A&O Shearman was formed in 2024 via the merger of two historic firms, Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling. With nearly 4,000 lawyers globally, we are equally fluent in English law, U.S. law and the laws of the world’s most dynamic markets.
This combination creates a new kind of law firm, one built to achieve unparalleled outcomes for our clients on their most complex, multijurisdictional matters – everywhere in the world. A firm that advises at the forefront of the forces changing the current of global business and that is unrivalled in its global strength.
Our clients benefit from the collective experience of teams who work with many of the world’s most influential companies and institutions, and have a history of precedent-setting innovations.
Together our lawyers advise more than a third of NYSE-listed businesses, a fifth of the NASDAQ and a notable proportion of the London Stock Exchange, the Euronext, Euronext Paris and the Tokyo and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.
The corporate governance debate among companies, institutional
investors and advocacy groups has taken a shift over the past few
proxy seasons. Discussions have moved beyond disclosures in the
proxy statement and shareholder proposals to other topics, chief
among them being board diversity.
The debate is no longer limited to whether board diversity is
good and how it can strengthen board decision-making. It is now
focused on how companies are supporting the development of diverse
board talent, how are they changing their director recruitment
practices and when there will be meaningful change in board
composition.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.
