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

Board of Directors Compensation: Past, Present and Future

There has been a massive shift in how outside Board Directors have been paid over the past 20 years. This has largely been fueled by changes in corporate governance practices over time. Overall, the shift has been away from paying Directors like executives and towards paying outside experts for their time and contributions during their […]

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Is Disgorgement a “Forfeiture” for Statute of Limitations Purposes?

In Gabelli v. SEC, 133 S.Ct. 1216 (2013), the Supreme Court held that the five-year statute of limitations in 28 U.S.C. §2462, which applies to actions for penalties, fines and forfeitures, begins to run when a violation is complete rather than when it is later discovered. The Court quoted Chief Justice Marshall’s statement from more […]

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Defusing the Antitrust Threat to Institutional Investor Involvement in Corporate Governance

For the past thirty years, regulatory reform efforts have focused on encouraging diversified institutional investor involvement in corporate governance. Now, some recent economic research threatens to chill these developments. In Azar, Schmalz and Tecu (working paper 2015) and Azar, Raina and Schmalz (working paper 2016), the authors argue that concentration among shareholdings by institutional investors […]

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Acting SEC Chair’s Steps to Centralize the Process of Issuing Formal Orders—Are Commentators Drawing the Right Lessons?

Several sources have reported that Acting SEC Chair Michael Piwowar recently issued a directive mandating that only the Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement can authorize the issuance of formal orders of investigation, the means by which the SEC authorizes its investigative staff to issue subpoenas.  The change—which reportedly strips approximately 20 Enforcement Division […]

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U.S. Tax Reform: Strategies for Executing Transactions in the Face of Uncertainty

Tax reform plans would fundamentally alter the landscape for key business decisions, impacting a business’ legal, finance, corporate development and other divisions, as well as tax groups. Key Points: Tax reform would change taxation, capital and operating structures. The House Ways & Means Committee and the Trump Administration have each released tax reform proposals addressing […]

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Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Financial Regulation, International Corporate Governance & Regulation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Practitioner Publications, Securities Regulation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on U.S. Tax Reform: Strategies for Executing Transactions in the Face of Uncertainty

The Delaware Trap: An Empirical Study of Incorporation Decisions

One of the most enduring debates in corporate law is whether the United States system of corporate law federalism leads to a “race to the bottom” or a “race to the top.”  Race to the bottom theorists argue that because insiders of companies must initiate incorporation decisions, jurisdictions compete to provide legal rules that favor […]

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Posted in Academic Research, Accounting & Disclosure, Comparative Corporate Governance & Regulation, Empirical Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Stock Rising

Compensating employees with equity—particularly the C­-suite—addresses several objectives for companies aiming to manage talent effectively and create shareholder value. A public company’s ability to recruit, promote, incentivize and retain the right people to formulate and execute strategic initiatives aimed at growing returns for shareholders is paramount, and therefore the invitation to share in the spoils […]

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The Modern Slavery Act 2015: Next Steps for Businesses

Under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, organisations conducting business in the United Kingdom with worldwide revenues of at least £36 million are required to publish a transparency statement describing the steps they have taken in the last financial year to ensure their business and supply chains are free from modern slavery and human trafficking. The […]

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Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, International Corporate Governance & Regulation, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The Modern Slavery Act 2015: Next Steps for Businesses

Weekly Roundup: March 3–9, 2017

Uncapping Executive Pay Posted by Michael Doran, University of Virginia, on Friday, March 3, 2017 Tags: Bonuses, Director liability, Equity-based compensation, Executive Compensation, Executive performance, Golden parachutes, Internal Revenue Code, IRS, Management, Stock options, Taxation Commissioner Stein Remarks on U.S. Securities-Based Crowdfunding Posted by Kara M. Stein, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, on Friday, March […]

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State Street Global Advisors Announces New Gender Diversity Guidance

On Tuesday, State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) issued a memo and press release (discussed on the Forum here) calling on 3,500 global companies, representing more than $30 trillion in market capitalization, to increase the number of women on corporate boards. Timed to coincide with observance of International Women’s Day, SSGA’s initiative is the latest, and most […]

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Posted in Accounting & Disclosure, Boards of Directors, Comparative Corporate Governance & Regulation, Corporate Elections & Voting, Institutional Investors, Practitioner Publications | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Street Global Advisors Announces New Gender Diversity Guidance