The ‘strong minded, thoughtful & strategic‘ team at Hogan Lovells US LLP has significant experience advising public company clients and Fortune 500 companies, including both US companies and foreign private issuers, on a myriad of corporate issues such as corporate governance practices, securities law compliance, and SEC reporting. As well as regularly advising on SEC compliance, Alan Dye is a leading authority on the federal securities law, including Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Practice head John Beckman is ‘uniquely expert in everything from the largest complex transaction to the most delicate matters of corporate governance.’ Elsewhere in the team, Weston Gaines is a senior associate whose diverse workload includes shifts in corporate governance, securities law compliance, and SEC reporting. All named players are based in Washington DC. Alex Bahn departed from the firm n October 2022.

Clients represented by Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP‘s team include boards, committees, executive officers and investors, and not-for-profit foundations. The depth of corporate governance knowledge within the practice enables it to work on a wide range of issues such as such as ESG, day-to-day disclosure issues, executive compensation and board-level matters. The cross-departmental team often works alongside the firm’s M&A, IPO and restructuring practices and assists clients with cross-border transactions, for which former SEC employee Adé Heyliger in Washington DC is well known, as well as being instrumental in the team’s SEC disclosure work. Howard Dicker has a multifaceted corporate practice and leads the public company advisory practice group alongside Lyuba Goltser, and has particular strength in the not-for-profit sector. The pair are based in New York.

Arnold & Porter is a strong choice for clients requiring assistance with corporate governance matters with an insolvency angle, as well as for companies involved in litigation relating to alleged breaches of duty. Washington DC-based practice head Michael L. Bernstein  founded the practice group and is the go-to lawyer for the corporate governance aspects of bankruptcy and restructuring matters. Among the wide variety of issues include board and committee composition, Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts compliance, and board fiduciary duties, the latter of which is an area of activity for former practice head Kevin Lavin, also based in Washington DC, who often advises boards of directors on fiduciary duties, governance and compliance issues and regularly assists government clients.

Jones Day, whose team members are noted for their accessibility and ability to ‘work very hard to understand a particular company and industry‘, has a strong track record of representing Fortune 500 and other well-known clients in corporate governance matters. The team also regularly assist clients with ESG matters. Leading the team is Lizanne Thomas, whose practice is split between New York and Atlanta, and acts for special committees in control and conflict transactions, and in internal investigations. James Dougherty, who leads the firm’s M&A practice, also advises companies on transactional matters, while Randi Lesnick has experience in large cap M&A transactions, and assists clients with compliance and governance, fiduciary duty matters, and ESG policy advice, particularly in the retail and consumer products, technology, and manufacturing industries. Lawyers are in New York unless otherwise stated.

The nationwide group at Latham & Watkins LLP includes former SEC senior officials and experienced corporate practitioners, who focus on highly specialized SEC matters involving complex disclosure and compliance issues under the US federal securities laws. Co-chairs Ian Schuman, Keith Halverstam, and Jenna Cooper in New York are key figures in the team and are well supported by Julia Thompson in Washington DC, who focuses on securities regulation. ESG issues are a key area of work for the team, which takes a multidisciplinary approach to a wide range of matters, including responsible investment, sustainability, and corporate integrity issues. Vice-chairs Stelios Saffos  and Jeffrey Lawlis are also key names.

White & Case LLP advises a number of major clients such as The Hertz Corporation on key corporate governance concerns such as CEO transition advice and EV strategy advice. The firm is praised for its deep bench, with clients nothing that ‘the team’s global reach and resources means that they are prepared to handle any matter regardless of its size or scope’. Practice head David Thatch in New York is regional section head, and standout team members include ‘technically superb lawyers‘ Maia Gez and Colin Diamond, who are based in Silicon Valley and New York respectively. More widely, the group is noted for being ‘uniquely pragmatic in its approach to advising clients on issues and matters that present novel or complex situations‘.

The workload at Akin‘s diverse practice comprises advice on best practice governance structures, ESG programs, and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Kerry E Berchem in New York heads up the team, with John Goodgame in Houston also a key player: The former co-chairs the firm’s ESG group; while the latter is notable for his advice to boards of directors, board committees, and controlling stockholders regarding corporate governance and Securities and Exchange Commission compliance. The team continues to expand, with a number of corporate governance-focused hires made during 2022.

At Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, key expertise includes advising clients on IPOs after going public as a company, and on laying out their SEC and corporate governance platforms. Elizabeth Ising in Washington DC, James Moloney, also in Washington DC, and Lori Zyskowski in New York are practice group heads. Another key lawyer is Thomas Kin in Washington DC, whose practice runs the gamut of SEC disclosure and regulatory issues. Aaron Briggs in San Francisco is proficient in the technology and life sciences sectors.

Goodwin has ‘an exceptional way of distilling very complicated legal rules into practical, usable advice‘ is therefore able help clients increase their market presence through exposure to market players and trends. Jonathan Hecht leads the practice from Washington DC; a team which is able to advise on a full range of governance issues, from advisory and regulatory work to transactions and litigation, as well as issues such as public reporting, ESG, securities offerings, and many others. Sean Donahue has left the firm.

Mayer Brown‘s capital markets focused global public companies and corporate governance practice is spearheaded by Anna Pinedo in New York and Edward Best, who splits his time between Chicago and New York. Pinedo and Best are co-heads of the global capital markets practice and often work with financial institutions and provide securities advice for REITS. Another key area of expertise for the practice is counseling management and boards of directors on change and crisis management.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s members are praised for ‘having great depth of expertise’ and being ‘pragmatic and creative problem solvers,’ in corporate governance, with the team regularly sought out for advice on SEC internal investigations. Matters handled by the group are often related to corporate events such as IPOs, share offerings, and practice group head Karen Hsu Kelley in New York excels at supporting domestic and international public companies with the listing requirements of the major US exchanges. Public company expert Charles Mathias is also a key name in the team.

WilmerHale‘s group, which is split between New York, Boston, and Washington DC, comprises former SEC senior staff members and security law experts such as Meredith Cross, and is led by Knute Salhus, Lillian Brown, and Jonathan Wolfman. Standout mandates include advising on SEC and stock exchange requirements, as well as anti-takeover defenses, but a particular strength of the group lies in its pedigree to support clients with ESG risks and opportunities. Alex Bahn joined from Hogan Lovells US LLP in October 2022, advising public companies and investment vehicles.