Michael W. Peregrine
Subscribe to Michael W. Peregrine's PostsMichael W. Peregrine represents corporations (and their officers and directors) in connection with governance, corporate structure, fiduciary duties, officer-director liability issues, charitable trust law and corporate alliances. Michael is recognized as one of the leading national practitioners in corporate governance law. Read Michael W. Peregrine's full bio.
A Tale of Two Workforces, and the Board’s Urgent Challenge
By Michael W. Peregrine on Aug 24, 2021
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment
How should corporate boards respond to the Delta variant? In this Forbes article, McDermott’s Michael Peregrine argues that the way in which a board responds to the challenge may “well define its future credibility on workforce culture concerns.” “The new, Delta-prompted potential for intra-organizational clash is the latest and potentially one of the most significant...
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The Simple Question That Every Board Should Ask Its CEO This Week
By Michael W. Peregrine on Aug 10, 2021
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Labor
As the Delta variant continues to spread across the United States, companies are once again having to make tough decisions. In this Forbes article, McDermott partner Michael Peregrine says corporate boards should ask their CEOs how they will respond to the pandemic’s latest development. “At a time when most businesses were aggressively moving forward with...
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Business Leaders Must Confront the Corporate Impact of the CDC Mask Controversy
By Michael W. Peregrine on Jun 17, 2021
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Health and Welfare Plans
When the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed its mask guidance in May, the news caught many people—especially corporate America—off guard. In this Forbes article, McDermott partner Michael W. Peregrine argues that companies need to provide stakeholders with clear health and safety messaging in light of mandates from state and local governments....
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The Board’s Role in Preventing—and Extinguishing—Employee Burnout
By Michael W. Peregrine on Jun 3, 2021
Posted In Employee Benefits
One of the COVID-19 pandemic’s most insidious harms has been the impact on employee health, morale and productivity arising from the erosion of home/work boundaries. In this Forbes article, McDermott partner Michael W. Peregrine argues that the mitigation of such harms is a board’s business. Access the article.
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A Living Wage: The Latest ESG Challenge for Corporate Governance
By Michael W. Peregrine on May 7, 2021
Posted In Employee Benefits, Employment, Executive Compensation
Long considered controversial from economic and shareholder perspectives, living wage concepts are receiving more attention in the context of economic policy, social responsibility and ESG investing. As progressive perspectives concerning income equality, and executive and employee compensation, are becoming more mainstream, corporate leaders should prepare for greater engagement in this important conversation. Access the article
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The “Glass Cliff” Challenge for Corporate Governance
By Michael W. Peregrine on Mar 18, 2021
Posted In Employment, Labor
Most corporate directors are familiar with the term “glass ceiling”—as they should be. Fewer directors are familiar with the term “glass cliff”—but they should be. For their ability to recognize the distinction between the two, and respond to the related challenges, will be critical to a company’s efforts to assure gender equality within its workforce....
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Racial Diversity, Gender Equality and Corporate Governance: An Update
By Michael W. Peregrine on Feb 23, 2021
Posted In Employment
Corporate governing boards have a substantial homework assignment given multiple important developments affecting board composition and oversight of workforce culture. These developments encompass new surveys from prominent governance and consulting sources, notable litigation trends and a new state law. Collectively, they represent an accelerated focus by third parties on how directors are selected and employees...
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Women and the Pandemic Workplace: Leadership’s Critical New Challenges
By Michael W. Peregrine on Nov 17, 2020
Posted In Employment, Labor
Leadership’s responsibility for assuring gender equality within the workplace just received an important, highly public “push.” In a recent article in Forbes, McDermott partner Michael Peregrine analyzes a crucial study by McKinsey and LeanIn.org, which concluded that women have born an outsized workplace-related burden during the COVID-19 economy. Access the article.
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The Accountability Pendulum Nudges Back Towards Executives
By Michael W. Peregrine on Mar 5, 2020
Posted In Employment, Executive Compensation
Several new, highly public developments showcase prominent executives being subjected to significant financial penalties, loss of employment and reputational damage arising from allegations that they bore responsibility for corporate scandals to which they contributed, directly or indirectly. Even though these developments are unique in their nature and scope, the sheer magnitude of the penalties asserted...
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Governing Health Podcast Series: Health Care Industry Executive Compensation Trends
By Michael W. Peregrine and Ralph E. DeJong on May 15, 2018
Posted In Employee Benefits, Executive Compensation
Executive compensation for the health care industry is always an important topic for the board, made even more critical by the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and recent governance trends. We’re joined by two of the leading health care industry voices on executive compensation practices: Tim Cotter of Sullivan, Cotter and Associates,...
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