2024 Public Company Speaker Series
The Firm's lawyers invite you to a webinar series discussing issues and concerns that are top of mind for publicly traded companies. The programs will be held monthly and will provide a holistic, multidimensional view of significant issues and trends affecting publicly traded companies, including SEC rulemaking and key governance, ESG, shareholder activism, M&A, litigation, and regulatory developments in the United States and abroad.
We hope you will be able to join us for one or more of these important discussions.
Login details will be provided to you prior to each presentation, but if you have any questions, please contact Heloise Herbinet at hherbinet@jonesday.com.
Session I: It’s 2024: ESG, Proxy, and 10-K Hot Topics
In preparation for a busy 2024 proxy season, please join us for a discussion of key disclosure, governance, and executive compensation considerations for the board and management, including trends and developments in ESG; SEC rulemaking and enforcement activity; and investor and proxy advisor policies.
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Stephen P. Coolbaugh, Partner, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Cleveland
- Timothy Curry, Partner, Financial Markets, Silicon Valley/San Francisco
- Amy I. Pandit, Partner, Financial Markets, Pittsburgh
Session II: European ESG Developments: Implications for Publicly Traded Companies
Recent ESG regulatory and litigation developments in Europe continue to require significant attention from business, legal, and compliance departments worldwide, often leading to profound organizational changes. Please join us for a virtual discussion about the complex and significant new reporting and due diligence rules that will have an extraterritorial effect and outsized impact on public companies.
Tuesday, February 13, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Seth Engel, Counsel, Financial Markets, Paris
- Linda Hesse, Partner, Financial Markets, Paris
- Armelle Sandrin-Deforge, Partner, Government Regulation, Paris
Session III: 2024 Annual Meeting and Corporate Governance Hot Topics
Join our panelists as they discuss key corporate governance trends on the eve of the 2024 proxy season. Topics will include recent developments in Delaware law; board oversight and risk management; shareholder proposals; and the cross-currents impacting the evolving ESG landscape.
Hybrid Program in Atlanta
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Jones Day
1221 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30361
Presenters
- Mark L. Hanson, Partner, Financial Markets, Atlanta
- Ferrell M. Keel, Partner, Financial Markets, Dallas
- Randi C. Lesnick, Practice Leader, Corporate, New York
- Joel T. May, Partner, Financial Markets, Atlanta
Session IV: 2024 Securities and Corporate Governance Litigation Update
It is an active, if not turbulent, time in the securities and corporate governance arena. On the federal side, private securities class actions continue at high levels. Meanwhile, the Delaware courts have decided the validity of shareholder agreements and are poised to provide guidance for transactions involving controlling stockholders. For its part, the SEC is defending its climate disclosure rules against numerous challenges and is increasingly shifting enforcement focus to such issues as "AI washing" and cybersecurity disclosures, among other priorities. We hope you can join us for a discussion of these developments and more.
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Walter Davis, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Atlanta
- Marjorie Duffy, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Columbus
- David Peavler, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Dallas/Washington
Session V: Debt and Equity Market Trends
Following a year marked by significant macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds, including elevated inflation, regional conflicts, a sudden banking crisis, and significant monetary policy tightening, our panelists will discuss trends emerging in the first half of 2024 across U.S. lending, debt and equity securities, and commercial real estate markets. The panelists will explore the impact of these trends on activity to date, plus what they might suggest for transactional activity for the remainder of the year.
Tuesday, May 14, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Bradley C. Brasser, Partner, Financial Markets, Minneapolis/Chicago
- Kim Desmarais, Partner, Financial Markets, New York
- Peter E. Devlin, Partner, Financial Markets, New York
- Richard Rosenblatt, Partner, Real Estate, Atlanta
Session VI: 2024 Annual Delaware Litigation Update
The presentation will cover important developments in Delaware litigation and practice over the past 12 months and will look forward to forthcoming potential judicial and statutory developments. Topics will include stockholder agreements; decisions on executive compensation; advance notice bylaws; discovery disputes and court jurisdiction; and reactions to major decisions recently handed down by the courts.
