Securities Law Commons^™

Keep Securities Reform Moving: Eliminate The Sec's Integration Doctrine, Stuart R. Cohn

UF Law Faculty Publications

Small and developing companies raising capital under the federal securities laws often face the considerable barrier imposed by the SEC's integration doctrine. Despite recent reforms in registration exemptions the integration doctrine has remained untouched and continues to be a significant problem for many companies needing multiple infusions of capital. This article examines and recommends that the integration doctrine be eliminated nearly in its entirety.

The Sum Of Its Parts: The Lawyer-Client Relationship In Initial Public Offerings, Jeremy R. Mcclane

Fordham Law Review

This Article examines the impact of the quality of a lawyer's working relationship with his or her client on one of the most important types of capital markets deal in a company's existence: its initial public offering (IPO). Drawing on data from interviews with equity capital markets lawyers at major law firms, and analyzing data from IPOs in the United States registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission between June 1996 and December 2010, this study finds a strong association between several measures of IPO performance and the familiarity between the lead underwriter and its counsel, as measured by the …

Guide To Structuring Resales Of Restricted Securities Held By Control And Non-Control Holders Under Federal And Arkansas Law, John F. Griffee

University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review

No abstract provided.

Stock Appreciation Rights And The Sec: A Case Of Questionable Rulemaking, Stuart R. Cohn

Stuart R. Cohn

A stock appreciation rights (SARs) program is a form of deferred incentive compensation. Grantees are awarded SAR-units representing an equal number of the grantor’s equity shares currently being traded in public markets. SARs provide grantees the benefit of stock ownership without equity interest, investment, or risk of loss. Stock appreciation rights programs offer various advantages over other forms of executive compensation and have grown rapidly in number. These advantages include the availability of benefits without the requirement of monetary payments, the utilization of SARs as an interest-free form of financing the purchase of stock under tandem stock option programs, the …

Trending @ Rwulaw: Susan Schwab Heyman's Post: Defining The Boundaries Of Insider Trading, Susan Schwab Heyman

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

Democratizing Startups, Seth C. Oranburg

Seth C Oranburg

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 intends to “help entrepreneurs raise the capital they need to put Americans back to work and create an economy that’s built to last.” The goal is to “democratize startups” by making capital available to diverse entrepreneurs in new geographies. Yet the net effect of securities regulations and market conditions is the opposite. Startup companies are encouraged to stay private so capital is consolidating in large, mature firms instead of recycling into new startups. Evidence of consolidation is that once-rare “Unicorns” (billion-dollar startups) now number over 111. More money is going into huge …

Private Cause Of Action Under Section 17(A) Of Securities Exchange Act Of 1934; Doctrine Of Implication; Touche Ross V. Redington, James L. Miller

Akron Law Review

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is principally designed to protect investors through regulation of securities transactions on the organized exchanges and in the over-the-counter markets. In addition to the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission as its leading enforcement mechanism, the 1934 Act provides for criminal penalties and, in certain instances, private causes of action for individuals who incur damage by others' violations of the Act. However, courts will often imply a civil cause of action for an injured party despite the absence of express statutory authorization.3 Subsequent judicial attempts to determine when supplemental civil relief can or …

Federalism To An Advantage: The Demise Of State Blue Sky Laws Under The Uniform Securities Act, Marianne M. Jennings, Bruce K. Childers, Ronald J. Kudla

Akron Law Review

They come at an opportune time. "They" are the changes to the Uniform Securities Act. Although some of the changes are perfunctory, the significant changes have a fascinating common thread running through them. That fascinating thread is federalism. Changes in the Act could move regulation away from the hands of the states and make federal registration, more or less, a ticket for sales without state approval. The changes are not without opposition. This article will discuss the changes, the reactions of particular concerned groups and the perceived effects of such changes.

