On August 6, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved Nasdaq’s Board Diversity Rules (the “Rules”). The Rules require Nasdaq-listed companies to have or explain why they do not have at least two diverse directors. Companies are also required to annually disclose statistical information on board diversity using a standardized board diversity matrix. To…
Rule 10b5-1 trading plans have faced increased scrutiny since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding public focus on stock sales by executives of public life sciences companies. On June 7, 2021, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler continued that scrutiny when he delivered prepared remarks to the Wall Street…
Whether you are a director, or a member of an in-house legal, human resources, or internal audit team, there are sensitive scenarios that occur daily in life sciences companies that trigger the need for an internal investigation. Goodwin has crafted an “In-House Counsel’s Guide” that sets forth a framework of…
The use of special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, as an alternative to the traditional IPO process has gained significant traction over the past few years and in 2020 in particular. While these transactions have historically focused more on the tech space, with top-tier biotech investors such as Perceptive Advisors,…
On December 1, 2020, Nasdaq filed a proposal with the SEC to adopt new listing rules relating to board diversity and heighted disclosure. Nasdaq’s position is clear – “diversity in the boardroom is good corporate governance.” Citing the recent social justice movement and a wide range of studies linking board…
Life science companies have been among the biggest users of convertible debt financing in the first half of 2020. As highlighted in our recent Client Insight article, life science, technology and other traditional high-yield debt issuers were the biggest participants in the record issuance of convertible bonds. Through June 30,…
For life sciences companies who are or are looking to become publicly traded in the U.S., one of the most frequent comments that we see from the SEC as part of their review process is the following: You make several assertions regarding the safety and efficacy of certain of your…
The UK Government has announced a new fund that provides financing to UK start-ups and scale-ups in the form of a convertible loan which is invested directly by the Government. For further detail on the fund please see: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/future-fund. Read the Alert >>
As discussed in Goodwin’s prior Client Alert, on April 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began disbursing $30 billion to Medicare providers and suppliers under the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSS Emergency Fund). HHS is requiring providers to agree to certain terms and…
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, U.S. public company compensation committees face unique challenges as they focus on retaining and appropriately incentivizing employees while evaluating the impact of the pandemic on the company. This client alert provides a high-level overview of some key issues that compensation committees should be…
