The Harvard Law School

Weekly Roundup: June 11-17, 2025

A Time to Pivot: Four Ways US M&A Leaders Are Adapting to 2025 Conditions Posted by Adam Reilly and Barry Winer, Deloitte LLP, on Thursday, June 12, 2025 Tags: Alternative Deals, Cross-Border M&A, ESG, M&A, Private equity The Costs of Weakening Shareholder Primacy: Evidence from a U.S. Quasi-Natural Experiment Posted by Benjamin Bennett (Tulane University), […]

Jun 20, 2025 - 12:50

Posted by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, on Friday, June 20, 2025

Editor's Note:

This roundup contains a collection of the posts published on the Forum during the week of June 11-17, 2025

A Time to Pivot: Four Ways US M&A Leaders Are Adapting to 2025 Conditions

Posted by Adam Reilly and Barry Winer, Deloitte LLP, on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Tags: Alternative Deals, Cross-Border M&A, ESG, M&A, Private equity

The Costs of Weakening Shareholder Primacy: Evidence from a U.S. Quasi-Natural Experiment

Posted by Benjamin Bennett (Tulane University), René M. Stulz (Ohio State University), and Zexi Wang (Lancaster University), on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Tags: Agency costs, ESG, Nevada, Shareholder primacy, Stakeholder

Response to TX SB 2337

Posted by Nichol Garzon, Glass Lewis, on Thursday, June 12, 2025

Tags: ESG, Proxy advisors, Proxy voting, Texas

Corporate Balance in the Face of Accelerating Technological Change

Posted by Martin Lipton, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, on Friday, June 13, 2025

Tags: AI, Blockchain, Board governance, corporate strategy, technology

2025 Shareholder Proposal Season: A First Glimpse at Key No-Action Request Results

Posted by Elizabeth A. Ising, Ronald O. Mueller, and Geoffrey Walter, Gibson Dunn, on Saturday, June 14, 2025

Tags: ESG, no action requests, Proxy season, SEC, Shareholder proposals

Top Five Takeaways From the 2025 Proxy Season

Posted by Diana Lee, Martha Carter, and Sydney Carlock, Teneo, on Sunday, June 15, 2025

Tags: ESG, Proxy Advisor, Proxy season, Shareholder proposals

Court Permits “Do-Over” for Non-Compliant Nomination Notice under Company’s Advance Notice Bylaw

Posted by Gail Weinstein, Philip Richter, and Steven Epstein, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, on Monday, June 16, 2025

Tags: Advance Notice Bylaw, Coster, Delaware law, Fiduciary duties, Proxy contests

Defense of Europe as a Responsible Investment

Posted by Stephen M. Davis (Harvard Law School), on Monday, June 16, 2025

Tags: Capital markets, Defense Industry, European Security, Institutional Investment, socially responsible investing

Investment Stewardship Annual Report

Posted by Joud Abdel Majeid, BlackRock, on Monday, June 16, 2025

Tags: Corporate governance, Institutional Investors, Proxy voting, shareholder engagement

Mid-Season Update: Shareholder Proposal Trends, No-Action Request Outcomes, and Voting Dynamics in the 2025 Proxy Season

Posted by Liz Walsh, Ali Perry, and Jennifer Zepralka, Mayer Brown, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Tags: dei, ESG, no action requests, Proxy season, Shareholder proposals

Refocusing on Fundamentals Amidst Disruption and Divergence

Posted by Kristofer O’Toole and Austin Vanbastelaer, Semler Brossy, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Tags: AI, Compensation Alignment, Compensation committees, LTI, Performance-based

Lone Star Governance: Recent Amendments to the Texas Corporate Statute

Posted by Hillary Holmes, Gerry Spedale, and Jason Ferrari, Gibson Dunn, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Tags: Business judgment rule, Liability, Shareholder rights, Texas

CEO Pay Trends: A Post Proxy Season Recap

Posted by Joyce Chen, Equilar, Inc., on Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Tags: CEO compensation, Executive Compensation, pay equity, pay ratio

ESG Proposals at Mid-Season 2025: Trends, Turbulence & Triumphs

Posted by Danielle Fugere, As You Sow , on Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Tags: Climate Risk Disclosure, dei, ESG, Proxy season, shareholder engagement

Opening Statement at Investor Advisory Committee Panel on Pass-Through Voting and Other Ways to Reach the Ultimate Beneficial Owner

Posted by Will Goodwin, Tumelo, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Tags: Fiduciary, Investor Choice, pass-through voting, Proxy voting