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Bracewell LLP

Texas Targets Proxy Advice Based on Nonfinancial Factors With SB 2337

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On June 20, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 2337 (SB 2337), which imposes new regulations on proxy advisory firms — such as ISS and Glass Lewis — when providing voting recommendations and other...more

Cooley LLP

Texas Legislature Passes Law to Rein in Proxy Advisors

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Recently, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 2337 (SB 2337) in an effort to regulate proxy advisors – including ISS and Glass Lewis – when they provide proxy voting recommendations for those companies that are either...more

Cooley LLP

The SEC Withdraws Its Shareholder Proposal Rule Proposal That Would Have Modified Three Bases for Exclusion

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Last week, the SEC issued a notice of formal withdrawal for 14 proposed rulemakings that were issued a few years ago – these rules were never adopted. The only Corp Fin rulemaking in this group was this proposal from 2022...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Texas Adopts Law Permitting Limits on Shareholder Proposals

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On May 19, 2025, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill No. 1057 (SB 1057) into law....more

Mayer Brown

Shareholder Proposals in the Wake of Staff Legal Bulletin 14M

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As we previously addressed here, on February 12, 2025, the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance published Staff Legal Bulletin 14M (“SLB 14M”). Among other things, SLB 14M...more

Cooley LLP

Five Wild Things About the New Texas Shareholder Proposal Law

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As we’ve blogged about recently, Texas has taken a number of steps to bolster its reputation as a business-friendly state. The latest is a new law aimed at making it harder for shareholder proponents to get a proposal (other...more

Jones Day

The Relevance of "Economic Relevance"

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For those who use “March Madness” to describe proxy season rather than basketball, they'll immediately know that the “economic relevance” exclusion under Rule 14a-8(i)(5) is something of a lore in the SEC's shareholder...more

Cohen & Gresser LLP

A New Chapter for the SEC: A Philosophical Shift on Shareholder Engagement, Shareholder Proposals, and ESG

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Only a short time has elapsed since President Trump named Mark T. Uyeda as Acting Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on January 21, 2025. Already, however, the regulatory climate has shifted significantly...more

DLA Piper

Shareholder Proposals – The Great Reset Again! (Part 2)

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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

BCLP

SEC Reinstates Shareholder Proposal Guidance Rescinded Under Chairman Gensler

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In one of its first actions under the new Administration, the SEC staff issued new guidance that largely reinstated older guidance that had supported the ability of public companies to exclude shareholder proposals from their...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

Proxy Season Update: SEC Restores Case-by-Case Approach for Shareholder Proposal Exclusions

Public companies navigating the 2025 proxy season just got some breathing room—at least when it comes to excluding certain shareholder proposals. Last week, the Staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance—in a...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Everything Old Is New Again for Shareholder Proposals: SEC Division of Corporation Finance Issues Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M

On February 12, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) Division of Corporation Finance staff (the staff) issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (SLB 14M) to provide informal guidance on shareholder...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Back to the Future: SEC Staff Issues Sweeping New Guidance on Shareholder Proposals Mid-Season

On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance (Staff) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (SLB 14M), rescinding Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (Nov. 3, 2021)...more

Perkins Coie

Glass Lewis Voting Policy Changes for 2025: 8 Things to Know

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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

Fenwick & West LLP

Fifth Circuit Rejects Challenge to SEC Rule 14a-8 No-Action Letter

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Public companies can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now, that the Securities and Exchange Commission's 14a-8 regulatory process for excluding shareholder proposals remains intact....more

Fenwick & West LLP

ISS Examines Trends in Shareholder Proposals Over the Past Decade

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Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recently released its “U.S. Shareholder Proposals: A Decade in Motion,” in which it examines trends in shareholder proposals submitted at U.S. companies from July 2014 to June 2024, as...more

White & Case LLP

Japan 2024 Proxy Season

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Summary of June 2024 Annual General Shareholder Meeting Season Shareholder Proposals - - While the total number of shareholder proposals is comparable to the June 2023 general meeting season, the number of companies...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Notable Trends in 2024 ESG/Sustainability Reports

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Teneo Insights recently published its fourth annual “State of U.S. Sustainability Reports,” which analyzes 250 sustainability reports from S&P 500 companies published this year through July 30, seeking to understand how...more

Venable LLP

ISS Releases 2025 Policy Survey

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Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) recently released its Annual Benchmark Policy Survey (the "Policy Survey"). In keeping with its prior practice, ISS seeks responses from institutional shareholders, issuers,...more

Fenwick & West LLP

Anti-DEI Shareholder Proposals Up in 2024 but Remain Unpopular with Investors

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The number of anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion proposals submitted by shareholders increased overall in the 2024 proxy season compared to the 2023 proxy season, according to data provided by Proxy Analytics. However,...more

Cooley LLP

Exxon court challenge to Arjuna shareholder proposal survives dismissal

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You may recall that, in January, ExxonMobil filed a lawsuit against Arjuna Capital, LLC and Follow This, the two proponents of a climate-related shareholder proposal submitted to Exxon, seeking a declaratory judgment that it...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Preparing for the 2024 Proxy Season

As we enter the 2024 proxy season, public companies should consider a number of key disclosure and governance matters. Below is a high-level summary of applicable rule changes, guidance, and disclosure considerations for the...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

Shareholder Activism in 2024: Three Trends to Watch

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The world of corporate shareholder activism is poised for significant changes and challenges. Activist shareholders have been a driving force in shaping the corporate landscape, pushing for reforms and steering companies...more

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Approaching Shareholder Engagement in 2024

It has never been more important for public companies to engage—and engage regularly—with their shareholders. Sustained engagement helps companies communicate their strategy, understand shareholder perspectives, and even...more

Vinson & Elkins LLP

[Hybrid CLE Event] Every Season is Activist Season: The Big Questions for 2024 - January 31st, New York, NY

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Vinson & Elkins’ Shareholder Activism practice co-heads Lawrence Elbaum and Patrick Gadson will discuss how companies need to prepare against the year round attacks by shareholder activists. In a conversation moderated by...more

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