The John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance, in coalition with several major industry organizations, seeks to gather practical insights from companies, investors, and related professionals about the scope and effectiveness of the current federal shareholder proposal rule (Rule 14a-8) through a new survey.
Recent remarks from the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission…
Although it may seem early, it is already time to start preparing for the 2026 annual report and proxy season. While many disclosure requirements remain consistent from prior years, there has been a significant shift in the focus of, and discourse relating to, the priorities of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Practitioners started to see…
On November 17, 2025, the Staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) Division of Corporation Finance published a new statement (the “Statement”) regarding the review of requests to exclude shareholder proposals by both the Division of Corporation Finance and the Division of Investment Management (together, the “Divisions”) during the 2026 proxy season (including…
| 10-K and Disclosure Trends | Proxy Statement and Annual Meeting Preparation |
| Webinar | November 10, 2025 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT Register here. The proxy and annual reporting season may seem a long way off. However, in light of the amount of work and planning that goes into the proxy statement, annual report, and |
Companies and investors use information related to environmental, social or governance (“ESG”) factors to provide a company-wide view of sustainability and other priorities. This includes how the company discloses, reacts to and manages ESG-related risks and policies, such as, for example, risks related to carbon emissions, as well as policies addressing diversity, shareholder rights and…
The 2025 proxy season is just past its peak. We summarize below key emerging trends in shareholder proposals and no-action requests so far this season. A more comprehensive review of the 2025 proxy season will need to wait until all voting results are in. However, the trends so far may be instructive to boards as…
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 Among other things, SLB 14M rescinded previous Staff guidance on no-action requests, pursuant to which a company can attempt to exclude a shareholder proposal from…
The current proxy season presents new challenges and opportunities for U.S. companies as they face shifting expectations regarding board diversity. There are a number of notable developments. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to vacate the Nasdaq diversity rules, which required Nasdaq-listed companies to disclose board diversity statistics and have a minimum number of…
On February 12, 2025, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (“SLB 14M”), which rescinds in part Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (“SLB 14L”). In addition, SLB 14M provides guidance and clarification on the Staff’s views on the scope…
In January, Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Hester Peirce discussed her desire to reevaluate the SEC’s shareholder proposal process, suggesting that the SEC do “a better job protecting investors from having their resources diverted to deal with shareholder proposals that are not aimed at maximizing corporate value.” Commissioner Peirce pointed out that the number of…
