Crown image Columbia Law School
Home About Contact Subscribe RSS Email Twitter
Previous Next

  • John C. Coffee, Jr.: Event Contracts and Prediction Markets Comment bubble 3 By John C. Coffee, Jr.
  • Leveraging Information Forcing in Good Faith By Hillary Sale
  • The Dark Side of Safe Harbors Comment bubble 2 By Susan C. Morse
  • John C. Coffee, Jr. – Mass Torts and Corporate Strategies: What Will the Courts Allow? By John C. Coffee, Jr.
  • Compliance’s Next Challenge: Polarization By Miriam H. Baer
  • Will the Common Good Guys Come to the Shootout in SEC v. Jarkesy? And Why It Matters By Eric W. Orts
  • Climate Disclosure Line-Drawing and Securities Regulation By Virginia Harper Ho
  • Board Committee Charters and ESG Accountability By Lisa M. Fairfax
Editor-At-Large Reynolds Holding

The CLS Blue Lion logo Sky Blog

Crown image

Columbia Law School's Blog on Corporations and the Capital Markets

Editorial Board John C. Coffee, Jr. Edward F. Greene Kathryn Judge

Menu

Skip to content
  • Our Contributors
  • Corporate Governance
  • Finance & Economics
  • M & A
  • Securities Regulation
  • Dodd-Frank
  • International Developments
  • Library & Archives

Michael R. Levin

Should Investors Care What Executives Think of Boards of Directors?

By Michael R. Levin July 16, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

Each year numerous surveys, reports, and analyses assess boards of directors, or BoDs. One from PwC landed about the same time as another from SquareWell Partners in the past couple of months, inviting a comparison.

PwC has surveyed CEOs and …

It’s Not That Investors Oppose Anti-ESG Proposals…

By Michael R. Levin July 3, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

The “anti-ESG” proposal arose somewhat recently, becoming more common within the past five or so years. Similar in spirit to ESG proposals, but their opposite. Like their conventional counterpart, they request a company consider or study or write a report

…

The Activist Investor Discusses “Voting No” on Directors

By Michael R. Levin February 13, 2025 by Michael R. Levin

Let’s say upfront: voting “no” or withholding votes on directors is a relatively weak way to influence a portfolio company. We’re stubborn, so we prefer electing directors or amending bylaws. Binding acts work much better than non-binding, like opposing exec …

Everything Is Rational Apathy

By Michael R. Levin December 19, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Rational apathy stands at the center of current and long-time developments and debates in corporate governance and activism. Dominance of index funds in share ownership, prevalence of proxy advisers, pass-through voting programs, trading proxy votes on an exchange, and the …

How Tesla Pumped the Vote

By Michael R. Levin July 1, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Tesla confronted an enormous challenge in winning support for the two controversial proposals at the 2024 Tesla annual meeting: to ratify CEO Elon Musk’s 2018 pay plan and to redomicile from Delaware to Texas. We thought it would take an …

1 Comment  

Who Re-Classifies a Board of Directors?

By Michael R. Levin June 5, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Classified boards of directors (BoD) remain one of the sorest of sore spots about portfolio companies. Investors complain about them endlessly. Proxy advisors loathe them. Shareholder proposals to de-classify tend to succeed.

Sure, many new IPOs and de-SPAC companies start …

How to Buy Shareholder Votes

By Michael R. Levin April 23, 2024 by Michael R. Levin

Scholars who study activism have researched the value of a shareholder vote for decades. A very small number of activists have attempted to apply that research to actual proxy contests and other AGM matters. The subject was confined to academics …

Shareholders (and ISS) Won Big With Universal Proxy Card in 2023

By Michael R. Levin August 23, 2023 by Michael R. Levin

Now that proxy season has wrapped up, we thought we’d look back at the experience with universal proxy card (UPC). Overall, shareholders expressed their preferences in BoD elections with precision. Proxy advisors, in particular ISS, saw their recommendations win in

…

Does SEC Commissioner Want to Kill Shareholder Proposals?

