Sky Blog
On February 20, Delaware Supreme Court Chief Justice Collins Seitz met with members of the state’s General Assembly and delivered some sobering words: “Along with our respect for your legislative judgments, I ask you to consider the importance of judicial …
In a new article, we challenge one of corporate law’s most persistent narratives: the concept of “shareholder democracy.” With people on opposing sides of recent high-profile battles at companies like Disney, Tesla, and Exxon invoking “shareholder democracy” to support their …
FinCEN announced that it will not impose fines or penalties on companies that do not submit their beneficial ownership information reports by the upcoming deadline of March 21, 2025. The agency will issue an interim final rule to establish new …
We are living in a particularly polarized era, and corporate governance is no exception. The divisions have threatened to spill over to Delaware, the preferred jurisdiction for incorporation in the United States, with several high-profile cases calling the state’s neutrality …
The proposed amendments to Delaware corporate law have sparked intense debate among corporate legal scholars and practitioners. A flurry of commentary has focused thus far on the proposed changes to Section 144, which governs transactions with controlling shareholders. This post, …
In Maffei v. Palkon, the Delaware Supreme Court unanimously held that the business judgment rule applies to a corporation’s decision to change its state of incorporation, even if the move arguably favors a controlling stockholder by reducing future liability …
The recently introduced Delaware Senate bill that would amend the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL) provision dealing with conflict of interest transactions (SB 21) has blown up the financial news, corporate law blogosphere, and corporate law social media.[1]
Most …
With a new administration and Congress each expressing interest in pursuing a new regulatory framework for crypto, the prospects for federal stablecoin legislation are growing. On February 4, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for …
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) staff recently updated its guidance on circumstances in which investors engaging with issuers on ESG and other matters can file a short-form Schedule 13G as a passive or institutional investor rather than a long-form …
In an era of mounting geopolitical tensions, shifting regulatory landscapes, and intensifying climate risks, the role of institutional investors has never been more important – or more contested. With over $50 trillion in assets under management in the U.S. alone, …
Over the past few years, the legal landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) has undergone significant changes. The landmark SFFA v. Harvard decision prohibiting the use of race‑based considerations in college admissions has contributed to the emergence of a …
Yesterday, Delaware State Senator Bryan Townsend introduced a sweeping set of amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law. If adopted, these measures would mark the most significant single-year revision of Delaware’s corporate code since at least 1967, reshaping everything from …
Recently, corporations and fiduciaries have faced enhanced litigation risk arising from entire fairness claims challenging related-party transactions and other transactions implicating unique interests of corporate fiduciaries. This risk is most pertinent for controlled public corporations, although it has also affected …
It’s no secret that civil discovery breeds attorney misconduct. The incentives are all wrong. Lawyers have an incentive to advance their clients’ interests. Fighting tooth and nail on behalf of a client helps to justify large fees and repeat business, …
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 …
Corporate success lies at the heart of directors’ duties in many corporate laws, but few of those laws define success. As a result, there is growing confusion and concern about the objective of the firm.
Some scholars argue that it …
Last week, in Maffei v. Palkon, the Delaware Supreme Court held that the decision to change the corporate domicile of a Delaware corporation with a controlling stockholder to Nevada is subject to the business judgment rule, making stockholder challenges …
Delaware’s regime governing controlling shareholders relies on the courts’ ability to police conflicted transactions under the stringent “entire fairness” standard of review. In theory, judicial review under this standard allows judges to distinguish between fair transactions and those that are …
In the early stages of the unicorn era, it seemed that Rule 701 under the Securities Act, which provides a generous exemption for private company equity compensation, might not be up to the task. It is one thing to conclude …
In a new paper, we investigate whether and how ethnic diversity on boards of directors helps shape a firm’s supply chain. Our empirical findings from a sample of U.S. S&P 1500 firms from 2008 to 2020 show a positive effect …