Corporate Governance

In this post-Enron world, companies are subject to ever greater scrutiny from shareholders, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the stock exchanges on which their securities are traded.

We at Schiff Hardin understand the nuances of this evolving corporate governance landscape and regularly advise companies, boards of directors, board committees, individual directors and officers, and institutional investors about the full range of corporate governance matters.

Advice on corporate governance has been a staple of our corporate counseling for many years, but the adoption of the historic Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has emphasized the importance for companies to implement "best practices" in the areas of corporate governance, compliance and ethics. To that end, we offer comprehensive corporate governance and corporate compliance services, including advice with respect to:

Board and board committee composition, practices and procedures
Proper functioning of audit, compensation, and governance committees
Director and officer compliance with their fiduciary duties
Compliance with SEC, NYSE, and Nasdaq corporate governance rules
Implementation of corporate record retention programs
Conduct of internal investigations and enforcement actions