Public company advisory and corporate governance

A&O Shearman's market-leading public company advisory lawyers act as trusted counsel to the boards and executive teams of public companies across all industries.  

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Our group uniquely operates at the forefront of local, regional and global regulatory and market developments in key financial centers, working closely with policymakers, industry bodies and other key stakeholders. 

Our team includes former senior regulators, public company general counsel and government officials.

We have a deep knowledge of current and emerging developments, regulatory processes and governance best practices, which we use to support our clients to achieve their business objectives, manage risk and comply with their public market obligations.

Our team provides sophisticated and integrated corporate governance advice in all the major markets globally, including:

  • Advising on the governance, risk management and reporting of matters of board and executive team focus, such as sustainability (including climate change) and technology (including privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence).
  • Crisis management.
  • Corporate governance policy design, compliance review and benchmarking.
  • Public and annual reporting requirements, including with respect to annual shareholder meeting requirements.
  • Supporting shareholder engagement activities, including advising on shareholder activists and shareholder proposals.
  • Coordinating and administering board, board committee and senior manager evaluations.
  • Design and implementation of a broad range of executive compensation arrangements, drafting compensation policies and required compensation disclosures, and advising on related stakeholder engagement.
  • Employment and separation agreements, including succession planning.
  • Shareholder litigation, including claims arising from directors’ fiduciary duties and corporate responsibilities and responding to shareholder requests for information.
  • Insider trading and market-abuse policies, beneficial ownership reporting and compliance.

We regularly publish leading reports and provide regular updates and insights on the latest trends and developments in matters relevant to public companies, including regulatory developments, corporate governance trends and corporate responsibility.

Our public company and corporate governance advisory team includes lawyers from our capital markets, M&A, employment and compensation and litigation groups in the integrated representation of public companies across the world.

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