equity awards, including the impact of proxy...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update....more
Recently, Glass Lewis announced the release of its 2025 U.S. Benchmark Policy Guidelines and guidelines for Shareholder Proposals & ESG-Related Issues that apply across markets. Here are 8 things to know about this year’s...more
Each month, we publish a roundup of the most important SEC enforcement developments for busy in-house lawyers and compliance professionals. This month, we examine: •The Supreme Court’s Jarkesy decision and its impact on the...more
The latest edition of Davies’ Governance Insights is now available. In this issue, we explore 10 important trends that will help general counsel and boards navigate the year ahead. In order to help you with your strategic...more
Glass Lewis (“GL”) recently released its annual Benchmark Policy Guidelines for 2024. This update makes several changes to how the proxy advisory firm will evaluate company policies related to executive compensation. ...more
On December 19, 2023, Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) released its updates to its Proxy Voting Guidelines. Somewhat unusually, ISS made only one change to its voting recommendation policies for U.S. public...more
Clawback Rules. As previously discussed in last Winter’s Corporate Communicator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC") adopted final rules in October 2022 directing the NYSE and Nasdaq to adopt listing standards that...more
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the two most influential proxy advisory firms, recently released updates to their voting policies for the 2024 proxy season. The ISS US policy update will apply for...more
In the December Public Company Watch, we cover key issues impacting public companies, including a preview of the SEC’s latest regulatory agenda, an update regarding the Fifth Circuit vacating the SEC’s share repurchase rules,...more
Please join us for our 5th Annual Corporate & Securities Counsel Public Company Forum. This virtual half-day program will feature panel discussions focused on timely and practical guidance related to the latest developments...more
On November 16, 2023, proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis released its 2024 Proxy Voting Policy Guidelines. The new guidelines apply to shareholder meetings occurring after January 1, 2024. Unsurprisingly, many of Glass Lewis’s...more
In December last year, the Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an Order granting summary judgment to the SEC and Chair Gary Gensler and denying summary judgment to the National Association of...more
As we enter the 2023 proxy season, there are a number of new regulatory requirements, both technical and substantive, that have been implemented, and many more on the horizon. For example, many companies will need to comply...more
As companies begin preparing for the 2023 proxy season, we note that Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) and Glass Lewis, the leading providers of corporate governance solutions and proxy advisory services, issued...more
Each year brings new executive compensation rules and considerations, whether based on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules, developments under the Internal Revenue Code, litigation trends, institutional adviser...more