The SEC Divisions of Corporation Finance, Investment Management, and Trading and Markets recently issued a statement addressing the SEC’s recent digital asset securities actions. This statement confirms the applicability of...more
In the third quarter of 2018, California became the first state to mandate that public companies include at least one woman on their board of directors. In addition, the SEC staff withdrew prior guidance relating to...more
On September 30, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law legislation designed to require publicly held corporations whose principal executive offices are located in California to have one woman on their boards...more
Since the inception of Bitcoin in 2009, certain digital tokens (often referred to as cryptocurrencies) have been popularized as secure, decentralized and private alternatives to government-controlled currencies. More...more
During the previous quarter, the SEC acted to expand the number of companies that may rely on the “smaller reporting company” scaled disclosure regime and Congress directed revisions to the Regulation A+ and Rule 701...more
On June 28, 2018, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted rule amendments that raise the thresholds in the “smaller reporting company” definition. Under the amendments, the public float threshold for...more
In a telling sign of current events, the SEC staff provided supplemental guidance related to the disclosure of cybersecurity risks and incidents, adding new commentary to its rules regarding disclosure and company controls....more
The end of a year and beginning of the next generally starts the countdown to the public company proxy season. But before moving into 2018, registrants would be well served by first looking back to the guidance that came out...more
During the previous quarter, the SEC confirmed that CEO pay ratio disclosure will go into effect as scheduled for the 2018 proxy season. They further announced a new policy permitting qualifying issuers to submit draft...more
The SEC recently confirmed that the new CEO pay ratio disclosure rules mandated in the Dodd-Frank Act will go into effect in the 2018 proxy season. To assist companies in preparation of the new disclosure, the SEC published...more
The US Supreme Court’s decision in Kokesh v. Securities and Exchange Commission could have long-lasting implications for the SEC’s enforcement power. We discuss that decision and other developments from the second quarter of...more
The first quarter of 2017 saw quite a few new developments in the Capital Markets & Public Companies regulatory landscape. President Trump’s nominee to be the new Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Jay...more
4/20/2017
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Markets ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Private Issuers ,
Hyperlink ,
IFRS ,
Rule 15c6-1(a) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Securities Settlement Cycles ,
Securities Transactions ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
As 2016 drew to an end, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) kept up its pace to close out a busy year. In addition to issuing proposed rules for universal proxies, the SEC released several new Compliance &...more
1/30/2017
/ Bylaws ,
C&DIs ,
Director Compensation ,
Equity Plan Scorecard (EPSC) ,
Equity Plans ,
Glass Lewis ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Non-GAAP Financial Measures ,
Overboarding ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Proxy Access Rule ,
Proxy Voting Guidelines ,
Rule 147 ,
Rule 147A ,
Rule 504 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Tax Deductions
The third quarter of 2016 saw the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) carry forward its momentum from an active second quarter. Recent developments include new SEC Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations (C&DI) and...more
10/13/2016
/ 401k ,
C&DIs ,
Capital Markets ,
Filing Requirements ,
FinTech ,
Hyperlink ,
Innovation ,
No-Action Relief ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Access ,
Regulation S-K ,
SEC Comment Letter Process ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Tandy Letter
In Depth -
New SEC C&DIs Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures -
On May 17, 2016, the SEC issued several new Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs) and modified existing C&DIs to provide additional...more
7/13/2016
/ C&DIs ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Form 10-K ,
GAAP ,
JOBS Act ,
Non-GAAP Financial Measures ,
Regulation S-K ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smaller Reporting Companies ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
In Depth -
On June 27, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed amendments to its rules and regulations that would expand the number of companies that qualify as “smaller reporting companies” by...more
In Depth -
On May 17, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued six new Compliance & Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs) and modified other existing C&DIs to provide additional guidance on the use of non-GAAP...more
In Depth -
On May 16, 2016, the final rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with respect to Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) took effect (except for certain forms...more
During the first quarter of 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and U.S. stock exchanges issued proposed and final rules that will likely impact disclosure and capital raising efforts. This report provides a...more
As we roll into a new year and a new public company reporting season, public companies should be aware of a number of rule changes and rulemakings, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff guidance, disclosure trends...more
2/1/2016
/ Corporate Governance ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Executive Compensation ,
Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act ,
Proxy Access ,
Proxy Season ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Young Lawyers
Summary of Key ISS and Glass Lewis 2016 Proxy Season Policy Updates -
Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS) recently issued, in the form of Frequently Asked Questions, a further update to its 2016 proxy voting...more
Overview of SPACs and Latest Trends -
A number of recent successful business combination transactions involving special-purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) led by prominent sponsors have driven a resurgence in the SPAC...more
10/23/2015
/ Board of Directors ,
Breach of Duty ,
Business Judgment Rule ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Directors ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Duty of Loyalty ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Gross Negligence ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Banks ,
Investors ,
Nasdaq ,
NY Supreme Court ,
Prospectus ,
Proxy Statements ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholders ,
Special Purpose Entities ,
Target Company ,
Warrants
M&A Corporate Governance: Oversight of the Board’s Financial Advisors -
Recent decisions in the Delaware Court of Chancery highlight the need for increased oversight of financial advisors by corporations engaging in...more