Annual Disclosure Documents 2012: Preparation of Disclosure Documents, Annual Meeting and Regulatory Developments

Day One:  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Morning Session:  9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

9:00  Corporation Finance Developments and Priorities

• Rulemaking Initiatives: extractive industries, conflict minerals, proxy enhancements, Dodd-Frank and JOBS Acts
• Update on C&DIs and other staff guidance
• Update on the staff’s disclosure review program
• Best practices in interacting with the SEC Staff

Michael L. Hermsen, Barbara Jacobs, William L. Tolbert, Jr.

10:00  Disclosure Developments and Challenges

• Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Operating  Results, including liquidity and capital resources, and trends, events and uncertainties
• Practices for disclosing good, bad and ugly news
• Social media, Regulation FD 

Michael L. Hermsen, Barbara C. Jacobs, William L. Tolbert, Jr.
 
11:00  Networking Break

11:15  Emerging Growth Companies

• Who is an EGC
• Developing practices by EGC’s using the modified disclosure scheme
• What has been the staff’s experience

Keir D. Gumbs, Lawrence D. Levin, and James J. Junewicz

12:30  Lunch

Afternoon Session:  1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

1:30  Accounting and Financial Reporting Developments and Priorities

• Key accounting pronouncements and initiatives affecting/driving disclosures outside of the financial statements
• ASC 450 (FAS 5) contingencies
• Fair value accounting
• Impairments
• Application of significant subsidiary tests
• Practice developments resulting from the JOBS Act
• What to look for during the coming year

Charles E. Berg and William L. Tolbert, Jr.

2:45  Networking Break

3:00  Insider Trading, FCPA and Securities Offerings Developments

• Insider trading, black-out periods, wall-crossings, 10b5-1 plans
• FCPA developments
• Securities offering developments

Lawrence D. Levin, James J. Junewicz, Joan E. McKown

4:00  Ethics:  Developments and Challenges

• “Appearing and practicing before the Commission”
• Lawyers as gatekeepers
• Lawyer challenges coming out of the JOBS Act 
• Whistleblower developments

Michael L. Hermsen, Joan E. McKown, and William L. Tolbert, Jr.

5:00  Adjourn

Day Two:  9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Morning Session:  9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

9:00  Say-on-Pay - The 2012 Experience and Preparing for 2013

• Say-on-pay - issues and 2012 results
• Say-on-parachutes - the disclosure and vote requirements
• Practical consequences of say-on-pay votes

Edward A. Hauder, Michael L. Hermsen, Doreen E. Lilienfeld, Laura D. Richman

10:00  Developments and Best Practices in Executive Compensation

• Focus of SEC staff comments and latest staff guidance
• The ever-evolving Compensation Discussion and Analysis
• Impact of Dodd-Frank on pay-for-performance, internal pay comparisons and other disclosures
• The heightened requirements for and scrutiny of board compensation committees
• Executive compensation trends
• Trends in independent compensation committee advisers  

Edward A. Hauder, Michael L. Hermsen, Doreen E. Lilienfeld, Laura D. Richman

11:15  Networking Break

11:30  Annual Reporting Practices and Shareholder Meeting

• Tips on preparing your 2013 annual meeting proxy statement and annual report and holding your annual meeting
• SEC and other developments affecting annual reporting and the proxy solicitation process

Stathy Darcy, Anne T. Larin, Joseph Letizia, Laura D. Richman

12:30  Lunch

Afternoon Session:  1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

1:30  Corporate Governance and Shareholder Proposals

• Corporate governance disclosures
• Overview of the 2012 shareholder proposal season; what is anticipated for 2013
• Shareholder Proposals: tips on how to handle; be alert to changes in staff positions
• Shareholder activism  

Keir D. Gumbs, Richard H. Grubaugh, Anne T. Larin, Joseph Letizia, William L. Tolbert, Jr.

2:45  Solicitation Issues

• Proxy access
• Getting the vote out
• Proxy advisory firms
• Communications with shareholders

Stathy Darcy, Richard H. Grubaugh, Keir D. Gumbs, Gary Hewitt, Anne T. Larin, Joseph Letizia
 
3:45  Networking Break

4:00  Case Study:

• Discussion among the panelists and the audience of issues that may arise when shareholders are asked to approve an equity-plan related proposal. 
  The discussion will cover , among other topics:
  - Executive compensation pay practices
  - Communication policies and practices
  - Managing shareholder proposal
  - A walk through the proxy statement process
  - The view from different participants in the proxy process

Stathy Darcy, Richard H. Grubaugh, Keir D. Gumbs, Michael L. Hermsen, Gary Hewitt, Anne T. Larin, Joseph Letizia, William L. Tolbert, Jr.

5:00  Adjourn