Webinars

How your business operates within a broad societal context is core to the longevity of your business. Larry Fink’s 2019 letter to CEOs highlights that profits and purpose are inextricably linked. When looking at ESG issues, social impacts are often lumped in with environmental and governance issues – but investors are increasingly seeking deeper information about a company’s social impacts as a stand-alone consideration.

A new generation of retail investors is increasingly concerned about topics like executive remuneration, board diversity or social and human rights issues throughout a company’s supply chain. New index products have appeared that screen for firms with good practices. Furthermore, the pool of institutional investors that integrate ESG factors into their investment and voting decisions is rapidly growing, as is the expectation for companies to incorporate a social narrative into their equity story, and disclose information on social factors – something that is notoriously hard to quantify.

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2019
Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Duration: 1 hour

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Share buybacks continue to attract media and regulatory attention. During this session, we will discuss the regulatory framework relating to company share buybacks, including the Rule 10b-18 safe harbor. We will also discuss the different ways in which companies may choose to structure share repurchases, and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each.  We will weigh whether the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 would encourage share buybacks.

Topics of this  CLE* webinar will include:

• Basics of Rule 10b-18;
• Required authorizations, disclosures, and documentation;
• Accelerated share repurchases and other modified repurchase plans;
• Tax considerations, including those arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and
• Legislative proposals relating to 10b-18 and other recent developments.

Speakers:
Anna T. Pinedo
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Remmelt Reigersman
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Time: 01:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Duration: 1 hour

*CLE is approved or in the process of approval for 60 minutes of CLE credit.  The type of credit requested is General/Skills.  The type of credit allowed is determined by the state governing MCLE Board.  If you are licensed in New York, this content is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.  Although this content is appropriate for all New York attorneys, newly admitted attorneys cannot earn CLE credit for the completion of the course when presented via webinar or webcast.

Please Note: Recordings of CLE webinars do not qualify for CLE credit.  This program may be available as a LexisNexis CLE On-Demand program at a later date at www.lexisnexis.com/university.

Implementation of new revenue recognition standards was always going to be a challenge, no matter the timing. Hopefully, those companies who come later can learn a little bit from those brave souls who are showing the way: the early adopters. Rob Peters, senior director of Intelligize, discusses the findings of his company’s report on revenue recognition early adoption trends, Impact of Revenue Recognition Standards on Private Companies.

Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs’ Podcast, “CPA Conversations”
January 31, 2019

Despite market volatility, 2018 has proven to be a strong year for IPOs.  Under the right circumstances, an Up-C structure implemented in connection with an IPO has the potential to deliver significant economic and tax benefits to financial sponsors and other selling shareholders.

In this CLE webinar*, we explain:

• When an “Up-C” structure might be appropriate for an IPO candidate
• Documenting the arrangements
• Addressing the tax receivable agreement
• The benefits to various stakeholders
• Life as a public company with an up-C structure and how it impacts financial and SEC reporting
• Undertaking acquisitions using an up-C structure
• Unwinding an up-C structure

After this session, attendees  will:

• Understand the components of an up-C structure and when to implement
• Counsel clients on the benefits of an up-C structure
• Understand the economic and tax benefits to financial sponsors

*CLE is approved or in the process of approval for 60 minutes of CLE credit.  The type of credit allowed will be determined by the state governing MCLE Board

Please Note: Recordings of CLE webinars do not qualify for CLE credit.  This program may be available as a LexisNexis CLE On-Demand program at a later date at www.lexisnexis.com/university.

Date: Thursday, December 13, 2018
Duration: 1 hour

Learn from senior practitioners as they discuss the implementation of the new revenue recognition standards, lessons learned from early adopters and what’s likely to develop going forward.

Topic 842 potentially introduces substantial changes to the balance sheet of lessees and lessor accounting to align with changes in the lessee model and the new revenue recognition standard.  Our panel of experts will explore some of the key developing considerations around the new Lease Accounting standard, plus they’ll discuss how ASU 2016-13 (Topic 326) will change how companies recognize an allowance for credit losses.

After this session, you will:

• Understand what the SEC expects around revenue recognition
• Know how the Lease Accounting Standard will affect disclosures
• Recognize the changing recognition thresholds and allowances for credit losses

Our expert panel includes:

• Panelist William Andreoni, Senior Director, Pine Hill Group
• Panelist Chris Rogers, Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Panelist Cullen Walsh, Partner, Grant Thornton
• Moderator Mark Butler, Director of Thought Leadership, Intelligize

Date: Thursday, November 29, 2018 at 1 p.m. EST

Despite a rise in IPO activity, commentators continue to question whether the trend toward companies deferring initial public offerings and remaining private longer will be a new norm.  During this session, the presenters will discuss:

• Whether cross-over (or late stage) private rounds still remain an important milestone on the road to the IPO
• U.S. IPO activity (sectors, VC- and PE-backed companies, foreign private issuer activity, syndicate structures)
• Disclosure and governance trends among IPO issuers
• Direct listings
• Possible JOBS Act 3.0 changes
• Multiple share classes
• Other developments

PIPE transactions remain an important capital-raising alternative. Whether a public company is seeking to finance an acquisition, effect a recapitalization or restructuring, or facilitate a liquidity opportunity for an existing stockholder, a PIPE transaction may be the most efficient approach.  As such, attorneys must be well-informed to advise their clients when a PIPE transaction is a viable capital-raising alternative, and usher them through the process of the transaction itself.

