Partner Robert Kohl Authors Article in CorporateLiveWire on Social Policy Provisions of Dodd-Frank Act

Robert Kohl, Co-Chair of the firm's Securities Practice, authored an article in CorporateLiveWire on two sections of the Dodd-Frank Act that aim to implement social policy goals by means of public company disclosure. Compliance with these two provisions is likely to be extremely burdensome and costly for public companies.  The article concerns Section 1502, which creates disclosure and reporting requirements regarding public companies' use of "conflict minerals" from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries, and Section 953(b), which requires publicly traded companies to disclose in their annual meeting proxy statements and certain other filings the median compensation of all employees, the compensation of their CEO and the ratio between the two. ("Social Policy Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act Create Compliance Difficulties for Public Companies," May 12, 2011)