In the present uncertain legal and regulatory environment, the role of shareholder activists in scrutinizing corporate behavior seems to be gaining steam. See, e.g., An Activist Investment in Whole Foods Exposes Shifting Power on Wall St. We are increasingly seeing corporate internal investigations being influenced, if not driven by, the presence of activists on the Board. It remains to be seen whether the role of activists in policing corporate governance and other corporate regulatory issues will continue to increase in an environment where SEC Enforcement is increasingly under pressure (budgetary and otherwise) from the current presidential administration.

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