In the Boardroom: Board Basics

09/07/22 • 25 min

From the Edge: Insights on the Innovation Economy

Welcome to our new podcast series In the Boardroom: Practical Advice and Guidance, featuring insights from Mintz Members Steve Osborn, Melanie Levy, and Tom Burton on a wide variety of topics specific to boards. They’ll answer all of your questions related to the “who, what, when, where, and how” of boards. For decades, Steve, Melanie, and Tom have guided companies from inception to exit and encountered, navigated, and mitigated innumerable board-related issues. From their experiences, you can learn a great deal. Let’s take a listen! Session 1: Board Basics Our first session covers the following topics: • What is a board of directors, when is it formed, and what’s the ‘best’ composition? (Hint: odd numbers are key!) • Who sits on a board of directors (i.e., founders, investors, and independents), how are they selected, and how does the composition of a board change over time? • What is NOT a board (e.g., scientific advisors and observers)? • What are the duties of the board? • How should boards handle confidential information? • Client question - How often should boards meet, and what should occur in these meetings? (Second hint: surprises should never occur!) We hope you enjoy listening. And stay tuned for our next session, which will cover running an effective board meeting!

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SPAC Chat Ep. 5: Tempering the SPAC Hype

Please join your favorite SPAC corporate attorneys, Tom Burton, Sahir Surmeli, and Jeff Schultz as they set the record straight on SPACs’ apparent boom and bust, heavily reported on in the media. In this episode, they will address the few reasons why SPAC transactions have slowed down, including the SEC’s heightened scrutiny, the question over company valuations, and recent market shifts. They will also explore the advantages now present in this new SPAC era. The Mintz team has handled numerous multibillion-dollar SPAC transactions in recent months, including for XL Fleet and Butterfly Network, as well as the recently announced deals involving Quantum-SI, DeepGreen Metals, and Vicarious Surgical. Mintz’s SPAC practice draws from decades of experience guiding clients in a broad spectrum of industries through the intricacies of SPAC financings. The firm handled the first New York Stock Exchange SPAC transaction and has completed over 35 SPAC transactions, including SPAC IPOs and de-SPAC mergers.

Next Episode

In the Boardroom: Running an Effective Board Meeting

Our In the Boardroom: Practical Advice and Guidance podcast series features insights from Mintz Members Steve Osborn, Melanie Levy, and Tom Burton on a wide variety of topics specific to boards. For decades, Steve, Melanie, and Tom have guided companies from inception to exit, and have encountered, navigated, and mitigated innumerable board-related issues. From their experiences, you can learn a great deal. Let’s take a listen! In our second session, “Running an Effective Board Meeting,” the team discusses key considerations for public and private companies in this critical area of governance, including: • Best practices in formulating the agenda • Preparation of the presentation deck • Framing of issues and goals • Shareholder relations • Major news, including negative news • Executive sessions and closed sessions • The value of transparency We hope you enjoy listening. And stay tuned for our next session, which will cover the basics of board committees!