DealLawyers.com Blog

July 5, 2022

Universal Proxy: Basic Compliance & Advanced Strategy Webinar

Last week, The Activist Investor’s Michael Levin hosted a free 1-hour webinar on the SEC’s new universal proxy rules & a free replay of the program is available on Michael’s UniversalProxyCard.com site. I attended the program and thought it was very well done and insightful.  In addition to Michael, the panelists were law prof. Scott Hirst of Boston University and business prof. Slava Fos of Boston College.

The webinar covered the fundamentals of the universal proxy rules, their practical implications for proxy contests, potential strategies under the new regime and critical decisions that activists and companies need to make. While the panelists generally have a pro-activist perspective, their presentation was balanced and has a lot to offer those on the corporate side as well.

The compliance date for the universal proxy rules is just around the corner – the rules apply to elections held after August 31, 2022 – but in reality, the compliance date is even closer than that. Since the rules apply to elections held after that date and not proxies filed after that date, the first batch of proxies prepared with the new rules in mind may be filed within the next few weeks!

It’s not an understatement to say that the rules represent a seismic shift in the regulatory landscape and in the way proxy contests are going to unfold going forward. DealLawyers.com members should be sure to check out our “Universal Proxy: Preparing for the New Regime” and “Activist Profiles & Playbooks” webcasts from earlier this year, as well as the other resources in our “Proxy Fights” Practice Area.  Also, stay tuned for additional members-only content in the upcoming weeks that will help you prepare to hit the ground running.

You don’t want to be caught flat-footed with changes this big looming! So, if you aren’t already a member of DealLawyers.com, sign up now and take advantage of our “100-Day Promise” – During the first 100 days as an activated member, you may cancel for any reason and receive a full refund! You can sign up online, by calling 800-737-1271, or by emailing sales@ccrcorp.com.

John Jenkins