Stephen M. Honig

practices a broad spectrum of business law, with emphasis on corporate, governance, mergers and acquisitions, securities laws and business planning. He is a member of the firm's Corporate, Life Sciences and Biotechnology, and Private Equity practice groups.

Mr. Honig's career has reflected the technological orientation of the New England area. Today, many of his engagements are in the life sciences, and health care. He also counsels emerging enterprises, including those in life sciences and medical devices. His practice also includes working with founders and senior executives in wealth planning and the interface between their corporate and personal lives.

Based on his experience over time in private and public company transactions, Mr. Honig attempts to apply practical approaches to an engagement, minimizing unnecessary costs and time in protracted negotiations and drafting where there is little client value added.

Mr. Honig also has effected transactions in the following markets: medical data; photovoltaics; electronics; computer hardware and software; semi-conductors; circuit boards; SaaS; telecom; and, e-commerce.

Mr. Honig has served as president of an SEC-registered investment advisor, represented companies and underwriters in public offerings and private placements, represented broker-dealers and market makers, and effected the entry of banks into the securities business.

Mr. Honig has served as trustee of family trusts and, in that capacity, has evaluated and supervised the investment of assets on behalf of the families. He also represents individual, institutional and venture capital investors in equity, debt and lease financings.

In March 2011, Mr. Honig taught American business law and entrepreneurship at the University of Belgorod in Southwestern Russia. Mr. Honig has taught securities law and regularly lectures and writes on governance issues, shareholder disputes, cyber risk, securities law regulation, Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank and the representation of senior executives in establishing compensation regimes in both public and private companies.

Mr. Honig writes regularly on his blog, Law and Other Anomalies, which can be accessed at honiglawblog.com, addressing legal and social issues of current interest.

Mr. Honig is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Securities Law Committees of the Boston and Massachusetts Bar Associations. When serving as principal program director for the National Association of Corporate Directors in New England, he had designed and presented programs for directors and advisors to directors on matters of governance, director duties, boards in crisis, boards faced with regulatory issues, and the legal challenges facing directors under Delaware corporate and Federal securities laws. He is a regular columnist for In-House (the Lawyers Weekly publication directed to in-house attorneys). He is a 1966 graduate of Harvard Law School and holds his undergraduate degree from Columbia College.

Resume

Experience

•Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2003-present
•Schnader Harrison Goldstein & Manello, Boston, Massachusetts
- Partner, 2000-2002
•Goldstein & Manello P.C., Boston, Massachusetts
- Founding Partner, 1976-1999
•Widett & Widett, Boston, Massachusetts
- Partner, 1971-1976
- Associate, 1966-1971

Honors and Awards

•Listed in Massachusetts Super Lawyers, 2004-2011 and 2013-2018

•AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Civic and Charitable Activities

•National Association of Corporate Directors, New England Chapter
- Member of Board of Directors, 2008-2014
- Member, New England Advisory Council, 2014-present
•Steering Committee, Simmons College, Graduate MBA Program, 2006-2011
•Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Massachusetts
- Clerk of Corporation, 2010-present
- Member of Board of Directors, 2008-present
- Chair, Governance Committee and Member, Executive Committee, 2014-present
•Volunteer, Educational Surrogate Parent (designated to assist children) 1997-2007
•Former Member, Legal Panel, Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts

Publications

Selected Publications

•Author, The Law & Other Anomalies Blog

• Over the Years: SEC and Corporate Evolution, New England In-House, February 27, 2020

• It’s Been a Busy Season for Delaware Corporate Law, New England In-House, November 25, 2019

• Brokers and Investment Advisors: In Your Best Interest? New England In-House, August 26, 2019

• Diversity on Corporate Boards: A Tortuous Path, New England In-House, May 28, 2019

• Corporate Insulation and Piercing the Veil, New England In-House, February 25, 2019

• Fiduciary Confusion: States, Entities and Illogic, New England In-House, December 3, 2018

• Director Hot Spots: The Never-ending Litany, New England In-House, August 29, 2018

• 'Digital Economy': You Don't Have a Choice, New England In-House, May 23, 2018

• Mergers & Acquisitions in 2018: Trends and Risk, New England In-House, February 26, 2018

• Delaware Appraisal Law: Searching for Fair Value, New England In-House, November 6, 2017

• Board Term Limits and Age Caps, The Law & other Anomalies, October 23, 2017

• Dela-where? The Ground Rules for M&A Transactions, New England In-House, August 2017

• 'Constituency Directorships': That Dog Don't Hunt, New England In-House, May 2017

• Being a Board Member Certainly Isn't Getting Any Easier, New England In-House, March 2017

• Boards of Directors: the Past, Present and the Future, New England In-House, December 2016

• Recent Corporate Developments: A Practical Guide, New England In-House, August 2016

• Risk Management of Board of Directors in Changing Times, New England In-House, May 2016

• 'Citizens United' and Secret Corporate Contributions, New England In-House, February 2016

