Lori Zyskowski

Partner, New York

+1 212.351.2309

Lori Zyskowski is a partner in Gibson Dunn’s New York office and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group. Lori advises public companies, their boards of directors, and committees on corporate governance matters, securities disclosure and compliance issues, shareholder engagement and activism matters, shareholder proposals, environmental, social and governance matters, and executive compensation practices.

View Full Profile

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

April 13, 2026 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of April 2026. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

This quarter’s update to the summary of director education opportunities includes a number of new opportunities as well as updates to the programs offered by organizations that have been included in our prior updates.

Thank you to associates Ashlyne Polynice and Deborah Gillis-Harry, from our New York and Houston offices for their assistance with this quarter’s update.

New Considerations for Reporting Beneficial Ownership by The Vanguard Group in Company Proxy Statements

March 30, 2026 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Aaron K. Briggs Topic(s): Disclosure; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

In June 2025, The Vanguard Group, Inc. (“VGI”) announced plans to establish two wholly owned U.S. investment advisors, Vanguard Capital Management (“VCM”) and Vanguard Portfolio Management (“VPM”), each of which consists of distinct investment management teams and investment stewardship teams to manage various funds. In early January, Vanguard announced that it had completed this internal realignment.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

January 15, 2026 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of January 2026. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

October 15, 2025 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of October 2025. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

July 15, 2025 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of July 2025. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

April 15, 2025 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of April 2025. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Things To Do This Week: Validate EDGAR Codes

March 19, 2025 | Posted by Michael A. Titera; Mellissa Campbell Duru; Julia Lapitskaya; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Capital Markets; Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

Those lucky individuals who are responsible for EDGAR codes (for companies and Section 16 filers) are strongly encouraged to confirm this week that those EDGAR codes, specifically the CCCs (CIK Confirmation Codes) and Passphrases, are both (1) valid AND (2) current. EDGAR codes are valid if they are correct and are current if they have been established or reset since September 2019. Valid and current CCCs and Passphrases will be required to enroll in EDGAR Next via the EDGAR Next dashboard, and after Friday, March 21, the process for obtaining valid and current codes will be more tedious.

Proxy Reporting of 5% Shareholders’ Beneficial Ownership Based on 13G Filings

February 21, 2025 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Stella Kwak Topic(s): Disclosure; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

Among the many new rules and considerations affecting proxy season disclosures this year, one of the more subtle changes affects beneficial ownership disclosure pursuant to S-K Item 403(a). That rule requires companies to report the beneficial ownership of their greater than 5% shareholders “as of the most recent practicable date,” with beneficial ownership being determined in accordance with Exchange Act Rule 13d-3. In years past, all Schedule 13G filers were required to file amendments within 45 days after the end of the calendar year to report any change to their previously reported holdings.

SEC Signals Potential Strategy Shift in Climate Disclosure Rule Litigation

February 14, 2025 | Posted by Lauren M. Assaf-Holmes; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski; Thomas J. Kim; James J. Moloney Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Environmental/Climate Change; ESG; Securities Regulation

On Tuesday, Mark Uyeda, Acting Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), issued a statement signaling potential updates to the SEC’s position in the ongoing legal challenges to its climate disclosure rule. As previously reported, the SEC stayed its climate disclosure rule last year pending the outcome of the related consolidated litigation before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

SEC Staff Reinstates Traditional Approach to Interpreting the Shareholder Proposal Rule; New Guidance Rescinds SLB 14L

February 13, 2025 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Thomas J. Kim; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Environmental/Climate Change; ESG; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Shareholder Proposals

To Our Clients and Friends:

On February 12, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) published Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14M (“SLB 14M”), which sets forth Staff guidance on shareholder proposals submitted to publicly traded companies under Exchange Act Rule 14a-8. SLB 14M rescinds Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14L (“SLB 14L”) (which was issued in November 2021) and addresses a number of interpretive issues in a manner that draws heavily from prior statements by the Commission interpreting Rule 14a-8.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

January 14, 2025 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of January 2025. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

October 17, 2024 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Julia Lapitskaya; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of October 2024. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Key U.S. Executive Compensation Takeaways from the ISS 2024 U.S. Proxy Season Review

September 20, 2024 | Posted by Ekaterina (Kate) Napalkova; Krista P. Hanvey; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Compensation Committee; Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings

On September 5, 2024, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) released its 2024 Proxy Season Review: United States – Executive Compensation. The below chart summarizes our observations of the 2024 data and key takeaways as we look to the 2025 proxy season. While these trends are positive for issuers overall, they underscore that issuers, their boards, compensation committees, and management should continue to take an active role in compensation programs, disclosure, and shareholder engagement practices.

Early Insights from the Insider Trading Policies Filed by S&P 500 Companies under the SEC’s New Exhibit Requirement

September 9, 2024 | Posted by Aaron K. Briggs; Thomas J. Kim; Brian J. Lane; Julia Lapitskaya; James J. Moloney; Ronald O. Mueller; Michael A. Titera; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Capital Markets; Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

I. Introduction

For fiscal years beginning on or after April 1, 2023, domestic public companies are required to disclose whether they have adopted insider trading policies and procedures governing the purchase, sale, and/or other dispositions of their securities by their directors, officers and employees, or the companies themselves, and if so to file those policies and procedures as an exhibit to their annual reports on Form 10-K.[1] While calendar year companies must comply with these requirements in their Form 10-K for, or proxy statement following, the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, 49 S&P 500 companies had addressed these requirements in filings as of June 30, 2024.[2]

Division of Corporation Finance Issues Interpretive Guidance on the SEC’s Cybersecurity Incident Reporting Requirements

June 25, 2024 | Posted by Michael A. Titera; Lori Zyskowski; Thomas J. Kim; Brian J. Lane Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

