Virtual Shareholder Meetings Reconsidered

67 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2011 Last revised: 2 Apr 2011

See all articles by Lisa M. Fairfax

Lisa M. Fairfax

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School - Institute for Law and Economics; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Date Written: 2010

Abstract

In 2000 Delaware enacted a statute enabling corporations to host meetings solely by electronic means of communication rather than in a physical location. Since that time, several states have followed Delaware's lead, and the American Bar Association has proposed changing the Model Business Corporation Act to provide for some form of virtual shareholder meetings. Many states believed that such meetings would prove to be an important device for shareholders who desire to increase their voice within the corporation. Instead, very few companies have taken advantage of the ability to host such meetings. This Article provides some data on state statutes covering electronic shareholder meetings as well as data regarding corporations that have conducted such meetings. This Article then discusses some of the benefits and drawbacks of conducting an electronic shareholder meeting, concluding that while such meetings may prove beneficial for some corporations, they pose risks that have led to their relatively tepid use almost a decade after such meetings were officially sanctioned.

Keywords: corporate law, corporate governance, shareholder meetings, electronic shareholder meetings, virtual shareholder meetings, shareholder rights, Del. Gen. Code tit. 8 Section 211 (2)(b)

JEL Classification: K22

Suggested Citation

Fairfax, Lisa M., Virtual Shareholder Meetings Reconsidered (2010). Seton Hall Law Review, Vol. 40, No. 1367, 2010, GWU Legal Studies Research Paper No. 539, GWU Law School Public Law Research Paper No. 539, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1787297

Lisa M. Fairfax (Contact Author)

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School - Institute for Law and Economics ( email )

3501 Sansom Street
University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law
Philadelphia, PA 19104
United States
215-746-2243 (Phone)
215-573-2025 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.law.upenn.edu/faculty/fairfaxl

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

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