Blog

Public Companies & the Law

The issues facing public companies change rapidly. Our Public Companies & the Law blog helps companies and their management, board members and in-house counsel stay one step ahead. 

SEC Proposes Sweeping Registered Offering Reform and Filer Status Simplification
Blog May 20, 2026
On May 19, 2026, the Securities and Exchange Commission issued two companion proposed rulemakings that, if adopted, would represent the most significant overhaul of the Securities Act registration framework and Exchange Act filer status system in over two decades…
Reforming Regulation S‑K: Chairman Atkins Signals a Return to Materiality
Blog January 20, 2026
On January 13, 2026, SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins has announced a comprehensive, materiality‑first review of Regulation S‑K to combat disclosure overload and sharpen focus on what a reasonable investor would find useful for making investment decisions…
SEC Staff Updates Guidance to Enable IPOs During Government Shutdown
Blog October 20, 2025
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance updated its government shutdown guidance on October 9, 2025 to provide a more flexible path for initial public offerings (IPOs) and other registered offerings to proceed while the SEC is not fully operational…
SEC Signals Potential Shift in Disclosure Requirements
Blog July 11, 2025
Recent developments at the SEC highlight the Commission’s focus on reducing disclosure burdens for companies and encouraging public capital formation…
Congress Considering Securities Offering Reform to Encourage Capital Formation
Blog March 28, 2025
On Tuesday, March 5th, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee debated several bills that could have a significant impact on capital formation in private and public markets…
2024 OASB Report on IPO Activity and Small Public Companies
Blog December 17, 2024
The SEC Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation has released its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2024, shedding light on the current state of IPOs and the challenges faced by small public companies in the U.S…
Biotech Public Markets Finally Thawing(?): Two Massachusetts Biotechs file S-1s
Blog August 23, 2024
In an encouraging sign that the equity capital markets may be improving for biotechnology companies, Bicara Therapeutics Inc. and Zenas Biopharma, Inc. filed S-1 registration statements yesterday, signaling their intention to complete initial public offerings. Both underwriting syndicates are being led by Morgan Stanley. If successful, they would be the third and fourth Massachusetts biotech IPOs in 2024…
2020: The Year of the SPAC
Blog September 25, 2020
2020 has been a banner year for IPOs by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs. Over 100 SPAC IPOs have closed so far in 2020, with aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $42.1 billion and an average IPO size of $382.4 million.[1] This represents a dramatic increase from 2019, in which 59 SPAC IPOs closed, with aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $13.6 billion and an average IPO size of $230.5 million…
1 of 3

ABOUT

We know that the issues facing public companies change rapidly, and we cover the topics that we know are on the minds of management, board members and in-house counsel. Attorneys from Foley Hoag’s Capital Markets practice provide updates on new and proposed regulations, analysis of interpretive guidance, best practices on governance issues as well as reminders on disclosure and compliance obligations that will keep you on track.