Liability For Insider Trading: Expansion Of Liability In Rule 10b-5 Cases, Arthur J. Marinelli

Akron Law Review

This article will examine the recent litigation developments of Section 10 and Rule 10-b in Carpenter v. United States and in Basic, Inc. v. Levinson. The origins and developments of the misappropriation theory and the application of the mail fraud statutes as applied to Section 10 will also be discussed. Finally, the duty of disclosure and the timing of disclosure of merger negotiations, along with the fraud-on-the-market theory of civil liability under Rule 10b-5, will be explored in the context of the Basic case.

Is The Quest For Corporate Responsibility A Wild Good Chase? The Story Of Lovenheim V. Iroquois Brands, Ltd., D.A. Jeremy Telman

Akron Law Review

In Part I, this Article explores the law of shareholder proposals and the reasons why the SEC and the courts permit proposals relating to social or ethical issues (social proposals) so long as those issues relate to the corporation’s business. The focus here is on the regulation of such social proposals. Other regulations permitting the exclusion of shareholder proposals will be discussed only to the extent that they interact with the Rule relating to social proposals. Part II presents the complete narrative of the Lovenheim case, providing details that are not captured in the decision or in the limited secondary …

Deranged Disgorgement, James Tyler Kirk

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

This article seeks to explore the concept of equity embodied in the securities laws as intended by Congress. Accordingly, this article asks whether Congress intended to codify the traditional common law notions of equity in disgorgement, or is the SEC's disgorgement sui generis. To answer this question, the philosophy behind disgorgement is exhaustively fleshed out through a historical case analysis. Next, the article establishes what the author believes to be a new concept, the theory of regulatory equity. Following the establishment of this theory, the practice of offsetting disgorgement is analyzed to see whether it is faithful to this new …

Governing The Corporate Insiders: Improving Regulation Fair Disclosure With More Robust Guidance And Stronger Penalties For Individual Executives, Christopher Ippoliti

The Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law

This article discusses the history of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD), the problems it was intended to remedy, the scope of the regulation, and acceptable methods of disclosing material information in compliance with the rule. Part III examines specific further guidance and two investigative reports issued by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) impacting Regulation FD disclosures. In Part IV, this article sets forth a comprehensive analysis of all the specific enforcement actions pursued by the SEC and the penalties assessed against publicly traded companies and individuals for Regulation FD violations. Part V evaluates the effectiveness of the …

Private Equity And The Fcpa: Deal-Making As Reform Mechanism, Thomas J. Manning

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Of Truth, Pragmatism, And Sour Grapes: The Second Circuit’S Decision In Sec V. Citigroup Global Markets, Theodore D. Edwards

Theodore D. Edwards

No abstract provided.

Adding A Due Diligence Defense To § 13(B) And Rule 13b 2 – 2 Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934, Michael Evans

Washington and Lee Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Sec's Proposed Uniform Fiduciary Standard For Investment Advisers: An Update, Barry R. Temkin, Matthew Photis

Barry R. Temkin

It has been been three years since the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting under the authority of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, released the results of its study recommending a uniform fiduciary standard for the conduct of registered representatives and investment advisers. While SEC Chair Mary Jo White has proclaimed that adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard as a major regulatory priority, the SEC has yet to promulgate final regulations implementing the change. It is unclear whether or when a universal fiduciary standard will be adopted. Adoption of a uniform fiduciary standard could lead …

Securities Regulations Investigations - United States-Swiss Treaty Attempts To Increase Cooperation In Releasing Names Of Swiss-Based Account Holders Involved In United States Securities And Exchange Commission Investigations, Daniel B. Simon Iii

Georgia Journal of International & Comparative Law

No abstract provided.

