Corporate Ethics and Sarbanes-Oxley
Edward L. Pittman and Frank J. Navran of Thelen LLP
In 2002, the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley heralded sweeping reforms affecting the content and preparation of disclosure documents by public companies. More recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission approved listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market that now require companies to have codes of ethics governing the conduct of all their directors, officers, and employees. This article explores the significant issues related to compliance with these new standards, and their effect on the operation of public companies.