As discussed in our previous client alert, on December 18, 2023, new rules went into effect requiring companies to report material cybersecurity incidents on Form 8-K within four business days of the company’s determination that the cybersecurity incident is material. In the last several weeks the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff") of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC") has provided guidance regarding incident reporting in the form of a May 21 statement and a June 20 announcement from the Division of Corporation Finance Director Erik Gerding and, most recently, more formal Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs") on June 24.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

June 20, 2024 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Julia Lapitskaya; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of June 2024. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

SEC Division of Corporation Finance Director Erik Gerding Offers Guidance on Form 8-K Disclosure of Cybersecurity Incidents

May 22, 2024 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Thomas J. Kim; Lori Zyskowski; Julia Lapitskaya; James J. Moloney; Elizabeth A. Ising; Brian J. Lane Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation

As detailed in our client alert, the SEC adopted cybersecurity disclosure rules on July 26, 2023 that require disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents under new Item 1.05 of Form 8-K. If a company determines that a cybersecurity incident is material, it is required to disclose the incident within four (4) business days of such determination. In addition, such determination is required to be made “without unreasonable delay after discovery of the incident.”

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Available

April 9, 2024 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Audit Committee; Compensation Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of April 2024. A copy is available at this link.

Boards of Directors of public and pre-IPO companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Fifth Circuit Stay of the SEC’s Climate Disclosure Rule Dissolved

March 22, 2024 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; James J. Moloney; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; ESG; Securities Regulation

On March 21, 2024, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation randomly selected the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to hear all cases challenging the Securities and Exchange Commission’s final climate disclosure rule. Within the first ten days after the rule’s issuance, nine petitions were filed, in six different circuits, challenging the rule.

Summary of Director Education Opportunities – Updated

January 5, 2024 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; IPOs; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of January 2024. A copy is available at this link - Board-Education-Opportunities-January-2024.pdf

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Available

October 11, 2023 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Audit Committee; Compensation Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of October 2023. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

SEC Desktop Calendar 2024 – Now Available

October 10, 2023 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Capital Markets; Disclosure; IPOs; Registration Statements; Securities Regulation; Underwriters and Agents

To continue assisting US companies with planning for SEC reporting and capital markets transactions into 2024, we offer our annual SEC Desktop Calendar. This calendar provides both the filing deadlines for key SEC reports and the dates on which financial statements in prospectuses and proxy statements must be updated before use (a/k/a financial staleness deadlines).

Another Batch of SEC Staff Guidance on Rule 10b5-1 Amendments

August 29, 2023 | Posted by Michael A. Titera; Thomas J. Kim; Julia Lapitskaya; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Disclosure; Executive Compensation; Securities Regulation

On August 25, 2023, the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff") of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC") issued five new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs") regarding the SEC’s recent Exchange Act Rule 10b5-1 amendments. The new C&DIs address how to calculate the required cooling-off period; how 401(k) plans interact with the Rule 10b5-1 affirmative defense in certain circumstances; when the Rule 10b5-1 check box on Form 4 applies; and when disclosure of plan adoption and termination is required.

Summary of Public Company Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules

July 29, 2023 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Julia Lapitskaya; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

On July 26, 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”), in a 3-to-2 vote, adopted a final rule requiring the disclosure of material cybersecurity incidents and cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance by public companies, including foreign private issuers. A two-page summary of the final rule is attached for your reference.

Form 10-Q Updates and Reminders

July 17, 2023 | Posted by Michael A. Titera; Ronald O. Mueller; Thomas J. Kim; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; James J. Moloney; Julia Lapitskaya; Aaron K. Briggs Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

As many companies prepare their quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, we offer the following observations and reminders regarding new disclosure requirements taking effect for this reporting period, as well as risk factor considerations that may be relevant to upcoming Form 10-Q reporting. For convenience, this publication also includes a summary of certain upcoming compliance dates for public companies.

Data Verification Period for New ISS Environmental & Social Disclosure QualityScore Questions Open from July 10 until July 21, 2023; Companies Should Log On Soon and Validate Their Information

July 11, 2023 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Environmental/Climate Change; ESG; Human Capital Management

A data verification period for Institutional Shareholder Services’ (ISS) new Environmental & Social Disclosure Quality Score questions opened for companies on July 10, 2023 and will remain open until July 21, 2023. The data verification process reflects a comprehensive update to ISS’s Environmental & Social Disclosure QualityScore scoring methodology, which ISS previewed in April 2023 and elaborated on in a June 2023 announcement.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Now Available

July 10, 2023 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of July 2023. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public and private companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Available

April 11, 2023 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of April 2023. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Director Education Opportunities Available

January 5, 2023 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; Justine Robinson Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; IPOs

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of January 2023. A copy is available at this link. Boards of Directors of public companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Updated Summary of Select Director Education Opportunities Available

October 19, 2022 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; Hillary H. Holmes Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance

Gibson Dunn’s summary of director education opportunities has been updated as of October 2022 and is available
at this link. Boards of Directors of public companies find this a useful resource as they look for high quality education opportunities.

Now Available: SEC Desktop Calendar for 2023

July 20, 2022 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Peter Wardle; Justine Robinson; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Capital Markets; Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Financial Statements; IPOs; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Registered Securities Offerings; Registration Statements; Securities Regulation; Underwriters and Agents

To continue assisting US companies with planning for SEC reporting and capital markets transactions into 2023, we offer our annual SEC Desktop Calendar. This calendar provides both the filing deadlines for key SEC reports and the dates on which financial statements in prospectuses and proxy statements must be updated before use (a/k/a financial staleness deadlines).

SEC Proposes Rules on Cybersecurity Disclosure

March 11, 2022 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Thomas J. Kim; Julia Lapitskaya Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

On March 9, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) held a virtual open meeting where it considered a rule proposal for new cybersecurity disclosure requirements for public companies, primarily consisting of: (i) current reporting of material cybersecurity incidents and (ii) periodic reporting of material updates to cybersecurity incidents, the company’s cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance practices, and the board of directors’ cybersecurity expertise, if any.