During this session, we will discuss:

• Recent market trends
• PIPE documentation and the principal negotiating issues
• The securities exchange shareholder approval rules and proposed changes to such rules
• Using warrants and structuring approaches
• Acquisition-related PIPE transactions
• Selling stockholder PIPE transactions

After this session, attendees will:

• Understand PIPE transactions and their components
• Counsel clients by identify investors and markets who find PIPE transactions attractive
• Understand the regulations governing PIPE transactions
• Identify deals clients with financial situations best suited for PIPE transactions

Speaker:
Anna T. Pinedo
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

*CLE is approved or in the process of approval for 60 minutes of CLE credit.  The type of credit allowed will be determined by the state governing MCLE Board.

The debate around ESG is one of the most compelling in the IR world at the moment: are governance teams at large institutional investors dictating a narrative that is unrepresentative of the broader investment community or are investors genuinely broadening their assessment of what they deem to be material for their investment process?

What is clear is that ESG is much more of a talking point on earnings calls and in other forums between investors and issuers, according to data from Intelligize. In this webinar we will explore how IR teams and corporate secretaries are working together to ensure that their company is well prepared for investor questions on ESG – whether they come from portfolio managers or governance teams.

Short, sharp and packed with expert insight, this webinar will get you up to speed on these critical issues in just 30 minutes.

Though the Trump administration promised to eliminate burdensome compliance standards and sweeping deregulation of Dodd-Frank, little has changed at the SEC under Jay Clayton thus far.

So what could be coming soon? Is deregulation on the horizon? What do you need to consider moving into upcoming filing seasons?

Find out in our free expert webinar on June 6, Deregulation Under Trump… or not?

Our experts will discuss what challenges issuers are actually facing in 2018, including:

• Tariffs and trade wars as risk factors
• ESG as a significant shareholder concern
• Growing cybersecurity challenges
• Revenue recognition, pay ratio disclosure, cryptocurrency and more

Our expert panel included:

• Panelist Scott Kimpel, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth
• Panelist Anna Pinedo, Partner, Mayer Brown
• Moderator Marc Butler, Director of Thought Leadership, Intelligize

Many US companies are grappling with FASB’s changes to reporting revenue. These changes have a knock-on effect for the analysts who cover you as internal models need to be updated and revenue needs to be recalculated.

At Microsoft, the IR and accounting teams recognized the risks of the revenue recognition changes early. By starting early, they were able to address investor and analyst concerns, provide dedicated resources around revenue recognition, and clearly inform their investors and analysts of what the changes meant for them. The teams were recently presented with the Pacesetters of the Year award for excellence in financial reporting. Join this webinar for practical tips on navigating this accounting change and how you, as IR professionals, can keep your investors updated.

Speakers include:

• Ben Ashwell, digital editor, IR Magazine
• Kristin Chester, senior financial manager of investor relations, Microsoft
• Stacy Harrington, director of corporate revenue assurance, Microsoft

Short, sharp and packed with expert insight, this webinar will get you up to speed on these critical issues in just 30 minutes.

Data breaches are becoming increasingly common headlines in the daily news as hackers have become more sophisticated and diligent in their efforts to disrupt the markets. The effects of the attacks are far-reaching – spanning from the loss of public trust to collapses in stock prices and executive firings.

With cybersecurity risk looming in the background, how will it affect the upcoming filing season? Join our panel of experts to discuss what new regulations might be implemented in 2018 and how the potential for the SEC to change its stance on the definition of “extraordinary events” will impact your business. We will also explore whether institutional investors will lead the charge for new regulations – or if we will see shareholder activism rise up and take on this issue. The panel will address questions including:

• How incident response has evolved with the increase in cybersecurity events;
• What others in the industry are doing in regard to cyber liability insurance;
• Timing of disclosure in periodic reports, when should you disclose and how much do you report; and
• What is the litigation path beginning to look like? What to expect?

The IR professional’s role has evolved into a significant function at large companies – especially those with an international shareholder base. From corporate sustainability and SEC disclosure effectiveness to revenue recognition and reputation management, today’s IR professionals are instrumental in value creation and are more vital to public companies than ever. With the end of each fiscal quarter comes preparation for the ubiquitous earnings announcement, where IROs must be fully versed on the issues of the day and how they impact shareholder value.

Given the vast spectrum of information they manage and the litany of regulatory and compliance standards they must consider on a day-to-day basis, IR professionals are fast-becoming a critical component of corporate management. On September 27, 2017,  we shared a number of key insights regarding the increasingly important role of IR professionals and discuss the most important issues facing public companies today.

With executive orders around Dodd-Frank, coupled with leadership changes within the SEC, our moderated panel of experts discussed the impact on the way companies do business and approach their compliance strategies, including:

• Anticipated changes and developments to current regulations under the new administration
• Likely changes to SEC reporting and disclosure requirements
• Strategies for navigating compliance in the Trump era​

The expert panel included:

• Patrick Oot, Partner, Shook, Hardy & Bacon and former Senior Special Counsel at the US Securities and Exchange Commission
• Scott Kimpel, Partner, Hunton & Williams
• Mark E. Harrington, former General Counsel, United Online

Intelligize experts Phil Brown, Rob Peters and Marc Butler shared early insights on how companies handled risk factors related to the Trump administration for the 2017 SEC reporting season and other hot topics like revenue recognition and non-GAAP reporting, to help you prepare your own filing strategy for the year.

This webinar focused on S&P 500 filings and material reporting and how those companies reacted to the uncertainties of the 2017 reporting season.