This course is for business, technology, compliance, and other professionals without a legal background who work with, invest in, or advise public companies. You will start with ongoing disclosure: how a company becomes a reporting company under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, what Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K require, and how materiality guides decisions about what to disclose and when. You will then turn to shareholder voting, including how proxies work, how the SEC’s proxy rules require disclosure and prohibit fraud, and how proxy fights unfold. You will also examine Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals, including who can submit them, when companies may exclude them, and how the SEC’s role has changed. Throughout, you will weigh the limits of shareholder democracy and the role of disclosure in informed decision-making.

Securities Law: Public Company Disclosure & Governance
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Securities Law: Public Company Disclosure & Governance
This course is part of Securities Law for Business and Finance Professionals Specialization

Instructor: Verity Winship
Included with Learn more
Recommended experience
What you'll learn
How companies become reporting companies and what Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K require, including risk factors, MD&A, and officer certifications.
Apply the materiality standard to decide when a company must disclose events, including the four-business-day timing rule for Form 8-K.
Analyze how federal proxy rules, proxy fights, & Rule 14a-8 shareholder proposals shape voting rights & shareholder influence in public companies.
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November 2026
15 assignments
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University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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