SEC Proposes Rules on Insider Trading, Rule 10b5-1 and Share Repurchases

December 23, 2021 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Andrew L. Fabens; James J. Moloney; Lori Zyskowski; Thomas J. Kim; Brian J. Lane; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Capital Markets; Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

On December 15, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC” or “Commission”) held a virtual open meeting where it considered four rule proposals, including two that are particularly pertinent to all public companies: (i) amendments regarding Rule 10b5-1 insider trading plans and related disclosures and (ii) new share repurchase disclosures rules.

ISS Proposes and Opens Comment on Draft 2022 Voting Policy Updates

November 9, 2021 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; ESG; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings

Yesterday, the proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) proposed and published for comment voting policy changes for the 2022 proxy season. There are five proposed updates that would apply to U.S. companies, including two related to “Say on Climate” proposals and a third related to climate issues.

Now Available: SEC Desktop Calendar for 2022

September 30, 2021 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Peter Wardle; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Capital Markets; Disclosure; IPOs; M&A; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Registration Statements; Securities Regulation

To continue assisting US companies with planning for SEC reporting and capital markets transactions into 2022, we offer our annual SEC Desktop Calendar. This calendar provides both the filing deadlines for key SEC reports and the dates on which financial statements in prospectuses and proxy statements must be updated before use (a/k/a financial staleness deadlines).

SEC Staff Scrutiny of Climate Change Disclosures Has Arrived: What to Expect And How to Respond

September 19, 2021 | Posted by Andrew L. Fabens; Brian J. Lane; Elizabeth A. Ising; James J. Moloney; Lori Zyskowski; Michael A. Titera; Thomas J. Kim; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Disclosure; Environmental/Climate Change; ESG; Securities Regulation

Recently, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance has issued a number of comment letters relating exclusively to climate-change disclosure issues. The letters we have seen to date comment on companies’ most recent Form 10-K filings, including those of calendar year companies who filed their Form 10-K more than 6 months ago, and have been issued by a variety of the Division’s industry review groups, including to companies that are not in particularly carbon-intensive industries. Many of the climate change comments appear to be drawn from the topics and considerations raised in the SEC’s 2010 guidance on climate change disclosure, as reflected in the sample comments that we have attached in the annex to this alert. We expect this is part of a larger Division initiative because the letters are similar (although not identical), contain relatively generic comments, and have been issued in close proximity to one another. Accordingly, it is reasonable to expect that additional comment letters will be issued in the coming weeks and months.

What Can We Expect from the SEC with COP26 Around the Corner?

August 23, 2021 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; ESG; Securities Regulation

Climate change matters and related calls for regulation are in headlines daily. On August 9, 2021, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published the first major international assessment of climate-change research since 2013. The IPCC report will inform negotiations at the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, beginning on October 31, 2021 in Glasgow.

New York Stock Exchange Further Amends Related Party Transaction Approval Rules

August 23, 2021 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller; Cassandra L. Tillinghast; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance

On August 19, 2021, the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) proposed an amendment to Section 314.00 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual (the “NYSE Manual”), the NYSE’s related party transaction approval rule. The proposal follows the NYSE’s recent amendments to Section 314.00, approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC“) on April 2, 2021, which had amended the rules to, among other things, require “reasonable prior review and oversight” of related party transactions and had defined related party transactions (for companies other than foreign private issuers) to be those subject to Item 404 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K, but “without applying the transaction threshold of that provision.” For foreign private issuers, the previous amendments had defined related party transactions to be those subject to disclosure under Form 20-F, but “without regard to the materiality threshold of that provision.” As a result of those amendments, NYSE-listed companies were faced with the prospect of potentially presenting immaterial transactions, or transactions in which related parties’ interests were immaterial, before their independent directors for approval.

SEC Chair Lays Out a Climate- and ESG-Oriented Agenda and Calls for Comments on Mandatory Climate-Related Disclosure Rules

March 16, 2021 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Hillary H. Holmes; James J. Moloney; Ronald O. Mueller; Thomas J. Kim; Lori Zyskowski; Michael Scanlon Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Disclosure; Securities Regulation

On March 15, 2021, the Acting Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Allison Herren Lee, gave a speech entitled “A Climate for Change: Meeting Investor Demand for Climate and ESG Information at the SEC,”[1] in which she sets forth a near-term regulatory agenda for the SEC that centers on climate and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topics. On the same day, she also jump-started the regulatory process toward adopting potentially extensive new disclosure requirements for public companies on climate-change matters by issuing a request for comments on 15 broad issues.[2]

Summary Chart and Comparative Blackline Reflecting Recent Amendments to MD&A Requirements Now Available

December 11, 2020 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Michael A. Titera; Ronald O. Mueller; Andrew L. Fabens Topic(s): Audit Committee; Disclosure; Financial Statements; Registration Statements

On November 19, 2020, the SEC announced that it had adopted amendments to Item 301 (“Selected Financial Data"), Item 302 (“Supplementary Financial Information") and Item 303 (“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations") of Regulation S-K. This article provides (1) a high level summary of the amendments, effective dates and Commissioners’ views, (2) a detailed description of the amendments in tabular format, and (3) a blackline comparison of the changes to Item 302(a) and Item 303 of Reg S-K.

ISS Proposes and Opens Comment on Draft 2021 Voting Policy Updates

October 19, 2020 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Miscellaneous; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings

Last week, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS") proposed and published for comment voting policy changes for the 2021 proxy season. These include three proposed updates that would apply to U.S. companies.

SEC Chairman and Division of Corporation Finance Director Issue Joint Statement on COVID-19 Disclosures

April 13, 2020 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller; Brian J. Lane; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Securities Regulation

On April 8, 2020, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chairman Jay Clayton and Division of Corporation Finance Director Bill Hinman issued a joint statement, available here (the “Statement”) stressing the importance of COVID-19 disclosures (particularly forward-looking disclosures), and urging companies to provide as much information as is practicable regarding their current financial and operational status, as well as operational and financial planning. The Statement notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the global economic landscape and that the SEC recognizes that workers and businesses are facing profound challenges.

