April 18, 2003
Anyone who has filed a
Anyone who has filed a 1933 Act registration statement in the past year or two knows that the staff has been reviewing and commenting on Exhibit 5 opinions. The ABA Federal Regulation of Securities Committee established a task force last year to review Exhibit 5 opinion practice and attempt to work with the staff to develop practices and forms of opinion that satisfy the staff and don’t give heartburn to opining counsel. We hear that the dialogue between the staff and the ABA is proceeding productively. When the ABA report is finalized, we’ll post it here.
As we posted on April 9, Senator Carl Levin attached an amendment to a Senate bill (relating to charitable giving) seeking to give the SEC fining authority. That bill passed the Senate by a vote of 95 to 5, and would allow the SEC to impose fines on lawyers who advise public companies in connection with filings that violate the federal securities laws. Critics of the bill say it will chill communications between lawyers and their public company clients and make lawyers more conservative in advising companies regarding their disclosure obligations.