Acting SEC Chair Mark T. Uyeda outlined potential regulatory changes to make IPOs more attractive and to scale public company disclosures at the Florida Bar’s 41st Annual Federal Securities Institute and M&A Conference. ...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
2/10/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Companies ,
Nasdaq ,
Proxy Season ,
Proxy Voting ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholder Activism
The outlook for life sciences IPOs is showing renewed optimism heading into 2025, with market conditions becoming more constructive and regulatory environments potentially more favorable....more
For publicly traded biotech companies, disclosing clinical trial data can be an exciting milestone as you build towards an exit or public offering—but disclosure is a double-edged sword....more
1/6/2025
/ Capital Raising ,
Clinical Trials ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Material Nonpublic Information ,
Medical Research ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Private Investment in Public Equity (PIPEs) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains updates and important reminders on...more
1/2/2025
/ Benchmarks ,
C-Suite Executives ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Nasdaq ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Transparency ,
Voting Shares
Institutional Shareholder Services updated its Benchmark proxy voting policies on December 17—with updated policies generally applying to shareholder meetings taking place on or after February 1.
The updates for U.S....more
In August 2021, the SEC approved new board diversity rules requiring Nasdaq-listed companies (i) to include a board diversity matrix in their proxy statement or on their website and (ii) to disclose whether they have one...more
12/16/2024
/ Board of Directors ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Diversity ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
LGBTQ ,
Minorities ,
Nasdaq ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Statutory Authority ,
Woman Board Members
As both public and private companies “doing business” in California with annual revenues above $1 billion prepare to comply with SB 253, CARB last week issued an important enforcement notice stating that it has elected to...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update....more
11/26/2024
/ Audit Committee ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EDGAR ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Filing Requirements ,
Form 10-K ,
Glass Lewis ,
Independent Directors ,
PCAOB ,
Proxy Statements ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
On September 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it had charged 23 entities and individuals for failure to timely file Schedules 13D and 13G reports and Forms 3, 4, and 5. The SEC also charged two...more
Welcome to the latest edition of Fenwick’s Securities Law Update. This issue contains news on...more
8/14/2024
/ Amended Regulation ,
Board of Directors ,
Chevron Deference ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Delaware General Corporation Law ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Google ,
Governor Newsom ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Life Sciences ,
Listing Rules ,
Nasdaq ,
NYSE ,
Proposed Rules ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Time Extensions ,
Whistleblower Awards ,
Whistleblowers
Cyber incidents are among the fastest-growing existential threats to publicly traded companies. More than a technical headache, breaches can materially impact your bottom line—and the mere news of an incident can send stocks...more
2/1/2024
/ Capital Markets ,
Corporate Governance ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Security ,
Disclosure ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Form 10-K ,
Form 8-K ,
Investors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Security Breach
On October 10, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted new rules (the Amendments) that amend Regulation 13D-G under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act), which provide companies, and the...more
10/17/2023
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Compliance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Investors ,
New Guidance ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Shareholders
On December 14, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted amendments to Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) and new disclosure requirements designed to enhance investor...more
12/20/2022
/ 10b5-1 Plans ,
Amended Rules ,
Board of Directors ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Officers ,
Directors ,
Disclosure ,
Insider Trading ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ,
Securities Regulation
1. What is the Pay Versus Performance Rule?
See our Fenwick alert for a high-level overview of the Pay Versus Performance (PvP) Rule. See also the SEC fact sheet and adopting release. Briefly, the PvP Rule adds a new Item...more
On August 25, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rules that require public companies to disclose the relationship between compensation “actually paid” to their executives and their financial...more
Following a record-breaking year for IPOs and other going-public transactions in 2021, the beginning of 2022 has presented a challenging environment. That’s largely a result of volatile market conditions due to the ongoing...more
Following a record-breaking year for IPOs and other going-public transactions, the beginning of 2022 has presented a challenging environment. That’s largely a result of volatile market conditions due to the ongoing conflict...more
3/30/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Direct Listing ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Life Sciences ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Technology
Technology and life sciences companies went public at an extraordinary rate in the first half of 2021 and they continued to do so via different paths: initial public offerings, de-SPAC mergers and direct listings.
Our...more
With a new U.S. administration, an economic rebound in sight and historically low interest rates that are unlikely to budge in the near-term, equity markets have been on a tear since late 2020. The torrid pace of technology...more
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 23 adopted final rules amending the shareholder proposal rules in Rule 14a-8 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
The final rules:
- Require that a shareholder...more
Key Metrics for Recent Technology and Life Sciences Initial Public Offerings -
Following a volatile spring 2020 due to the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus, the capital markets, including IPOs, appear to be...more
8/28/2020
/ Biopharmaceutical ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Life Sciences ,
Public Offerings ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Surveys ,
Technology ,
Technology Sector
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Office of the Chief Accountant (OCA) and Division of Corporation Finance (Division) have separately issued statements emphasizing the continued importance of high-quality...more
6/26/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
FASB ,
Financial Reporting ,
IASB ,
ICFR ,
New Guidance ,
PCAOB ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The global spread of COVID-19 has impacted all aspects of business and raises significant securities law questions for public life sciences companies. In this video, Fenwick partners Rob Freedman and Amanda Rose discuss the...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