Thursday, May 30, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Adrienne Ferraro Mueller, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Cleveland
- John Tang, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, San Francisco
- Nicholas Walter, Of Counsel, Business & Tort Litigation, New York
Session VII: 2024 Shareholder Activism Developments
As the busy 2024 proxy season begins to wind down, please join us for a discussion of new developments in shareholder activism. Topics to be discussed include Delaware legal developments and their effect on campaigns and settlements, the impact of recent SEC rule changes on proxy campaigns, and emerging trends in shareholder activism.
Hybrid Program in New York
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. ET
Jones Day
250 Vesey Street
New York, NY 10281-1047
Presenters
- Barrett Golden, Partner, Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
- Randi Lesnick, Practice Leader, Corporate, New York
- Braden McCurrach, Partner, M&A, New York
- Thomas Short, Partner, Financial Markets, Atlanta
Session VIII: Recent SCOTUS Rulings and Delaware Developments: What Do They Mean for Public Companies?
Recent rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States and the Delaware Supreme Court will have important implications for U.S. public companies. For one, the Supreme Court this Term overruled longstanding precedent that had required courts to defer to agency interpretation of law in many circumstances—so-called Chevron deference. The Supreme Court also limited the SEC's authority to bring fraud claims and seek penalties. This month, the Delaware Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in the Kellner appeal concerning a stockholder's challenge to advance notice bylaws, providing clarification on facial and as-applied challenges to bylaws. In addition, certain amendments to the Delaware General Corporation Law impacting stockholder agreements are poised to take effect. This program will explore these developments and the practical implications for public companies.
Thursday, July 25, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Marjorie Duffy, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Columbus
- Ashley Heintz, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Atlanta
- Sarah Levine, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Washington
- Charlotte Taylor. Partner, Issues & Appeals, Washington
Session IX: 2024 M&A Trends
This program will provide a review of M&A trends and developments, taking into account the impact of macro factors, regulatory dynamics, and contractual issues, including antitrust and foreign direct investment, SEC disclosure matters, the financing market, taxation, and other issues impacting today's deal environment.
Tuesday, August 13, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Vica Irani, Practice Leader, Corporate, London
- Randi Lesnick, Practice Leader, Corporate, New York
- Andy Levine, Practice Leader, Corporate, New York
Session X: Investing Abroad and Minimizing Risk
This program will provide an overview of key legal issues that arise in cross-border transactions and business for U.S. public companies; it will address these unique considerations from the perspective of transactional, regulatory, and disputes lawyers. Topics covered will include pre-entry due diligence, dispute resolution planning and execution, political risk protection, and public disclosure challenges, as well as other critical compliance and control areas.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters
- Michelle Bradfield, Partner, Global Disputes, London
- Fahad Habib, Partner, Global Disputes, San Francisco
- Peter Zwick, Partner, Financial Markets, Dallas
Session XI: 2024 Proxy Season and Activism Review and Preparing for 2025
This session will provide a recap of the 2024 proxy season. We will discuss shareholder proposals and director elections, recent trends in activism and campaign activity, the impact of universal proxy, and predictions of where things are heading in the coming year.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters:
- Kimberly Pustulka, Partner, Financial Markets, Cleveland
- Michael Solecki, Partner, Financial Markets, Cleveland
- Benjamin Stulberg, Partner, Corporate, Cleveland
- Ward Winslow, Partner, Financial Markets, Chicago
Session XII: Trends in SEC Regulatory Enforcement 2024
In this session, we will analyze SEC enforcement trends over the past year and priorities for the future. Topics will include SEC approaches to AI, cybersecurity, corporate governance, insider trading, and whistleblower enforcement. We will also consider major recent judicial decisions and their impact on SEC enforcement going forward.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters:
- Sarah Levine, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Washington
- Evan Singer, Partner, Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement, Dallas
Session XIII: 10-K and Proxy Related Disclosure Considerations for 2025
In this session, we will discuss items to keep in mind for year-end planning, including disclosure requirements that became effective in 2024, as well as reporting trends and developments that companies may wish to consider when preparing for the upcoming 10-K and proxy season.
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. ET
Presenters:
- Rory Hood, Partner, Financial Markets, New York
- Erik Lundgren, Partner, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chicago
- Krunal Shah, Partner, Financial Markets, Atlanta
CLE Information
CLE information will be provided prior to each session. Credit will be applied for in states where attendees are admitted.