By Michael R. Levin July 12, 2023 by Michael R. Levin

Based on his recent speech to the Society for Corporate Governance, it certainly seems as if SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda would welcome an end to shareholder proposals. He proposes ideas that would empower companies to limit severely how shareholders could …

The Second Universal Proxy Card Hits EDGAR

By Michael R. Levin October 26, 2022 by Michael R. Levin

Last month, the first universal proxy card (UPC) hit EDGAR under the new SEC rule. We now have another example, with some interesting tidbits for aficionados and proxy junkies, and also for anyone who seeks an edge in proxy contest …

Universal Proxy Cards and the 67 Percent Solution

By Michael R. Levin June 7, 2022 by Michael R. Levin

The upcoming Universal Proxy Card (UPC) presents activist investors with only one potentially significant new burden: solicit two-thirds of the shares in a proxy contest at a portfolio company. Everything else in the new rule, including the new proxy card …

TheFilter

Description

Each business day, our team sifts through blog posts, news stories, and other sources to keep up-to-date on relevant recent developments. The following links will take you to our recommended selections. To see the sources we follow click Filter Sources.

Filter Sources
Wall Street Journal
Hidden Deals Snared Dodgers Owner
August 18, 2026
Dealbook
Is Silicon Valley in DOJ’s Sights?
August 18, 2026
The Governance Beat
How AI Drives Institutional Investing
August 18, 2026
D&O Diary
Cybersecurity Flaws Prompt Securities Suit Against Israeli Firm
August 18, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Delaware Chancery Clarifies Implied Covenant’s Gap-Filling Role
August 18, 2026
Dealbook
Paramount Wants States to Shoulder Costs of Warner Deal Delay
August 17, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Delaware Chancery Finds for Lender in Breach of Contract Claim
August 17, 2026
Financial Times
Troubled Loans Strain Private Credit
August 17, 2026
Cleary Securities Watch
What ISS STOXX Survey Tells Us
August 17, 2026
CFIUS
New Matrix IDs Nat’l Security Risks
August 17, 2026
Bloomberg
Covert Oil Flows Keep Prices Down
August 16, 2026
Financial Times
Security Software Revives BlackBerry
August 16, 2026
D&O Diary
Pump-and-Dump Suits Proliferating
August 16, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Chancery Addresses Appraisal After SPAC Underwriter Reorganization
August 16, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
Delaware Contract Horror Stories
August 16, 2026
Wall Street Journal
The Jobless Boom Has Arrived
August 13, 2026
Bloomberg
Court OKs Pied-a-Terre Tax for Now
August 13, 2026
Financial Times
DOJ Retreats from White Collar Crime, Targets Taxpayer Theft
August 13, 2026
D&O Diary
UK Boards Have AI Blind Spot
August 13, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Chancery Denies Motion to Dismiss Due to MFW “Ab Initio” Failure
August 13, 2026
Dealbook
Will Paramount Brinkmanship Work?
August 12, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
What Does AI Miss in Legal Disputes?
August 12, 2026
The Governance Beat
DOJ Antitrust Eyeing ISS, Glass Lewis?
August 12, 2026
Financial Times
Nelson Peltz Readies Wendy’s Bid
August 12, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
CFIUS Releases 2025 Annual Report
August 12, 2026
New York Times
Ari Emanuel to Buy Broadway Theaters
August 11, 2026
The Governance Beat
Texas Stock Exchange Proposes to Overhaul Broker Voting Discretion
August 11, 2026
Cleary Securities Watch
FCA Eases UK IPO Research Rules
August 11, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Delaware Chancery Nixes Derivative Challenge to Insider Financing
August 11, 2026
Corporate & Securities Law Blog
California-Based Delaware Corp Subject to California Rule on Inspections Despite Forum Selection Clause
August 11, 2026
Reuters
Social-Media Addiction Cases Get OK
