I found the following interesting from D&O Compass, as reported by Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. – perhaps desired director skill sets are including or starting to include culture or HR, corporate social responsibility or ESG, and other non-financial skills and backgrounds.

But I am a bit curious about one of the comments: “. . . there is an ongoing director-level shift away from ‘traditional’ skills such as financial expertise, audit expertise, and CEO experience.” I would argue, however, that financial expertise, audit expertise, and CEO experience also can relate and be pertinent to culture or HR, corporate social responsibility, and ESG.

In fact, as you might know from my other posts and materials, it is not uncommon for the audit committee to be delegated initial risk management oversight (although in my view overall oversight of risk management remains as a board responsibility), and it has been my view that culture, corporate social responsibility and ESG, including governance, offer potential opportunities for internal audit and external audit to provide new and enhanced value-added services that could be helpful to management including executive management, the board, and audit or risk committees, and that those services could also benefit the organization as a whole and the shareholders. Please excuse the less-than-fantastic quality of the D&O Compass materials, as that was the best that could be done. Best to you, David Tate, Esq., San Francisco/California.

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this website. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly.

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.

I am also the new Chair of the Business Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

Blogs: Trust, estate/probate, power of attorney, conservatorship, elder and dependent adult abuse, nursing home and care, disability, discrimination, personal injury, responsibilities and rights, and other related litigation, and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com; Business, D&O, board, director, audit committee, shareholder, founder, owner, and investor litigation, governance, responsibilities and rights, compliance, investigations, and risk management  http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

The following are copies of the tables of contents of three of the more formal materials that I have written over the years about accounting/auditing, audit committees, and related legal topics – Accounting and Its Legal Implications was my first formal effort, which resulted in a published book that had more of an accounting and auditing focus; Chapter 5A, Audit Committee Functions and Responsibilities, for the California Continuing Education of the Bar has a more legal focus; and the most recent Tate’s Excellent Audit Committee Guide (February 2017) also has a more legal focus:

Accounting and Its Legal Implications

Chapter 5A, Audit Committee Functions and Responsibilities, CEB Advising and Defending Corporate Directors and Officers

Tate’s Excellent Audit Committee Guide

The following are other summary materials that you might find useful:

From a prior blog post which you can find at https://wp.me/p75iWX-dk if the below scan is too difficult to read:

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