Sky Blog
The world of corporate governance is undergoing two intense, inter-related debates. One is a debate as to whether profit-maximization in the short term is really different from profit-maximization in the long term, and if so whether American corporations are currently …
Regulators seem to think so. In the Dodd-Frank Act, policymakers made an unprecedented move towards using securities regulation to address issues unrelated to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) core mission of protecting investors and maintaining the fair and efficient …
To ensure compliance with disclosure and accounting requirements, the SEC periodically reviews reporting companies’ filings, including the Form 10-K. While the SEC is required to review the filings of every reporting company at least once every three years, it may …
Herd behavior is a widely used notion met in different contexts and disciplines, from neurology and zoology to sociology, psychology, economics and finance. In economics and finance the term herd behavior usually suggests the process where agents tend to imitate …
Today, in addition to our usual offering, we present three student posts from the Columbia Business Law Review:
Many would describe the era we are living in as a “startup bubble.” Not only has the number of startup companies increased dramatically, but many startups have also achieved record-breaking valuations. Alibaba, an e-commerce site, recently went public at a …
Culture is a potent force in shaping individual and group behavior, yet it has received scant attention in the context of financial risk management and the recent financial crisis. In my paper, The Gordon Gekko Effect: The Role of Culture …
In recent years, the stockholder’s appraisal remedy in Delaware has transformed from a little-noted feature of stock ownership to a potent option for dissenting shareholders. It’s also become a topic of heated debate. In our prior work, we have …
In § 1502 of Dodd-Frank, Congress instructed the SEC to draft rules requiring public companies to disclose their use of “conflict minerals” originating in and around the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Coined the Conflict Minerals Rule, the statute …
Many prominent business executives and legal scholars are convinced that the American economy will suffer unless hedge fund activism with its perceived “short-termism” agenda is significantly restricted. Conversely, shareholder activists and their proponents claim they function as a “disciplinary mechanism” …
In this study, Securities Class Actions Compared to Derivative Lawsuits: Evidence from the Stock Option Backdating Litigation on their Relative Disciplining of Fraudster Executives, 35% of the 151 stock option backdating litigation observations included private securities class actions (in …
A core focus of the activities of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is to develop and work towards implementing consistent standards of securities regulation throughout the world. Another of its important goals is to enhance the enforcement capabilities …
The Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy recently published a symposium issue on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Halliburton Co. v. Erica P. John Fund, Inc. (“Halliburton II”).[1] In my contribution, …
As CEO of the Association of Corporate Counsel (and former in-house lawyer), I take issue with the mischaracterization of the association’s 2015 Chief Legal Officers Survey. While it’s true that the role has evolved, it’s wrong to suggest that chief …
Many large firms – Google, Alibaba and Fitbit to name a few — have multiple voting share structures (MVS) in which the firm issues two or more classes of shares, one to the public and the other to insiders (typically …
Until 1870, corporate elections in the United States were generally conducted under a system of straight voting. In that year, the State of Illinois adopted a new constitution requiring that cumulative voting be used to elect directors to the boards …
A pending rulemaking (the “Proposed Rule”) by the New York State Department of Financial Services (the “NYSDFS”) would add potential New York State criminal liability to the burdens of chief compliance officers of New York chartered banks, trust companies, savings …
This post provides a 5 year review and evaluation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which was established under the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act and the CFPB were a response to the financial and economic crisis that began …
Policing is on a lot of minds these days. Liability insurance is probably not. But insurance bears on policing far more than one might think. Municipalities nationwide purchase insurance to indemnify themselves against liability for the acts of their law …
In the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008-09 there was a widespread perception that the opacity of derivatives exposures held by major financial institutions contributed to the build-up of systemic risk. As a result, the G-20 leaders convened in …