ISS Provides Policy Guidance in Light of COVID-19 Pandemic

April 9, 2020 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings

On April 8, 2020, Institutional Shareholders Services (“ISS") released guidance regarding the application of its policies amid the COVID-19 pandemic (available here). In the guidance, ISS discusses various governance issues in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and states that it will be flexible in its application of its policies, while requiring disclosure of the rationale for certain actions that companies may take. The following are four main topics covered in the guidance for companies in the United States:

SEC Extends Conditional Exemptions From Reporting and Proxy Delivery Requirements for Public Companies Affected By COVID-19 For Reports due on or before July 1, 2020 4/1/2020

April 1, 2020 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; Miscellaneous; Securities Regulation

On March 25, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission") announced (available here) that it is providing a 45-day extension for companies to file certain disclosure reports that would otherwise have been due on or before July 1, 2020 (Order available here). This is an extension of the conditional reporting relief covered by the Commission’s relief (Original Order available here) for certain public company filing obligations under the federal securities laws, issued on March 4, 2020 (as previously discussed in our post here, and updated here), to companies impacted by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (“COVID-19"). In addition, the Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division") issued on March 25, 2020 its current views regarding disclosure considerations and other securities law matters related to COVID-19 (available here).

Division of Corporation Finance Unveils Further Details on Its Process for Responding to Shareholder Proposal No-Action Requests

November 24, 2019 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Shareholder Proposals

On November 21, 2019, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Division" or “Staff") of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC") provided additional detail on how it will process responses to shareholder proposal no-action requests under Rule 14a-8. As discussed in our prior posts, available here and here, in September 2019 the Division announced that, starting with the 2019-2020 shareholder proposal season, it may respond orally instead of in writing to some no-action requests, and in some cases its response may indicate that it is declining to state a view on whether a proposal satisfies the requirements of Rule 14a-8 or is properly excludable.

SEC Issues New Guidance for Proxy Advisors and Investment Advisers Engaged in the Proxy Voting Process

August 23, 2019 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; James J. Moloney; Ronald O. Mueller; Brian J. Lane; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Investment Act/Investment Advisors Act; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

On August 21, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) issued two releases (the Releases) regarding two elements of the proxy voting process that are influenced by proxy advisory firms: proxy voting advice issued by proxy advisors (available here) and proxy voting by investment advisers who use that proxy voting advice (availablehere). The guidance, in the words of Commissioner Elad L. Roisman, “reiterate[s] longstanding Commission rules and positions that remain applicable and very relevant in today’s marketplace."

Desktop Calendar of SEC Deadlines for 2020 Now Available

August 21, 2019 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Andrew L. Fabens; Peter Wardle; Stewart McDowell; James J. Moloney; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance; Miscellaneous; Securities Regulation

This is a smart time of year to confirm plans for SEC reporting and capital markets transactions in 2020. To assist public companies in keeping track of the various filing deadlines, we have prepared a desktop reference calendar that sets forth filing deadlines for many SEC reports. To assist companies with planning capital markets transactions, including IPOs, our calendar also provides the staleness dates (i.e., the last date financial statements may be used in a prospectus or proxy statement without being updated).

SEC August 21 Open Meeting To Address Issues Related To Proxy Advisory Firms

August 13, 2019 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Michael A. Titera; Aaron K. Briggs Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation; Shareholder Proposals

The SEC announced that it will hold an open meeting on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 10:00 AM eastern time. There are two matters on the agenda, available here, which, although not specifically referring to proxy advisory firms, appear to address reliance on voting recommendations issued by such firms, and the conditions such firms must satisfy to rely on an exemption from the proxy rules.

SEC Tweaks Revised Form 8-K and 10-Q Cover Pages

May 14, 2019 | Posted by Michael A. Titera; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Securities Regulation

As a result of amendments adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 20, 2019 (available here, and discussed in our client alert available here), several SEC form cover pages were changed, effective May 2, 2019, including: Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, Form 8-K, Form 20-F, and Form 40-F.

Developments on Public Company Disclosures Regarding Board and Executive Diversity

February 8, 2019 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

On February 6, 2019, the staff (Staff) of the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued two new identical Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (C&DIs). The C&DIs address disclosure that the Staff expects public companies to include in their proxy statements and other SEC filings regarding “self-identified diversity characteristics" with respect to their directors and director nominees. In addition, legislation was introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate that would require public companies to annually disclose the gender, race, ethnicity and veteran status of their directors, director nominees, and senior executive officers.

Commonsense Principles 2.0 Released

October 24, 2018 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Access; Shareholder Proposals

On October 18, 2018, the Commonsense Principles 2.0 (the “Principles 2.0") were released. They are an update to the Commonsense Principles of Corporate Governance (the “Previous Principles") developed in 2016 by a group of 13 business and investment leaders, including representatives of Berkshire Hathaway, BlackRock and State Street and the chief executive officers of several large public companies, available here, and discussed in a previous client alert.

California Requires Public Companies Headquartered in California to Have Minimum Number of Women Directors on Board

October 3, 2018 | Posted by Stewart McDowell; Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Corporate Governance

On September 30, 2018, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 826 into law (effective January 1, 2019), requiring a minimum number of female directors on the boards of publicly traded corporations with principal executive offices in California. Under this new Section 301.3 to the California Corporation Code, the location of a corporation’s principal executive office will be determined by the corporations’ Annual Report on Form 10-K, and publicly traded corporation means any “corporation with outstanding shares listed on a major United States stock exchange."

SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance Issues Guidance Regarding the Voluntary Filing of Notices of Exempt Solicitation under Exchange Act Rule 14a-6(g)

August 1, 2018 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Shareholder Proposals

As we first noted in our March 2018 blog post, available here, and further discussed in our July 2018 client alert discussing shareholder proposals submitted to public companies during the 2018 proxy season, available here, both institutional and individual investors increasingly have used Notices of Exempt Solicitations under Exchange Act Rule 14a-6(g) as a means of publicizing shareholder proposals or addressing other matters being voted on at annual meetings. Rule 14a-6(g) requires a person who owns more than $5 million of a company’s stock and who conducts an exempt solicitation of the company’s shareholders (in which the person does not seek to have proxies granted to them) to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission") all written materials used in the solicitation.

The SEC’s Proposed Transaction Fee Pilot for US Equity Securities

June 8, 2018 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Brian J. Lane; James J. Moloney Topic(s): Miscellaneous; Securities Regulation

In March 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a proposed rule, Rule 610T of Regulation NMS (the “Proposal”), which would create a Transaction Fee Pilot for National Market System (“NMS”) stocks (the “Pilot”). The Pilot recently received renewed attention as a result of an email sent by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) to listed issuers expressing concerns the NYSE has regarding the Pilot.

SEC Corp Fin Staff Releases New Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations on Proxy Rules and Schedules 14A/14C

May 15, 2018 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Aaron K. Briggs Topic(s): Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

On May 11, the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) released new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs”) regarding the proxy rules and Schedules 14A and 14C. These C&DIs replace the Staff’s previous interpretations published in the Proxy Rules and Schedule 14A Manual of Publicly Available Telephone Interpretations and the March 1999 Supplement to the Manual of Publicly Available Telephone Interpretations (collectively, the “Telephone Interpretations”).

Technical Points To Remember When Preparing Your Form 10-K

January 12, 2018 | Posted by James J. Moloney; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation

With all of the substantive issues impacting disclosures in companies’ upcoming annual reports, there are a few technical points reporting companies should bear in mind when preparing their annual report. Note that some of these issues are easy to miss given that they are not yet reflected in the official PDF of Form 10-K.

PCAOB Offers Guidance To Auditors Regarding Implementation of FASB’s Revenue Recognition Standard

October 25, 2017 | Posted by Michael Scanlon; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) recently released Staff Audit Practice Alert No. 15 (the “Practice Alert”), titled “Matters Related to Auditing Revenue From Contracts With Customers.” The Practice Alert provides guidance for auditors related to the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s 2014 Accounting Standard Update titled “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (Topic 606) (the “Revenue Recognition Standard”), which goes into effect for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Practice Alert is available here, and the Revenue Recognition Standard is available here. While the Practice Alert is directed at auditors, it sheds light on what companies can expect from their independent auditors as companies prepare for and implement the new Revenue Recognition Standard. Given the importance of revenue as one of the most important measures that investors use to assess a company’s financial performance, we expect that there will be a keen focus on implementation of this standard by independent auditors.

Securities and Exchange Commission Releases Public Statement on Cybersecurity

September 22, 2017 | Posted by Hillary H. Holmes; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Securities Regulation

On Wednesday, September 20, 2017, Chairman Jay Clayton of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) released a public statement addressing cybersecurity risks.

NYSE Delays Implementation of Rule Change on Dividend-Related Announcements

September 5, 2017 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation

As a follow-up to our prior blog, the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is delaying implementation of its rule change on notifications to the NYSE about announcements outside of market hours related to dividends or stock distributions. Companies should continue to comply with the current rule (summarized here) and follow their existing practices until the implementation date for the new rule, which will likely be in February 2018. The NYSE plans to provide companies with updated information prior to the date when they will be required to begin complying. As a result of the rule change, companies will have to notify the NYSE at least ten minutes in advance of an announcement related to a dividend or stock distribution made at any time, including outside market hours. Although the rule change was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on Monday, August 14 and took effect immediately, the NYSE staff has advised orally that it is delaying implementation of the rule change. The NYSE filed a proposal (available here) seeking SEC approval of the delay on August 22nd. According to the proposal, the NYSE plans to implement the rule change no later than February 1, 2018. The purpose of the delay is to allow listed companies time to change their internal procedures and to give the NYSE more time to put in place technology and processes to facilitate staff review of dividend notifications.

NYSE Rule Change on Dividend-Related Announcements Made Outside Market Hours Now Effective

