Author Archives: Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation

Independent Directors: New Class of 2017

Companies are continuing to bring fresh and diverse perspectives into the boardroom and to enhance alignment of board composition with their forward-looking strategies. In our second annual report, we share the results of our analysis of independent directors who were elected by shareholders to the board of a Fortune 100 company for the first time […]

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Compensation Committee Outlook: Staying Nimble in 2018

Pearl Meyer offers its annual Top Five issues for compensation committees. Boards are considering the impact and reacting to the changes brought about by tax reform, diminishing regulation, shifts in political and cultural norms, and an ongoing acceleration of change in business environments. Individually and collectively these factors are demanding that boards be alert and […]

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SEC Rules and Guidance for Investment Advisers Standard of Conduct

On April 18, 2018, following a two-hour open meeting, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) voted 4-1 to issue the Standards of Conduct for Investment Professionals Rulemaking Package, which is roughly 1,000 pages long and comprises three releases, one of which is a proposed interpretation and two of which are proposed rules regarding […]

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The Investor Stewardship Group’s Governance Principles

In this post, we provide an overview of the Investor Stewardship Group (the “ISG”) Governance Principles and steps for public companies to consider when evaluating how the principles may be incorporated into their own disclosure and engagement priorities. The ISG’s website, including a link to the ISG Governance Principles, is available here. In January 2017, […]

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Rethinking Successor Criminal Liability, for the First Time

It’s axiomatic that the criminal justice system should punish corporations that commit crimes and not punish those that don’t. But when a criminal corporation reorganizes—whether by merging with others or spinning off lines of business—how can we tell which, if any, of the successors “committed” the predecessor’s crime? A lot turns on this question. Whether, […]

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Weekly Roundup: May 4-10, 2018

Corporate Purpose: ESG, CSR, PRI and Sustainable Long-Term Investment Posted by Martin Lipton, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, on Friday, May 4, 2018 Tags: Accountability, Boards of Directors, Corporate Social Responsibility, DOL, ERISA, ESG, International governance, Long-Term value, Risk oversight, Stewardship, Sustainability The Evolving Market for Retail Investment Services and Forward-Looking Regulation Adding Clarity and Investor Protection while Ensuring Access and Choice Posted by Jay Clayton, U.S. […]

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Beaches and Bitcoin: Remarks before the Medici Conference

Thank you, Vince [Molinari], for that kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today. I must start with the standard disclaimer that my comments today reflect my own opinions and not necessarily those of the Commission or my fellow Commissioners. Back in Washington, DC, there has been a lot of talk about regulatory […]

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Netflix Approach to Governance: Genuine Transparency with the Board

We recently published a paper on SSRN, Netflix Approach to Governance: Genuine Transparency with the Board, that explains the unique and innovative board practices of Netflix.  The hallmark of good corporate governance is an independent-minded board of directors to oversee management and represent the interests of shareholders. Its primary responsibilities are to hire and replace […]

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Materiality Matters: Targeting the ESG Issues that Impact Performance

In our paper, Materiality Matters: Targeting the ESG issues that impact performance, we develop a new measure—the material environmental, social and governance (ESG) score. Drawing from the metrics developed by Sustainalytics and SASB (Sustainability Accounting Standards Board), our new material ESG score identifies and evaluates only those issues that are financially important to a company. […]

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An Investor Consensus on U.S. Corporate Governance & Stewardship Practices

The ISG, as a private initiative wholly independent of any regulatory body, was formed to bring together all types of investors to establish a framework of fundamental standards of investment stewardship and corporate governance for U.S. institutional investor and boardroom conduct. The Investor Stewardship Group (ISG) is a collective of some of the largest institutional […]

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