From Distance Meetings to Diversity Reports: 2020 Updates for NY State Businesses
Despite being home to the Silicon Valley, California has not embraced with abandon virtual-only meetings of shareholders. Section 600(e) of the Corporations Code currently does not permit virtual only meetings unless one of...more
The Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”) provided initial guidance on virtual shareholder meetings in February 2022 to: (i) assist reporting issuers in fulfilling their obligations under securities legislation; and (ii)...more
As we approach our 11th month of COVID-19 restrictions, the pandemic continues to evolve with new variants, while vaccination efforts move forward at a snail’s pace because of limited supplies in many states. Many hoped for a...more
Holding Your Annual Meeting Virtually—Lessons Learned From 2020 - In light of the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, it comes as no surprise that there was a dramatic increase in the number of virtual...more
As COVID-19 rages on, companies are again flocking to virtual annual meetings for the 2021 proxy season, but with one important difference: the luxury of time. Many companies are already exploring retention of virtual annual...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted U.S. public companies in myriad ways. The fact that the traditional proxy season — the period from April through June when a substantial number of public companies hold their annual meetings...more
UPDATE - After this article was published, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order clarifying this issue. According to the order, due to the coronavirus pandemic, until April 19, 2020, companies...more
On March 19, 2020, Glass Lewis announced that for the duration of the 2020 proxy season, it will "take into account the extenuating circumstance of the COVID-19 pandemic when applying [its] policy on virtual-only shareholder...more
As proxy season and the coronavirus pandemic collide over the next few months, travel restrictions, quarantines and health concerns are complicating many public companies’ plans for their annual stockholder meetings. Many...more
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having an unprecedented impact on the world’s economy, including historic stock market declines, a virtual standstill in business and leisure travel, closures of schools and businesses and a focus on...more
The Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced guidance on March 13 for public companies that have been impacted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and that wish to modify the date, time or...more
April, May and June are typically the most popular months for public companies to host their annual meetings of shareholders. This year, the unprecedented public health concern resulting from the coronavirus or COVID-19...more
Across the globe, the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is causing governments, companies, associations and colleges and universities to take unprecedented steps to address the spread and transmission of COVID-19. These steps...more
Stock exchange-listed public companies in the United States are required to hold annual shareholder meetings, which are traditionally held in person. Virtual annual shareholder meetings — where shareholders participate...more
Institutional Shareholder Services ("ISS") and Glass, Lewis & Co ("Glass Lewis") have both released their updates to their respective Canadian proxy voting guidelines for the 2019 proxy season. The ISS updates apply to...more