If you’re attending the ‘Society of Corporate Governance’ Conference in Colorado in a few weeks, look for one of our Cooley people – including me – so that you can procure one of our nifty “proxy season wristbands.” You can visit us at our cocktail party on Thursday, July 10th at “The Golden Bee” at the Broadmoor starting at 7:30 pm – everyone attending the …
Latest Articles
The SEC Withdraws Its Shareholder Proposal Rule Proposal That Would Have Modified Three Bases for Exclusion
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 that sought to amend Rule 14a-8 by modifying the substantial implementation, duplication, and resubmission bases for exclusion of shareholder proposals. Speaking of Rule 14a-8, as …
The SEC’s Executive Pay Disclosure Roundtable: Agenda Announced
As I blogged last month, the SEC is holding a half-day roundtable on Thursday, June 26th to consider whether the SEC’s executive pay disclosure requirements need updating. At the time, the public was invited to submit comments on 9 lengthy questions posed in this statement from SEC Chair Paul Atkins. Only a dozen comment letters have been submitted so far. Now the SEC has posted …
The FPI Concept Release: The SEC’s Concerns
A few days ago, I blogged about the SEC issuing this 71-page concept release to rethink the definition of “foreign private issuer.” This Cooley Alert penned by Brad Goldberg, Beth Sasfai, Reid Hooper and Shari Ness delves into what the regulatory concerns are – and what the potential regulatory responses could be. Here’s an excerpt: “Regulatory concerns: Key concerns raised by the SEC in the …
Upcoming Webcast: “Proxy Season Recap – 10 Hot Topics”
Join us on Tuesday, June 24th (1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern) for the webcast – “Proxy Season Recap: 10 Hot Topics” – as Cooley’s Ali Murata, Reid Hooper, Michael Mencher and Broc Romanek – along with Steve Pantina, CEO of Proxy Analytics – discuss how this wild proxy season went down, including up-to-date practical guidance to get ready for next year – such as rapidly …
The SEC’s Concept Release on the ‘Foreign Private Issuer’ Definition: Why It Matters
Last week, the SEC issued this 71-page concept release to rethink the definition of “foreign private issuer” and determine which companies should get the benefits of reporting under the FPI reporting framework. Here’s the press release and the fact sheet. Comments are due 90 days from the concept release being published in the Federal Register. These two changes noted in the fact sheet highlight why …
Nine Lessons Learned From a Decade of Reg A Offering Stats
Recently, the SEC released a trio of reports from the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis (DERA) that provide a host of stats about Regulation A and Regulation Crowdfunding offerings, as well as beneficial ownership of qualifying private funds. The one that caught my eye was “Analysis of the Regulation A Market: A Decade of Regulation,” as it surveys 1400 Reg A offerings from 800 …
14 Lessons Learned from the PCAOB’s Conversations with Audit Committee Chairs
Recently, the PCAOB released its annual recap of its conversations with audit committee chairs. This past year, the PCAOB staff interviewed 272 audit committee chairs to come up with its findings, 78% of whom chaired a committee at a company audited by the six largest auditors. Here are 14 lessons learned from the recap: 1. Prioritize Open Communication Audit committees should foster frequent, transparent dialogue …
Webcast: “Proxy Season Recap – 10 Hot Topics”
Join us on Tuesday, June 24th (1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern) for the webcast – “Proxy Season Recap: 10 Hot Topics” – as Cooley’s Ali Murata, Reid Hooper, Michael Mencher and Broc Romanek – along with Steve Pantina, CEO of Proxy Analytics – discuss how this wild proxy season went down, including up-to-date practical guidance to get ready for next year – such as rapidly …
Most CEOs Want to Remove At Least One Director
As noted in this Reuters article, a recent PwC and The Conference Board survey found that: So the question arises: Just because a CEO doesn’t want a particular director, can the CEO remove that director at any time without cause? The answer is “highly unlikely.” You’ll have to look at the laws of the state in which your company is incorporated – and consult your …