• Securities & Exchange Commission: A Frustrated Regulator, New England In-House, November 2015

• The Care and Protection of the Independent Director, New England In-House, September 2015

• Cyber Risk: Is It the New End of the World as We Know It?, New England In-House, May 25, 2015

• Fiduciary Duties in Delaware: Complexity Trumps Clarity, New England In-House, February 2015

• Year Ends with Usual Ambiguities for Corporate World, New England In-House, December 2014

•Co-author, Canadian Acquisitions - Same as the US - Almost, New England In-House, September 2014

• Cyber Security: Ugly Gorillas and the Fiduciary Board, New England In-House, June 2014

• 'No Action Letter': SEC Relief for M&A Finders, New England In-House, April 2014

• Acquisitions Outlook and Review: Lawyering M&A, New England In-House, February 2014

• Crowdfunding: Not as simple as it looks, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, December 2013

• SEC Proposes Rules to Disclose Pay Ratios, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, October 2013

• Public Advertising in 'Private' Regulation D Offerings, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, August 2013

• Putting Internal Corporate Audits into Perspective, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, June 2013

• CEO Succession Planning Often Lost in the Shuffle, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2013

• The Devil is in The Details: Director Minutes and Liability, Carrier Management, March 27, 2013

• Director Liability: Corporate Minutes as Trojan Horse, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, February 2013

• The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Demystified, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, December 2012

• JOBS Act to Impact Reporting Under '34 Act, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2012

• SEC Rule to Allow Use of Advertising in 'Private' Offerings, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, October 2012

• Finding the Law of Finders Proves to be SEC Mystery, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, August 2012

• SEC and Industry Battles Over Regulation: Who Prevails?, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, June 2012

• Corporation Political Contributions and the SEC, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2012

• With JOBS Act, Congress Mandates Major SEC Reform, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, April 2012

• Section 1502: The Heart of Darkness and Dodd-Frank, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2012

• For In-House Counsel, Complexities in SEC Developments, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, February 2012

• Inconsistencies in Dodd-Frank Implementation, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2012

• New SEC Rules Result in Whistleblowing in the Wind, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2011

•Quoted in To the Letter by Shahnaz Mahmud, Family Office Review, July 29, 2011

• The Search for Truth in the Securities Marketplace, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2011

•Quoted in Taking Counsel on Risk Analysis by Tami Kamin-Meyer, Corporate Secretary, June 2011

• Down the Rabbit Hole with the U.S. Supreme Court, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2011

• Pornography and Common Law Private Placements, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2011

• Boards and the Future of Risk, NACD Directorship, Winter 2011

• What Good Governance Means for Stock Prices, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2011

• Dangers for Counsel in Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Provision, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2010

• Securities Law Beyond Dodd-Frank Act, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, September 2010

• Outside Directors' Role in Family Businesses, Family Business, Autumn 2010
•Co-author, U.S. Financial Reform: Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation Provisions for Public Companies, Duane Morris Alert, August 24, 2010

• SEC Cases vs. Companies: Lessons from the Litigators, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2010

• What a Board of Directors Should Do About Risk, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2010

• ' Activist' Securities and Exchange Commission Digs Deep, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2010

• The Changing Perceptions of Risk and the SEC, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2010

• Of Proxies, Pay and Risk: Adventures with the SEC, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2009

• SEC Proceeds with Agenda to Ratchet Up Control of Boards, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, September 2009
• Commission Planning Changes in Proxy Regulation, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2009

• Globalism Augurs International Accounting Standards, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2009

• Board Primacy Under Attack, Executive Counsel, February/March 2009

• Guidelines on Business Abroad Revamped, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2009

• Let's Go Christmas Shopping; a study of acquisitions out of Chapter 11 proceedings, The Deal, December 18, 2008
• Yesteryear's Finders Still Needed in Today's Finance Business, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2008
• As Sun Sets on Summer, Commission in Frantic Mode, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, September 2008

• SEC Eases Resale of Acquisition Shares, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2008

• The Morass of Executive Compensation, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2008

• Agency facilitates e-forums for shareholders, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2008

• The future is now: XBRL is coming your way, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2008

• SEC Proposes to Ease Resale of Restricted Securities, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, November 2007

• Assessing the Real-World Impact of New Rules for Auditing Internal Financial Controls, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, September 2007

• SEC Targets Capital Formation Reform, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2007

• Stock Option Fallout: Where Do We Go From Here?, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, May 2007

• The Painful Evolution of SOX 404, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, March 2007

• SEC Tender Offer Rules Revamped, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2007

• New Disclosure Rules Require Prompt Action, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, October 2006

• A Kinder, Gentler 404? In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2006

• Compensation Wars: Is it Disclosure or is it Morality? In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, April 2006

• 404 Cost-Saving Proposals for Smaller Companies, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2006

• Securities Reform Arrives--For Some Companies, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, October 2005