August 16, 2017 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation

The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) has amended its rules on companies’ notifications to the NYSE about upcoming dividends. The rule changes were approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, August 14 and took effect immediately. The amended rules require companies that intend to make announcements outside market hours that involve dividends or stock distributions to notify the NYSE at least ten minutes before making the announcement. The NYSE has not made any changes to the requirements for announcements made during market hours. A blackline of the changes to the text of the Listed Company Manual is available here. A chart prepared by the NYSE in anticipation of the rule change comparing the requirements that will apply during and outside of market hours is available here. Under the NYSE’s policy on the immediate release of material news, found in Section 202.05 of the Listed Company Manual, NYSE companies must release quickly to the public any news or information that might reasonably be expected to materially affect trading in their securities. Under Section 202.06, which details the procedures for public release of information under this policy, a listed company must alert the NYSE at least ten minutes in advance when its intends to release news between the hours of 7:00 a.m. (eastern) and the close of trading on the NYSE (generally 4:00 p.m. eastern). Listed companies announcing dividend or stock distributions during these hours must comply with the immediate release policy. Accordingly, companies that publicly announce a dividend or distribution during market hours must call the NYSE’s Market Watch team, and email Market Watch a copy of the proposed announcement, at least ten minutes in advance of issuing the announcement. Companies must have NYSE approval before issuing a dividend or distribution announcement. As a result of the rule changes, companies will have to notify the NYSE at least ten minutes in advance of an announcement involving a dividend or stock distribution made at any time, rather than just during the hours when the immediate release policy is in effect. Companies providing this advance notification to the NYSE outside of the immediate release policy timeframe will not have to wait for NYSE approval before making their announcements. However, in filing the rule proposal, the NYSE stated that it intends to have staff available at all times to review dividend and stock distribution notices immediately upon receipt by the NYSE, “regardless of what time or day of the week they are provided.” NYSE staff will contact a listed company “immediately” if there is a problem with the notification. The NYSE “strongly encourages” companies to submit their dividend notifications through Listing Manager, the NYSE’s web portal. The rule changes do not alter other requirements relating to dividends and distributions, including: (1) the requirement in Section 204.12 that companies give notice to the NYSE promptly, and at least ten days in advance of the record date, of any action relating to a dividend or stock distribution, including notice of the omission or postponement of a dividend action at the customary time, and declaration of a dividend; and (2) the requirement in Section 204.21 that companies give prompt notice to the NYSE of the fixing of a record date for dividends and stock distributions. According to the NYSE, the purpose of the rule changes is to enable NYSE staff to work with listed companies in addressing any issues that may arise in relation to announcements involving dividends or stock distributions. Among other things, the NYSE will be able to confirm that a company’s proposed dividend schedule complies with NYSE requirements, and that the company’s disclosure about application of the NYSE’s ex-dividend trading policy is accurate. The ex-dividend date is the last date on which a buyer can purchase a company’s stock and still be entitled to receive a dividend that has already been declared. As a reminder, with the upcoming transition from a T+3 to T+2 settlement cycle, which will occur on September 5, 2017, the NYSE has announced that no securities will be ex-dividend on September 5, 2017 to avoid confusion about the proper time frame for settlement. The change to T+2 will also shorten the time period for which transactions in stocks will be ex-dividend to the business day before the record date for the dividend (from two business days before the record date).

Changes Coming to Governance Provisions of New York Nonprofit Law

May 22, 2017 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Audit Committee; Corporate Governance

Amendments to New York’s Not-For-Profit Corporation Law are set to take effect on May 27. The amendments impact several provisions of The New York Nonprofit Revitalization Act (“NRA”), which imposed substantial governance requirements on nonprofits when it took effect in 2014. The amendments build greater flexibility into aspects of the NRA that were viewed as overly broad or prescriptive. Key elements of the amendments are summarized below. A redline showing the changes to the statutory language is available here. Nonprofits incorporated in New York, and other nonprofits that may be subject to the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law due to their activities, should take note of the amendments and consider whether changes to their governance practices and documents are appropriate. 1. Related party transactions. The NRA provides for enhanced board oversight of related party transactions. The amendments explicitly permit an authorized committee of the board to review and approve related party transactions, as an alternative to full board approval. They also codify exceptions to the definition of “related party transaction” that are based on guidance previously issued by the Charities Bureau of the New York Attorney General’s office (available here). These exceptions mean that immaterial or ordinary course transactions are no longer subject to the board/committee approval procedures under the NRA. Specifically, the exceptions cover: (a) transactions that are themselves “de minimis” or where the related party’s financial interest is de minimis, with the judgment of what is de minimis to be left to individual nonprofits based on factors such as size and budget; (b) transactions that “would not customarily be reviewed” by the board at “similar organizations in the ordinary course of business” and that are available to others on the same or similar terms; and (c) transactions where a related party receives a benefit as a result of being a member of a class that benefits from the nonprofit’s work, where the benefit is available to all similarly situated members of the class on the same terms. The amendments also create a defense to actions brought by the New York Attorney General challenging related party transactions. The defense allows nonprofits to take steps to ratify transactions that were not approved in accordance with the procedures in the NRA, and to enhance their mechanisms for complying with these procedures in the future, in order to limit the possibility of adverse actions against nonprofits for inadvertent or insignificant violations of the related party provisions. 2. Audit committee independence requirements. The amendments modify the definition of “independent director,” which applies to directors serving on the audit committee, by amending the standard on business relationships between a nonprofit and entities where directors (or their relatives) have relationships. Currently, this standard prohibits a director from being independent if the director is an employee of, or has a substantial financial interest in, an entity that does business with the nonprofit, if the amount of business exceeded the lesser of $25K or 2% of the other entity’s consolidated gross revenues in any of the last three fiscal years. The amendments provide tiered thresholds that are tied to the revenues of the other entity, as follows:

SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance Suspends Enforcement of Certain Conflicts Minerals Requirements

April 9, 2017 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; James J. Moloney; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Dodd Frank; Securities Regulation

It has been an eventful week for those following the conflict minerals rules in the news. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued final judgment in the long-running conflicts minerals litigation (detailed here) and, following a statement by Acting Chairman Piwowar, the Division of Corporation Finance has issued a blanket statement that it will not recommend enforcement of some of the most burdensome requirements of the rules (available here).

Acting SEC Chair Piwowar Directs Staff to Reconsider Conflict Minerals Rule

February 1, 2017 | Posted by James J. Moloney; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Dodd Frank; Securities Regulation

On January 31, 2017, the SEC’s Acting Chairman, Michael Piwowar, issued a public statement (available here) that he has directed the Commission’s Staff to reconsider whether the Staff’s prior guidance on conflict minerals disclosures (previously published in April 2014 and available here) is still appropriate and evaluate whether additional relief may be appropriate.

SEC Staff Grants No-Action Request Concurring with Exclusion of Shareholder Proposal On Virtual-Only Annual Meetings

January 4, 2017 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Shareholder Proposals

In recent years, an increasing number of companies have opted to hold annual shareholder meetings exclusively online. These annual meetings are commonly referred to as “virtual-only annual meetings”. In a decision critical for companies that currently hold or are contemplating switching to virtual-only annual meetings, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC Staff”) recently issued a no-action letter permitting a company to exclude a shareholder proposal that objected to virtual-only annual meetings. Specifically, the shareholder proposal requested that the company’s board adopt a policy to initiate or restore in-person annual meetings. The SEC Staff concurred that the proposal could be excluded under Rule 14a-8(i)(7) on the grounds that the decision whether to hold in-person annual meetings is related to the company’s ordinary business operations because the proposal “relates to the determination of whether to hold annual meetings in person.” The SEC Staff’s decision is not yet available on the SEC’s website.

