Japanese companies have not always had set the standard for corporate governance, but a current initiative of the current governmental administration is trying to change that. As part of ongoing efforts to try to revitalize the Japanese economy, an advisory committee to the country’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) has introduced a draft proposed corporate governance
International D & O
Class Action Litigation Developments in Australia
There were a number of key class action litigation developments in Australia during 2014, according to a recent memo from the Jones Day law firm. Among other things, there were significant developments in particular in the securities class action litigation arena, according to the memo. The memo, which is entitled “Class Actions in Australia: 2014 …
Guest Post: U.S. Long Arm Jurisdiction Creates New Terrorism Headaches for Banks (Among Others!)
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n prior posts (most recently here), I have noted the growing problems involved with the increasing willingness of U.S. regulators to exert their regulatory and enforcement authority outside of the U.S. In the following guest post, Francis Kean of Willis examines a recent decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the …
Guest Post: Evolutionary Change in the Liability of an Independent Director in India
The recent Satyam scandal and ensuing litigation put the duties of independent directors under scrutiny. The recently enacted Companies Act of 2013 addressed a number of issues relating to the duties and liabilities of independent directors. In the following guest post, Burzin Somandy of Somandy & Associates in Mumbai takes a look at the approach…
Guest Post: Activist Shareholder: The New Kid on the German D&O-Block
Although I try to include on this blog topics involving issues from outside the United States, because of my background and experience, U.S-related topics tend to predominate. That is why I am always grateful to have the opportunity to publish a guest post from a non-U.S. reader. I have published below an article discussing D&O …
Class Action Litigation in Latin America: Where We Are Now, Where We Could Be Headed
Among the features of the U.S. legal system that foreign observers often single out for concern is the availability of class action litigation procedures. The fact is, however, that many countries around the world have adopted some form of class action procedure, at least for consumer-oriented litigation. According to a recent report, Latin America is …
Sounding the Securities Litigation Alarm in Australia
In an interesting and provocative article, an Australian attorney has sounded the alarm on escalating securities class action litigation in his country. The May 2014 article, written by John Emmerig of the Jones Day la firm’s Sydney office, is entitled “Securities Class Actions Escalate in Australia” (here). The article suggests that in light …
NERA: Canadian Securities Class Action Filings Steady in 2013
There were ten securities class action lawsuits filed in Canada in 2013, the same number as were filed in 2012 and only slightly below the annual average number of 11. 6 filings during the period 2006-2012, according to a February 19, 2014 report from NERA Economic Consulting entitled “Trends in Canadian Securities Class Actions: 2013 …
Guest Post: Addressing D&O Insurance in German Board Members’ and Managing Directors’ Management Services Agreements
A company’s obligations to its directors and officers with respect to the purchase and maintenance of D&O insurance is a topic of ongoing interest and concern for the individuals involved. In the following Guest Post, Burkhard Fassbach and Thilo Fleck take a look at this topic with a particular focus on the issues involving German …
Kiwi Supreme: Claimants’ “Charge” on D&O Insurance Blocks Payment of Directors’ Defense Costs
In a December 23, 2013 ruling that will be surprising and unwelcome to D&O insurers and their insureds in New Zealand (and perhaps elsewhere) , the New Zealand Supreme Court has reversed the holding of an intermediate appellate court and ruled that, by operation of a statutory “charge” on insurance in favor of third party…