Sky Blog
What role does public disclosure by a defendant firm play in the outcome of securities fraud class actions? In a recent article we study this question and find when a defendant firm discloses more via press releases and conference calls, …
Under the long-awaited proposed rules adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 1, 2015, generally, all US publicly listed companies would be required to adopt broad clawback policies and make new clawback-related disclosures. Although these requirements likely will …
The business judgment rule may be the most enigmatic doctrine in corporate law, but it has always performed a relatively straightforward task in the corporate governance system of the United States, namely, protecting corporate directors from liability for honest mistakes. …
On May 13, 2015, the Equity Market Structure Advisory Committee (the “EMSAC” or “Committee”) held its inaugural meeting (the “Inaugural Meeting”) at the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission” or “SEC”) in Washington, D.C.[1] Discussions during the Inaugural Meeting …
Are Dodd-Frank Act compliance costs forcing smaller private investment fund advisers out of the market? Several policy makers have suggested that Dodd-Frank Act compliance costs affect smaller firms more than larger firms and many financial studies have shown that an …
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently published a request for comment on topics relating to its oversight of exchange-traded products under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and particularly the listing and trading of exchange-traded products on national securities exchanges …
To the friends of the CLS Blue Sky Blog: The ABA journal is conducting a poll to identify the top 100 legal blogs. We would be honored by your nomination. In addition to reprinting commentary from practitioners and regulators on …
Compliance is a growth field in both legal education and practice. Overall, whether compliance teaching is geared towards students or individuals within a company, greater care and nuance must be taken in undertaking compliance teaching and training to reflect the …
Six things every investor, start-up, financial institution and payment processor should know about the future regulation of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency derivatives.
With the quickly developing market for cryptocurrency derivatives and seemingly inexhaustive possibilities of applications on the blockchain protocol, …
Delaware dominates the incorporation market, with approximately 60% of publicly traded companies in the United States incorporated there, including 63% of the Fortune 500 companies. Over 90% of companies that incorporate outside of their principal state of operations make Delaware …
On July 25, 2015, Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas issued a formative opinion in the class actions securities arena. The case, The Erica P. John Fund, Inc., et al. v. Halliburton Co., et al., No. …
Sovereign debt markets have been on a rough ride recently. On the heels of Argentina’s 2014 default, a turbulent debt situation in Greece has threatened the integrity of the Eurozone. An ongoing debt crisis in Ukraine has stoked economic anxiety …
The role of money and business interests in politics continues to stir controversy. As the nation begins another presidential cycle that is expected to break spending records, we will likely hear analysts argue that the Supreme Court’s decision five years …
On July 2, 2015, in Hill International, Inc. v. Opportunity Partners L.P., No. 305, 2015, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed a Court of Chancery decision that Opportunity Partnership L.P. (the “Fund”), a stockholder in Hill International, Inc. (“Hill” or …
The House is continuing Congress’ piecemeal rollback of the Dodd-Frank Act, a theme Alexander Sand and I explore in our recent article, Cutting Back: Revisions to Dodd-Frank Derivatives Rules.[1] Although the House has targeted a number of Dodd-Frank …
Can stock exchanges adapt to the challenges of today’s capital markets? As “self-regulatory organizations,” U.S. stock exchanges once enjoyed a nearly exclusive role in coordinating information and trading through interwoven regulatory, mutual, and commercial arrangements with public companies, brokers, and …
In United States v. Newman, 773 F.3d 438 (2nd Cir. 2014), the Second Circuit overturned the insider trading convictions of two hedge fund managers who received material nonpublic information from public companies via an extended tipping chain. The …
On June 5, 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) entered into settled administrative cease-and-desist proceedings with Computer Sciences Corporation (“CSC”) and some of its former executives due to the company’s alleged manipulation of financial results and concealment of problems …
Our paper titled “The Power of Shareholder Votes: Evidence from Director Elections” aims to answer the question: Do shareholder votes matter in uncontested director elections? In principle, shareholders who own a firm should be free to pick the board members …