First-Come, First-Served: Enrollment Opens for Glass Lewis 2017 Issuer Data Report Program

November 18, 2016 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Elizabeth A. Ising Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings

On November 17, Glass Lewis announced that it has opened enrollment for its 2017 Issuer Data Report (IDR) program. The IDR program enables public companies to access (for free!) a data-only version of the Glass Lewis Proxy Paper report prior to Glass Lewis completing its analysis and recommendations relating to public company annual shareholders meetings. Glass Lewis does not provide drafts of its voting recommendations report to issuers it reviews, so the IDR is the only way for issuers to confirm the accuracy of the data before Glass Lewis’ voting recommendations are distributed to its clients. Moreover, unlike Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), Glass Lewis does not provide each issuer with complimentary access to the final voting recommendations for its annual shareholders meeting. IDRs feature key data points used in Glass Lewis’ corporate governance analysis, such as information on directors, auditors and their fees, summary compensation data and equity plans, among others. The IDR is not a preview of the final Glass Lewis analysis as no voting recommendations are included. Each participating public company receives its IDR approximately three weeks prior to its annual shareholders meeting and generally has 48 hours to review the IDR for accuracy and provide corrections, including supporting public documents, to Glass Lewis. Participation is limited to a specified number of companies, and enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment closes on January 6, 2017, or as soon as the annual limit is reached. To learn more about the IDR program and sign up to receive a copy of the 2017 IDR for your company, go to https://www.meetyl.com/issuer_data_report.

Shareholder Nominates First Proxy Access Nominee

November 10, 2016 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski; James J. Moloney Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Access

In what appears to be the first use of a company’s proxy access bylaw, GAMCO Asset Management filed today a Schedule 13D/A (available here ) and a Schedule 14N (available here ) announcing that it has used the proxy access bylaw at National Fuel Gas (NFG) to nominate a director candidate for election at NFG’s 2017 Annual Meeting. According to the 13D/A, GAMCO and its affiliates beneficially own in the aggregate approximately 7.81% of NFG’s Common Stock and yesterday delivered a letter to NFG nominating Lance A. Bakrow to the Board of Directors. NFG described itself in its most recent Form 10-K as “a diversified energy company engaged principally in the production, gathering, transportation, distribution and marketing of natural gas.” According to the Schedule 13D/A, Mr. Bakrow is the “co-founder and a director of Greenwich Energy Solutions, a private company that provides independent energy solutions in the northeastern United States.” NFG’s Proxy Access Bylaw

New SEC Staff C&DI Permits Website Posting of Annual Reports in Lieu of Filing Hard Copies with SEC

November 3, 2016 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

A new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation (C&DI) affords companies relief from the requirement to file seven hard copies of the annual report to shareholders with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under the C&DI, which was issued yesterday, companies may now satisfy this requirement by posting the annual report on their corporate websites, as long as it remains available on the site for one year. The C&DI is available here and excerpted below.

ISS Data Verification Period Open Until November 11 for New ISS QualityScore

October 31, 2016 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance

ISS Data Verification Period Open Until November 11 for New ISS QualityScore

Today proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (“ISS”) opened the data verification period for its corporate governance rating system, which was formerly known as QuickScore. ISS also announced that it has revised and rebranded the rating system, which will now be referred to as QualityScore. QualityScore is the successor to ISS’s QuickScore, which in turn succeeded ISS’s Governance Risk Indicators (“GRId”) and Corporate Governance Quotient (“CGQ”) benchmarking tools.

ISS Releases Survey for 2017 Policy Updates

August 2, 2016 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Say on Pay

Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) today launched its annual global policy survey. Each year, ISS solicits comments in connection with the review of its proxy voting policies. At the end of this process, in November 2016, ISS will announce its updated proxy voting policies applicable to 2017 shareholders’ meetings. ISS will publish the results from the policy survey and use them to inform its voting policy review. The survey includes questions on several governance and compensation matters relevant to U.S. companies, as follows:

NASDAQ Proposes Disclosure of Third-Party Compensation for Directors and Nominees

April 11, 2016 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Miscellaneous; Proxy Statements and Annual Meetings; Securities Regulation

NASDAQ has proposed changes to its listing standards to require disclosure of third-party compensation arrangements for directors and nominees. After withdrawing an initial proposal on this subject, NASDAQ has revised the proposal, and it has been published in the Federal Register for public comment. Comments are due on or before April 26, 2016. The proposal is available here, and a redline showing proposed changes to the rule text begins on page 21 of the document. Under amendments NASDAQ is proposing to Rule 5250(b), NASDAQ companies would have to disclose all agreements and arrangements between any director, or director nominee, and any third party that provide for compensation or other payments in connection with the individual’s candidacy or service as a director. The proposed rule would be construed broadly to apply to both compensation and other forms of payment, such as health insurance. The disclosure requirement would not apply to reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with serving as a nominee. The proposal also addresses the following aspects of the proposed disclosure requirement:

New SEC Staff Guidance on Describing Shareholder Proposals on Proxy Cards

March 23, 2016 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; James J. Moloney; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Securities Regulation

On March 22, 2016, the Division of Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Staff”) issued a new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretation (C&DI) regarding how Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals should be described on issuer proxy cards in compliance with Rule 14a-4(a)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This C&DI was issued in response to complaints the Staff received from shareholder proponents about the lack of specificity on some companies’ proxy cards.