August 10, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Zuckerberg Lays Out New AI Vision
August 10, 2026
The Governance Beat
In-House Counsel Speak on Using AI
August 10, 2026
Financial Times
Nvidia Aims for $500bn AI Financing
August 10, 2026
Cleary Securities Watch
SEC Turns to Financial Fraud With New Reporting and Accounting Unit
August 10, 2026
Dealbook
Who Wins in Trump AI Safety Plan
August 9, 2026
Truth on the Market
AI Policy Regulating the Wrong Thing
August 9, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Explains Why an LLC Not Purely a Creature of Contract
August 9, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Chancery Rules Plaintiff’s Reliance on Buyer’s Non-Contractual Reps OK
August 9, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
How PSLRA Affects Initial Complaints
August 9, 2026
Wall Street Journal
How FIFA PE Plan Nearly Broke Soccer
August 6, 2026
Bloomberg
Private Credit Firms Avert Worst Fears
August 6, 2026
The Governance Beat
Are Two Versions of a Proxy OK?
August 6, 2026
Financial Times
Biggest U.S. Law Firms Explore Selling Stakes to Private Equity
August 6, 2026
D&O Diary
Corporate Law Loophole Can Turbocharge Legal Fees and Expenses
August 6, 2026
Bloomberg
Google Shakes Up Its AI Leadership
August 5, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
DOJ Declination Telling About Priorities
August 5, 2026
Financial Times
JPMorgan Poaches BofA M&A Banker
August 5, 2026
D&O Diary
AI-Related Class Actions Piling Up
August 5, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Offers Faster Corporate Filings Services Than Texas
August 5, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Paramount-Warner Antitrust Trial Set
August 4, 2026
Reuters
Amazon Loses Court Ban on Perplexity’s AI Shopping Tools
August 4, 2026
Financial Times
Todd Blanche Poised to Become AG
August 4, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Awards Fees for Pre-Litigation Errant Conduct
August 4, 2026
Deal Lawyers.com
Delaware Chancery Reminds Drafters M&A Recitals Aren’t Binding
August 4, 2026
Bloomberg
Trump Slams Big Oil’s Big Profits
August 3, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Delaware Court Sustains Implied Covenant Claim in Earnout Dispute
August 3, 2026
Financial Times
UBS Money Laundering Rules Lax
August 3, 2026
D&O Diary
Dropbox DExit Draws Shareholder Suit
August 3, 2026
Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor
Chancery Rules Safe Harbor Shields Public Benefit Corp. Directors
August 3, 2026
Bloomberg
Trump’s Arctic Mining Deal Signals a New Era of State Capitalism
August 2, 2026
D&O Diary
Geopolitical Issues Spur Securities Suit
August 2, 2026
Financial Times
How Gibson Dunn Raided Wachtell
August 2, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
More Evidence That SPACs Are Back
August 2, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
How IPO Trends Look Midyear
August 2, 2026
Wall Street Journal
U.S. Weighs Foreign-Student Work Fee
July 30, 2026
New York Times
U.S. Economy Slows as Inflation Bites
July 30, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
Congress Mulls Cloud Export Controls
July 30, 2026
Financial Times
Europe Balks at $20 Bln Fifa Stake Sale
July 30, 2026
D&O Diary
AI-Related Securities Suit Hits Israeli Web Development Platform
July 30, 2026
Reuters
BAT Must Face Cigarette Label Suit
July 29, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Chancery Invalidates Officer-Manager Removal in the LLC Context
July 29, 2026
Financial Times
Former Goldman Exec Awarded Millions After Paternity Leave “Stigma”
July 29, 2026
Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny
Chancery Nixes Control-Group Claim
July 29, 2026
D&O Diary
Private Credit Fee Suits Pile Up
July 29, 2026
Bloomberg
Warner Bros. Deal Collapse Would Cost the Ellisons $9.8 Billion
July 28, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Delaware Chancery Nixes Adding Claims Three Business Days Before Trial
July 28, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