Buying Voice: Financial Rewards For Whistleblowing Lawyers, Nancy J. Moore, Kathleen Clark

Nancy J Moore

“Buying Voice: Financial Incentives for Whistleblowing Lawyers”

Kathleen Clark and Nancy J. Moore

Abstract

The federal government relies increasingly on whistleblowers to ferret out fraud, and has awarded whistleblowers over $4 billion under the False Claims Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform and Consumer Protection Act. May lawyers ethically seek whistleblower rewards under these federal statutes? A handful of lawyers have tried to do so as FCA qui tam relators. They have not yet succeeded, but several court decisions suggest that they might be able to do so under confidentiality exceptions to state ethics law, which several courts have …

The Great And Powerful Faa: Why Schwab’S Class Action Waiver Should Have Been Enforced Over Finra’S Rules, Clint Hale

Pepperdine Law Review

This Comment argues that recent Supreme Court precedent, circuit court decisions in contexts similar to FINRA’s oversight of the securities industry, and investors’ true interests all instruct that Schwab’s class action waiver should have been enforced over FINRA’s contrary command. Part II discusses FINRA’s role in the securities industry, the FAA and recent Supreme Court precedent interpreting the FAA, and the FINRA Rules that Schwab’s class action and joinder waiver violated. Part III analyzes why the conflict between the FAA and FINRA’s rules should have been resolved in favor of the FAA and supports this argument with discussion of federal …

Restoring Confidence In The Financial Services Industry: Advocating For A Uniform, Rules-Based Fiduciary Standard, Katelin Eastman

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Managing Cyberthreat, Lawrence J. Trautman

Lawrence J. Trautman Sr.

Cyber security is an important strategic and governance issue. However, because most corporate CEOs and directors have no formal engineering or information technology training, it is understandable that their lack of actual cybersecurity knowledge is problematic. Particularly among smaller companies having limited resources, knowledge regarding what their enterprise should actually be doing about cybersecurity can’t be all that good. My goal in this article is to explore the unusually complex subject of cybersecurity in a highly readable manner. First, an examination of recent threats is provided. Next, governmental policy initiatives are discussed. Third, some basic tools that can be used …

Federal Securities Fraud Litigation As A Lawmaking Partnership, Jill E. Fisch

All Faculty Scholarship

In its most recent Halliburton II decision, the Supreme Court rejected an effort to overrule its prior decision in Basic Inc. v. Levinson. The Court reasoned that adherence to Basic was warranted by principles of stare decisis that operate with “special force” in the context of statutory interpretation. This Article offers an alternative justification for adhering to Basic—the collaboration between the Court and Congress that has led to the development of the private class action for federal securities fraud. The Article characterizes this collaboration as a lawmaking partnership and argues that such a partnership offers distinctive lawmaking advantages. …

It's Not Just About The Money: A Comparative Analysis Of The Regulatory Status Of Bitcoin Under Various Domestic Securities Laws, Vesna Harasic

American University Business Law Review

No abstract provided.

Kicking The Can Down The Road: Dodd-Frank’S Attempted Reform On Broker-Dealers, Helen Quigley

NYLS Law Review

No abstract provided.

Anticipating A Sea Change For Insider Trading Law: From Trading Plan Crisis To Rational Reform, John P. Anderson

Utah Law Review

The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to take action in the face of compelling evidence that corporate insiders are availing themselves of rule-sanctioned Trading Plans to beat the market. These Trading Plans allow insiders to trade while aware of material nonpublic information. Since the market advantage insiders have enjoyed from Plan trading can be traced to loopholes in the current regulatory scheme, increased enforcement of the existing rules cannot address the issue. But, simply tweaking the existing rule structure to close these loopholes would not work either. This is because the SEC adopted the current rule as a part …

The Broken Buck Stops Here: Embracing Sponsor Support In Money Market Fund Reform, Jill E. Fisch

All Faculty Scholarship

Since the 2008 financial crisis, in which the Reserve Primary Fund “broke the buck,” money market funds (MMFs) have been the subject of ongoing policy debate. Many commentators view MMFs as a key contributor to the crisis because widespread redemption demands during the days following the Lehman bankruptcy contributed to a freeze in the credit markets. In response, MMFs were deemed a component of the nefarious shadow banking industry and targeted for regulatory reform. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) misguided 2014 reforms responded by potentially exacerbating MMF fragility while potentially crippling large segments of the MMF industry.

Determining the …