The final quarter of 2012 and the early weeks of 2013 have already brought about many changes at the Securities and Exchange Commission. On December 14, 2012, Mary L. Schapiro stepped down from her position as chairman of the SEC and President Obama designated Elisse Walter to be Schapiro’s interim replacement. As recent as January 24, Obama named Mary Jo White to assume the role of SEC chairman, subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. In the interim, Walter designated Lona Nallengara as acting director of the Division of Corporation Finance to replace Meredith B. Cross, who departed her position in December 2012; Walter also named John Ramsay as acting director of the Division of Trading and Markets to replace Robert W. Cook. On January 7, the SEC announced that Geoffrey F. Aronow would begin his role as the agency’s general counsel later in the month to replace Mark D. Cahn. Finally, on January 9, Robert S. Khuzami announced his upcoming departure from the position of director of enforcement at the SEC.
While we cannot confirm how these changes will affect the practice of securities law, we do believe that some securities law developments will see the light in the coming year. First, amended listing standards from securities exchanges, mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank) and recently approved by the SEC, are due to take effect later this year. Second, the SEC will most likely be engaging in rulemaking pursuant to Dodd-Frank. Finally, new developments concerning the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act) have been taking place and are expected to continue. This article briefly summarizes these developments.