FCPA Case Stresses Mexican Cartels
July 28, 2026
Financial Times
Gibson Dunn Nabs Wachtell Co-Chair
July 28, 2026
D&O Diary
Delaware Mulls “AI Companies”
July 28, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Ford Joins Race for U.S. Army Truck
July 27, 2026
Financial Times
Trump Threatens EU tariffs in Retaliation for U.S. Tech Group Fines
July 27, 2026
D&O Diary
Pump-and-Dump Securities Suit Ups Market Manipulation Litigation Trend
July 27, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Chancery Nixes Prevention Doctrine Argument in Contract Breach Analysis
July 27, 2026
Cleary Antitrust Watch
EU Foreign Subsidies Regs Picking Up More Transactions Than Expected
July 27, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Sazerac Wants Another Shot at Jack Daniel’s Maker Brown-Forman
July 26, 2026
Delaware Business Litigation Report
Delaware Supreme Court Addresses Corporate Benefit from Tesla Director Compensation Settlement
July 26, 2026
D&O Diary
Securities Suit Filings, Settlement Numbers Rise in First Half 2026
July 26, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Delaware Chancery Addresses AI Hallucinations in Court Filings
July 26, 2026
Corporate & Securities Law Blog
Nasdaq OKs $5 Million Market Value Continued Listing Rule
July 26, 2026
Wall Street Journal
DOJ Asks Less, Speeds Deal Reviews
July 23, 2026
Cleary Securities Watch
SEC Offers E-Delivery as New Default for Proxies, Other Disclosures
July 23, 2026
CNBC
NJ Deli Fraudster Gets 21 Months
July 23, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Chancery Dives Deep Doctrinally Into Voidable v. Void Corporate Acts
July 23, 2026
WTW Blog
Reps and Warranties Insurers Zero In on Condition of Assets Risks
July 23, 2026
Bloomberg
EU Tentatively OKs Paramount-Warner
July 22, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Coinbase Sues, SEC Settles
July 22, 2026
Axios
Lawmaker Seeks SEC Probe of Truth Social’s Data-Access Monetizing
July 22, 2026
Law.com
Semi-Annual Reporting Hits a Wall
July 22, 2026
ABA Business Law Today
M&A Further Assurances Clauses May Be Stronger Than You Think
July 22, 2026
Wall Street Journal
Chinese AI Models Alarm U.S. Execs
July 21, 2026
Reuters
Boeing Asks U.S. to Intervene over Record EU Loan to Airbus
July 21, 2026
Bloomberg
Canada Defies Trump, Keeps Alcohol Ban
July 21, 2026
Freshfields' A Fresh Take
NJ Issues New Data Privacy Rules
July 21, 2026
Financial Times
Trump Prepares Fresh Tariff Barrage
July 21, 2026
Bloomberg
Judge Pauses Paramount-Warner Deal
July 20, 2026
Dealbook
U.S. AI Giants Face Fresh Tests
July 20, 2026
Financial Times
“Synthetic Insider” Attacks Raise Stakes for Corporate Cyber Defense
July 20, 2026
D&O Diary
Crypto D&O Risk Is Evolving
July 20, 2026
Delaware Corporate & Commercial Litigation Blog
Chancery Imposes Contempt Penalties for Non-Compliance With Injunction
July 20, 2026
Wall Street Journal
DOJ Pulls Back From Corporate Crime
July 19, 2026
Reuters
Apple Topples Nvidia as Most Valuable
July 19, 2026
Cleary Securities Watch
SEC Issues Guidance on Activist Fund Disclosure Under Schedule 13D, 14A
July 19, 2026
D&O Diary
Semi-Annual Reporting Gets Panned
July 19, 2026
Business Law Prof Blog
Trump Breaks Insider Trading Ground
July 19, 2026
Blog Roll Header
  • Business Law Prof Blog
  • Corporate & Securities Law Blog
  • DealLawyers
  • Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog
  • Gibson Dunn Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor
  • Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance
  • How Appealing
  • PubCo @ Cooley
  • Securities Docket
  • Sidley Enhanced Scrutiny Blog
  • The D&O Diary
  • Truth on the Market
  • White Collar Crime Prof Blog
The Blue Sky Blog is Sponsored by Columbia Law School's Center on Corporate Governance.
Blwag 100 badge
Crown image Columbia Law School
Home About Contact Subscribe or Manage Your Subscription RSS Email Twitter
© Copyright 2026, The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York.