Mark Your Calendars – Pending Deadlines for Submitting Updated Company Peer Group Information to ISS and Equilar/Glass Lewis

November 20, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Compensation Committee; Executive Compensation; Say on Pay

Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) has announced that companies can provide it with updated information as to the company-selected compensation benchmarking peer group, beginning at 9 am EST on Tuesday, November 24, 2015. In addition, Equilar Inc.’s (“Equilar”) company-selected peer group update portal opened earlier this week. Since July 2012, Glass Lewis & Co., LLC (“Glass Lewis”) has been using peer groups generated by Equilar in its pay-for-performance analysis.

SEC Staff Reverses Longstanding Precedent on Exclusion of Conflicting Shareholder Proposals Rule; Affirms Business as Usual on Ordinary Business Rule

October 26, 2015 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Access

On October 22, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s ("SEC" or "Commission") Division of Corporation Finance (the "Division") issued Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14H ("SLB 14H"), setting forth a dramatically different standard for when it will concur that a shareholder proposal that conflicts with a company proposal can be excluded from the company’s proxy statement under Rule 14a-8(i)(9). The Division also reaffirmed its views on the application of the "ordinary business" standard in Rule 14a-8(i)(7). SLB 14H is available here.

ISS Opens Comment Period for Draft 2016 Proxy Voting Policy Updates

October 26, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller; James J. Moloney Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Say on Pay; Securities Regulation

Today Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) proposed for comment three changes to its 2016 U.S. proxy voting policies. Comments on the proposed changes can be submitted via e‑mail to policy@issgovernance.com by 6 p.m. ET on November 9, 2015. ISS will take the comments into account as part of its policy review and expects to release its final 2016 U.S. policy updates on November 18, 2015. We note that ISS’s final 2016 proxy voting policies, which will apply to shareholder meetings held on or after February 1, 2016, likely will reflect additional changes beyond these on which ISS has solicited comments.

NYSE Amends Rule on Release of Material News

September 10, 2015 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; Andrew L. Fabens Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Securities Regulation

The New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) has amended its rule on release of material news to the public, effective September 26, 2015. Most importantly, the amendments extend the pre-market hours during which companies must give notice to the NYSE before announcing material news, so that companies will have to notify the NYSE in connection with any announcements made at or after 7:00 a.m. Eastern time. The amendments also provide guidance about the release of material news after the close of trading, update the acceptable methods for releasing material news, and give the NYSE additional authority to halt trading in specific situations.

Massachusetts District Court Orders the SEC to Issue Final Resource Extraction Rule

September 4, 2015 | Posted by Brian J. Lane; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; James J. Moloney Topic(s): Dodd Frank; Securities Regulation

On September 2, 2015, following a briefing by Oxfam America, Inc. (“Oxfam”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC” or the “Commission”), the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted Oxfam’s motion for summary judgment and ordered the SEC to file with the Court within 30 days “an expedited schedule for promulgating the final [resource extraction] rule.

D.C. Circuit Issues Conflict Minerals Decision, but Uncertainty Remains

August 21, 2015 | Posted by Lori Zyskowski; James J. Moloney; Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Dodd Frank; Securities Regulation

On August 18, 2015, following a panel rehearing, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion affirming its April 2014 decision in National Association of Manufacturers, et al. v. SEC, et al. (“NAM”) that the conflict minerals disclosure rule violates the First Amendment to the extent it requires companies to report that any of their products have “not been found to be ‘DRC conflict free.’” The NAM panel had granted a petition for rehearing in light of a July 2014 ruling in American Meat Institute v. U.S. Department of Agriculture (“AMI”), in which an en banc panel of the D.C. Circuit upheld the constitutionality of compelled speech in the form of Department of Agriculture rules requiring country-of-origin labeling for meat products and raised issues regarding the standard of review to be applied by the court in reviewing the First Amendment challenge in NAM. Because the opinion also addressed the appropriate standard of review to be applied by courts in reviewing compelled speech in the regulatory arena, the NAM panel saw fit to reconsider its decision in light of AMI.

Council of Institutional Investors Announces Its Views on Proxy Access Best Practices

August 5, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Dodd Frank; Proxy Access

Today the Council of Institutional Investors (“CII”), a nonprofit association of corporate, public and union employee benefit funds and endowments that seeks to promote effective corporate governance practices for U.S. companies and strong shareholder rights and protections, published a report titled “Proxy Access: Best Practices” that describes CII’s views on seven provisions that companies typically address when implementing proxy access. The CII report is available here.

ISS Releases Survey for 2016 Policy Updates

August 4, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Executive Compensation; Proxy Access

SEC Proposes Rules Regarding Clawbacks

July 1, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski; Ronald O. Mueller Topic(s): Compensation Committee; Corporate Governance; Dodd Frank; Executive Compensation

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) today voted, 3-2, to issue proposed rules implementing the mandate in Section 954 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) that the SEC require national securities exchanges and associations to adopt a listing standard that requires listed companies to adopt and enforce a clawback policy.

ISS Issues Guidance on Proxy Access Voting Policy and Other Key Policies

February 19, 2015 | Posted by Ronald O. Mueller; Elizabeth A. Ising; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Access

On February 19, 2015, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) issued FAQs (available here) clarifying its policy on proxy access proposals as well as other key issues, including omission of shareholder proposals from company proxy materials in the absence of no-action relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) staff, exclusive forum bylaws, and other bylaw amendments adopted without shareholder approval. 1. Proxy Access. Under the approach announced in the FAQs, ISS generally will support both shareholder and company proposals that provide for proxy access with the following features:

SEC Ceases To Issue No-Action Letters on Conflicting Shareholder Proposals

January 16, 2015 | Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising; Ronald O. Mueller; Lori Zyskowski Topic(s): Corporate Governance; Proxy Access

Today the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) staff announced that it will no longer express views on the application of Rule 14a-8(i)(9), one of the bases for excluding shareholder proposals from company proxy materials, during the current proxy season. The staff’s announcement is a result of today’s announcement by SEC Chair Mary Jo White that she has directed the staff of Division of Corporation Finance to review the rule and report to the Commission on its review.