Overview
Laura Richman’s wide-ranging corporate and securities practice has a strong focus on corporate governance issues and public disclosure obligations. Laura’s practice includes Securities and Exchange Commission reports, such as proxy statements and annual, quarterly and current reports. She advises on executive compensation disclosure, insider trading regulation and Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance. Laura regularly counsels clients on ongoing SEC rulemaking impacting public companies, including with respect to climate change, cybersecurity, human capital management and board diversity. Laura represents listed company clients with respect to stock exchange compliance matters. She advises clients on governance policies and other board and shareholder matters. In addition, her practice includes representing clients on transactions such as securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions, as well as providing general securities, corporate, limited liability company and contract advice. Laura has practiced with Mayer Brown since 1981.
With regard to securities transactions, Laura represents issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of debt and equity securities (both initial public offerings and offerings of seasoned, public companies), including guidance on federal and state securities law compliance. She also advises issuers in connection with the securities law aspects of employee benefit plans and dividend reinvestment plans.
Other transactional matters in which Laura represents corporate clients include acquisitions and dispositions of assets or stock, restructurings (such as holding company formation) and going-private transactions. She also advises investors in leveraged buyout transactions, and represents financial institutions that take equity positions in companies. Laura advises clients on shareholder rights plans and anti-takeover protection provisions.
In addition to her governance and transactional practice, Laura counsels clients on day-to-day corporate questions. She drafts and reviews contracts and other corporate documentation, prepares terms and conditions of sale, provides guidance on limited liability company and other limited liability entity issues, and assists clients with various regulatory issues.
Areas of Focus
Spoken Languages
- English
Experience
- Advises public company clients on current developments in SEC and stock exchange regulation, such as executive compensation disclosure, corporate governance disclosure and proxy statement developments.
- Served as designated underwriters' counsel for a $13 billion global bank note program.
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Represented a private company on a sale of substantially all the assets of certain subsidiaries.
- Represented an issuer on a $500 million trust preferred securities offering, qualifying for significant equity treatment by the rating agencies.
Events
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December 142022
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November 152022
News
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August 022022
Investors Put Forward More Proposals, Dialing Up Pressure on Companies
The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) -
October 142021
Education
Yale University, BA, magna cum laude
The University of Chicago Law School, JD
Admissions
- Illinois