Wilson Sonsini annually publishes the Silicon Valley 150 Corporate Governance Report, which analyzes the governance practices and disclosures of the Valley’s largest public companies. The report uses the Lonergan SV150,1 which includes the top 150 public companies (by annual sales) with headquarters in Silicon Valley. We will be publishing our full 2025 report in December, but we wanted to share some early data points.Continue Reading Sneak Peek of the Silicon Valley 150 Companies’ Governance Practices: Defensive Measures
Insider Trading Policies: A Survey of the SV150
Our recently published report, Insider Trading Policies: A Survey of the SV150, provides an in-depth analysis of the insider trading policies filed by Silicon Valley’s largest public companies. The report examines several key elements of these policies including persons subject to the policy, quarterly blackout periods, pre-clearance requirements, gifts…
Continue Reading Insider Trading Policies: A Survey of the SV150ISS Peer Group Submission Window Opens November 10
On November 3, 2025, ISS Governance (ISS) announced the scheduled November 10, 2025, opening of its peer group submission window for U.S. and Canadian corporations with annual meetings slated to be held between February 1, 2026, and September 15, 2026, and for European corporations with meetings slated to be held…
Continue Reading ISS Peer Group Submission Window Opens November 10Navigating Shareholder Engagement and Shareholder Activism: Essentials and Best Practices
This recently published white paper, authored by Larry Sonsini and Doug Schnell, delves into the essentials and best practices of navigating shareholder engagement and shareholder activism. Wilson Sonsini’s experience helping numerous clients engage with and respond to their shareholders gives us unique insight on the practices that stand…
Continue Reading Navigating Shareholder Engagement and Shareholder Activism: Essentials and Best PracticesSEC Chairman Addresses Potential Reforms Relating to Shareholder Proposals and Shareholder Litigation
Our recent Client Alert discusses a much-publicized keynote address by SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins at the University of Delaware’s John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. While formal rulemaking is stalled due to the government shutdown, his comments signal possible reforms relating to shareholder proposals and shareholder litigation.
Apart…
Continue Reading SEC Chairman Addresses Potential Reforms Relating to Shareholder Proposals and Shareholder LitigationWhite House Announces Significant Increase in Fee for New H-1B Visas
Our recent Client Alert discusses the Trump Administration’s announcement that it will charge companies $100,000 for new H-1B visas filed after September 21, 2025. This is a significant increase in the cost of H-1B visas and is expected to impact the ability of American companies to hire skilled workers from…
Continue Reading White House Announces Significant Increase in Fee for New H-1B VisasSEC Issues Policy Statement Clarifying View on Mandatory Arbitration Provisions
Our recent Client Alert discusses the SEC’s newly issued Policy Statement clarifying that mandatory arbitration provisions in a company’s governing documents will not delay the effectiveness of registration statements for securities offerings. This marks a shift in the SEC’s approach; previously, concerns were expressed that such provisions were potentially inconsistent…
Continue Reading SEC Issues Policy Statement Clarifying View on Mandatory Arbitration ProvisionsEighth Circuit Pauses SEC Climate Disclosure Rule Litigation
On September 12, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued an order to hold the petitions challenging the SEC’s climate disclosure rules in abeyance, pending further action from the SEC. The order follows the SEC’s July 23, 2025, status report, which stated that the SEC does…
Continue Reading Eighth Circuit Pauses SEC Climate Disclosure Rule LitigationSEC Names New Corp Fin Director
On September 10, 2025, the SEC announced that James J. Moloney has been named Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, effective in October. Among other things, Moloney will work to advance several of the rulemaking priorities outlined in the SEC’s Spring 2025 Regulatory Agenda (agenda), particularly those affecting public…
Continue Reading SEC Names New Corp Fin DirectorTakeaways from CARB’s Workshop on California’s Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Our recent Client Alert provides a useful summary of the current state of play regarding the development of California’s corporate greenhouse gas reporting and climate-related financial risk disclosure programs (CA Climate Disclosure Laws). In late August, the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, held its second virtual public workshop as…
Continue Reading Takeaways from CARB’s Workshop on California’s Corporate Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program