The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu The leading online blog in the fields of corporate governance and financial regulation. Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:30:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.8 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/cropped-photography-4-e1706898544564-1-32x32.png Activism in 2025 and Beyond: Universal Proxy, Litigation Leverage and a New Playbook for Preparedness – The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu 32 32 Activism in 2025 and Beyond: Universal Proxy, Litigation Leverage and a New Playbook for Preparedness https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/10/24/activism-in-2025-and-beyond-universal-proxy-litigation-leverage-and-a-new-playbook-for-preparedness/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=activism-in-2025-and-beyond-universal-proxy-litigation-leverage-and-a-new-playbook-for-preparedness https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2025/10/24/activism-in-2025-and-beyond-universal-proxy-litigation-leverage-and-a-new-playbook-for-preparedness/#respond Fri, 24 Oct 2025 11:32:58 +0000 https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/?p=177222?d=20251023125718EDT Posted by Jamie Leigh, Sean Brownridge, and Bill Roegge, Cooley LLP, on Friday, October 24, 2025
Editor's Note:

Bill Roegge, Jamie Leigh, and Sean W. Brownridge are Partners at Cooley LLP. This post is based on a Cooley memorandum by Mr. Roegge, Ms. Leigh, Mr. Brownridge, and Polina Demina.

Activism didn’t pause in 2025 – it evolved.

Campaign counts are up, tactics have multiplied, and boards are settling faster and earlier. As Goldman Sachs’ Neil Rudisill put it on Cooley’s Market Talks panel, “We’re on track for probably the third largest year ever in terms of activism,” with US campaign levels up roughly 11% year-over-year through late summer and Q1/Q3-heavy “velocity” as funds recalibrated around tariff-driven volatility. Just as notably, the center of gravity continues to shift toward operational and M&A demands, with activists reenergized by stronger equity markets, an improving regulatory landscape for dealmaking and buoyant sponsor appetite.

Below are the trends that matter most for boards and management teams heading into 2026 – and the clear-day steps to get ready.

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