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Full-Text Articles in Securities Law
Form Over Substance?: Officer Certification And The Promise Of Enhanced Personal Accountability Under The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Lisa M. Fairfax
Form Over Substance?: Officer Certification And The Promise Of Enhanced Personal Accountability Under The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
This article argues that the requirement under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (the “Act”) that particular officers certify the accuracy of the financial information contained in their company’s periodic reports fails to alter significantly existing standards of liability for officers who signed or approved such reports prior to the Act’s passage. This failure creates cause for concern about the Act’s potential to meet its objectives. Indeed, the certification requirement represents one of the Act’s principal symbols of officer personal accountability. By demonstrating that the requirement may only be symbolic, my article questions whether the Act can impact the behavior of corporate officers, …
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act As Confirmation Of Recent Trends In Director And Officer Fiduciary Obligations, Lisa M. Fairfax
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act As Confirmation Of Recent Trends In Director And Officer Fiduciary Obligations, Lisa M. Fairfax
Faculty Scholarship
This Article argues that, instead of dramatically altering the responsibilities of corporate officers and directors, Sarbanes-Oxley confirms at least some case law and other recent articulations of management’s fiduciary duty. At a minimum, recent allegations regarding corporate misconduct may suggest some degree of confusion on the pat of corporate officers and directors about the manner in which they should comply with their fiduciary duty. By requiring more exacting standards of conduct from these corporate agents, Sarbanes-Oxley may not only clear up that confusion, but also may represent a natural extension of recent pronouncements by Delaware courts, the SEC and other …