PHILADELPHIA – Stradley Ronon
Sara P. Crovitz and George Michael Gerstein, members of Stradley Ronon’s new
environmental, social & governance (ESG) group, served as panelists on the Mutual Fund Directors Forum program, “ESG, Proxy Voting and Engagement – Where DOL and SEC Regulation has Been and Where it May be Going,” on Feb. 25. Crovitz and Gerstein provided updates on the state of current Department of Labor and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regulation around ESG and proxy voting/engagement and what may be coming from the regulators under new leadership.
Crovitz provides counsel on all aspects of
investment company and
investment adviser regulation. Before joining Stradley Ronon, Crovitz had more than 20 years of experience at the SEC. In her most recent position of Deputy Chief Counsel in the Division of Investment Management, Crovitz worked with a team of over 50 attorneys in issuing exemptive orders, no-action/interpretive letters, IM Guidance Updates and other written and oral guidance, including guidance related to MiFID II, clean shares and auditor independence. For many years, she also led the Division's international obligations, including IOSCO and FSB work streams.
Gerstein advises plan sponsors and financial services firms on the fiduciary and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA and the rules and regulations applicable to governmental plans. He’s also co-chair of the
fiduciary governance and
ESG groups. He’s authored numerous articles on the interplay of ERISA and ESG investing.
Stradley Ronon’s
ESG group offers clients a holistic approach to help clients navigate a rapidly evolving landscape of legal and regulatory developments (e.g., ERISA, Advisers Act, Clean Air Act, etc.), stewardship codes, disclosure frameworks and nongovernmental organization codes of conduct, on a wide range of ESG risks, ranging from climate change to diversity and inclusion to executive compensation to renewable energy projects to cybersecurity.
About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in seven strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.