Leo Strine (Leo E. Strine, Jr.) is one of history’s most prolific legal scholars, especially on issues of corporate accountability. I have seen and heard him in many venues. Much like a rock star, he often comes out, blows our minds, and quickly exits the stage. On Monday (3/14/22), he will be our guest on […]
On May 8, 2014, the Delaware Supreme Court issued an opinion in ATP Tour, Inc. v. Deutscher Tennis Bund (German Tennis Federation), No. 534, 2013 (Del. May 8, 2014), holding that fee-shifting provisions in a Delaware non-stock corporation’s bylaws are not per se invalid. (more…)
This is first time I’ve attended a Council of Institutional Investors (CII) semi-annual conference. Already posted are CII Fall 2014 Conference: Part 1 and CII Fall 2014 Conference: Part 2. In part 3 a panel of experts discusses several legal developments during 2014 and Tim Koller, with McKinsey, discusses how to create growth for the long-term. Warning: I’m not an […]
After finding some “off-beat” proposals made at Fortune 250 firms and posted to ProxyMonitor.org, Laura J. Finn thinks the following might be Five Coming Trends in Shareholder Proposals (Corporate Board Member, July 11, 2013). I provide a brief evaluation of each and add a couple of my own. (more…)
This comprehensive case book sheds light on the complicated regulatory framework and the dynamic nature of laws on corporate governance in the United States. Chapters typically cover regulations promulgated by federal, state, and self-regulatory organizations. Corporate governance is examined through case law with ample discussion to provide context concerning evolving practices and normative concerns. In […]
Ever since ownership and management diverged, owners have met with those to whom they entrust their business. They do so at least annually to learn how the business is doing, to communicate, and to exercise their rights as owners. Last year United Natural Foods, one of the companies in my portfolio, announced they were breaking from […]
The Delaware Senate confirmed the governor’s appointment of Leo Strine, Jr. as the new Chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery. Strine has been a vice chancellor on the court for more than 12 years. I think he would have been anyone’s reasonable choice. (Delaware Senate Confirms Strine as Chancellor., Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation […]
The Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance has won funding to begin a yearlong fellowship for research into such issues as CEO pay and has created an online training course for board directors. The Edgar Woolard Fellowship (funded by the Investor Responsibility Research Center) — named in honor of the former DuPont Co. CEO — will […]
When I linked to the video it had been viewed six times. Watch the numbers climb.. or maybe the counter doesn’t work. Charles Elson is one of the brightest minds in corporate governance. He should be heard. Don’t miss this lecture with Q&A
The highly respected California attorney Keith Paul Bishop seems to think it could be argued, depending on the state of incorporation (Are Proxy Access Bylaws Legal?, Corporate and Securities Law, 12/8/2011). Most need no reminder that in 2009 Delaware enacted legislation, H.B. 19, 145th Gen. Assem. (Del. 2009), to explicitly authorize proxy access bylaws. Tit. 8, Del. Code § […]
Bebchuk, Lucian A., Cohen, Alma and Wang, Charles C. Y., Staggered Boards and the Wealth of Shareholders: Evidence from a Natural Experiment (November 2010). Available at SSRN. Abstract follows: While staggered boards are known to be negatively correlated with firm valuation, such association might be due to staggered boards’ either bringing about or merely being […]
The always creative Joe Grundfest, a Stanford Law School professor and former SEC commissioner, proposes that public companies adopt charter provisions to select in advance the forum where shareholder litigation would occur… Delaware, in most cases. He argues: Forum selection clauses are common in commercial agreements. They are also broadly respected and readily enforced, even […]
In “Rethinking the Board’s Duty to Monitor: A Critical Assessment of the Delaware Doctrine,” to be published in 2011 in the Florida State University Law Review (current version available ssrn.com), Prof. Eric Pan of the Cardozo Law School substantially advances the discussion of how corporate governance needs to be improved in order to minimize the […]
Whether a race to the top or a race to the bottom, Delaware has long been the leading “brand” in attracting incorporations. However, researchers John Armour, Bernard Black and Brian Cheffins now find that over the past decade the proportion of corporate suits involving Delaware public companies filed in Delaware has dropped markedly. Since one […]
TheCorporateCouncil.net posted a transcript of a recent Webcast on the SEC’s new Proxy Disclosure requirement. Like always, they do an excellent job of sorting out issues for those getting into the weeds. RMG reports “The wave of new federal securities lawsuits related to the global credit crisis has finally subsided, down 7-24% depending on whose data […]
Kent Greenfield’s The Failure of Corporate Law: Fundamental Flaws and Progressive Possibilities posits that corporation law shouldn’t be thought of as “private” law, which governs the relationships of individuals, but as a branch of “public” law, such as constitutional, tax, or environmental law. Corporations are sanctioned by the state and our goals for them should include […]