David A. Bell
Partner, Corporate
Mountain View
We partner with our clients to anticipate and navigate issues arising in an evolving corporate governance landscape, including executive compensation, corporate purpose and sustainability, shareholder engagement and corporate crises.
As a leading technology and life sciences law firm, Fenwick advises companies on the full suite of corporate governance matters. Clients benefit from our multidisciplinary team approach and our knowledge of the latest developments, whether in the areas of governance structure, boardroom refreshment and diversity, shareholder activism, proxy advisors, or environmental and social responsibility. Our clients range from late-stage private and newly public companies to established multinational corporations.
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Services Overview
- Counseling on evolving trends and best practices for corporate governance, including review and updating of charters and bylaws, and board and committee structure, leadership and composition, as well as the governance requirements of relevant securities exchanges
- Representing corporations and boards, and representing companies, directors and officers in special investigations into alleged bribery and corruption, accounting fraud, improper conduct, privacy and cybersecurity, insider trading and a wide variety of SEC, DOJ and whistleblower investigations
- Advising on fiduciary duties of directors and officers, including counseling and representation in conflict of interest and controlling stockholder matters, as well as going-private transactions
- Senior executive and director compensation processes and planning
- Advising on executive and director succession and business continuity planning and guiding board and board committee evaluation and refreshment processes
- Counseling and representation on issues relating to engagement with institutional investors and proxy advisors
- Counseling and representation in shareholder proposals, director nomination and other proxy contests, and in shareholder activist defense and hostile takeovers
- Advising on crisis management
- Assisting with enterprise risk identification and management
Practice Leads
Dean Kristy
Partner, Securities Litigation
San Francisco
Our cross-functional teams include practitioners with deep experience in:
- Capital markets and public company matters
- Securities litigation and special investigations
- Executive compensation
- Activist and hostile takeover defense
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Corporate law and broad corporate services
- White collar and enforcement
- Employment and labor matters