• Demystifying 404 Reporting Under Sarbanes-Oxley, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, April 2005

• The Curious Shape of Sarbanes-Oxley Litigation, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2005

• Agency Wants to Overhaul Stock Sale Disclosure Rules, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2005

• SEC Looks to Eliminate Fraud in Trading Shares of 'Shell' Corporations, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, July 2004

• Agency Planning to Post Online Comment Letter and Responses, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, October 2004

• Internal Control Reports: The Next New Thing, Get Ready to Comply with Section 404, The Corporate Compliance & Regulatory Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 7, March 2004

• Building a Board For The Pre-IPO Company, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, April 2004

• The 2004 Proxy Season Takes Shape, In House publication of Lawyers Weekly, January 2004

•Co-author, The Morning After: Employment Law and Sarbanes-Oxley, Boston Bar Journal, November/December 2003

• Commission Looks to Remake Proxy Rules, In-House publication of Lawyers Weekly, Fall 2003

• Going Public, chapter in The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. publishers, 2002
•Co-author, The Cost of the Millennium, Corporate Counsel's Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4, October 1996
• Some Practical Perspectives on Liability of In-House Counsel, Corporate Counsel's Quarterly, Vol. 10, No. 4, October 1994
• Escape from Corporate Bondage: Practical Solutions, Boston Bar Journal, Vol. 36, No. 4, September/October 1992
•Co-author, Professional Liability, Massachusetts Law Review, Vol. 73, No. 1 and No. 2, 1988
• When Controlling Stockholders Fight: Law and Practicality Collide, South Shore Business Magazine, 1985
• Massachusetts Securities Regulation: In Search of the Fulcrum, University of Baltimore Law Review, 1984

Speaking Engagements

Selected Speaking Engagements

•Moderator, The Role of Corporate Directors in Policing Cyber Security, New England Chapter of National Association of Corporate Directors, May 14, 2019

•Speaker, Large Privately Held Companies, Seat at the Table, Seminar, Board Options, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts, 2017
•Speaker, Boards of Directors for Emerging Companies, MassChallenge, Boston, Massachusetts, 2017
•Chair and Speaker, Pre-Money Valuations of Emerging Companies, Meeting of Sky Ventures Group, Boston, Massachusetts, 2017
•Speaker, Selected Issues in Drafting Corporate Contracts, Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education panel, May 13, 2015
•Speaker, Noncompetition Agreements for Massachusetts Medical Device Companies, MassMEDIC (Society of device manufacturers), September 16, 2014
•Speaker to the Justices of the Belgorod Arbitral Court, Belgorod Region, Russia, on America Dispute Resolutions, March 2011
•Visiting Professor, Belgorod (Russia) State University, March 2011
•Speaker, Update on Corporate Governance Best Practices & Legislative Initiatives, New England Business & Securities Law Conference 2010, webcast, October 20, 2010
•Speaker, An Unsolicited Acquisition Offer Has Been Made: What Are the Next Steps Board Members Should Take? Stybel Peabody/Board Options, Inc. Seat at the Table Series, Waltham, Massachusetts, September 28, 2010
•Webinar Panelist, Establishing and Maintaining Effective Enterprise Risk Management Practices, 3rd Board Risk Management Seminar, April 12, 2010
•Panelist, Meeting the Fiduciary Standards in Private Board Settings, NACD Series April 2009
•Speaker, Developments in Governance and the Impact on Internal Risk Management, Seminars for Non-Profits in Providence, Rhode Island and Boston, Massachusetts, October 2008
•Program Chair, Developments in the Governance of Non-Profits, New England Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Boston, Massachusetts, June 10, 2008
•Moderator, Relationship of Shareholder Control Mechanisms to Financial Success, program, Boston/New England Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Boston, Massachusetts, November 6, 2007
•Speaker, Sarbanes-Oxley Act (section on director and officer impact, whistleblowing, section 404 internal controls, fairness opinions), Lorman Education Services, Boston, Massachusetts, 2006
•Moderator, Exit Strategies: A Case Study of Board Interaction, National Association of Corporate Directors Program, Boston, Massachusetts, 2005
•Speaker, Sarbanes-Oxley Act (sections on director and officer impact, whistleblowing and section 404 internal controls), Lorman Education Services, Boston, Massachusetts, 2005
•Moderator and Speaker, Is it Too Risky to be a Board Member? National Association of Corporate Directors Program, Providence, Rhode Island, 2005
•Speaker, Rights and Responsibilities of Public Employers, Executives and Lawyers after Sarbanes-Oxley, American Law Institute-American Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, 2003
•Chair and Speaker, Doing Business in Challenging Economic Times, Lorman Education Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2002
•Speaker, Protecting In-House Counsel, Northeast Conference, American Corporate Counsel Association, Waltham, Massachusetts, 1994
•Speaker, Legal and Antitrust Aspects of Foreign Companies Entering into the Computer Business in the United States, National Conference, Computer Law Association, Toronto, Canada, 1983