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JOIN THE COMMITTEE ONLINE! FREE FOR ALL BUSINESS LAW MEMBERS
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2009 SPRING MEETING
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MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON LAW AND ACCOUNTING:
Perhaps more than at any time in recent memory, accounting issues have been
at the forefront. "Mark-to-market" accounting, IFRS, and loss
contingency disclosures have all been highly visible and often contentious
issues in the legal, business and political spheres. Every indication is
that these issues will continue to be lively and controversial during the
rest of this year.
We are looking forward to seeing you and engaging on these and other issues
at the Business Law Section's Spring Meeting in Vancouver. Please plan on
attending our Committee meeting and program. Here's a description of our
planned activities in Vancouver, as well as an update on some of the
Committee's recent projects.
Committee Meeting
Our committee meeting is from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April
18, in the Vancouver Convention Exhibition Centre West, Room 210, Level
2. Some of the expected topics include:
Fair Value Accounting The SEC's report on fair value
accounting, recent actions by FASB and IASB and other developments in the
continuing controversy.
FASB Proposed Disclosure Standards for Loss Contingencies The
FASB's roundtables on the FAS 5 disclosure proposals and ongoing
developments.
FASBOther recent FASB activities.
PCAOB Current developments, including proposed auditing
standard on engagement quality review, new reporting rules for accounting
firms, and cooperation with foreign accounting regulators.
OrganizationalIf time permits, we hope to discuss:
- Alternative ways we can deliver value to members, such as webcasts,
telephone briefings, and other content sources.
- Expanding our focusareas of intersection of law and accounting
beyond just the financial reporting sphere.
Even if you are unable to attend the meeting, please give me your
thoughts on the foregoing. Also, we are always looking for support from
members who would like to participate in our projects or who have ideas
about what the Committee might do.
Committee Program
"Cross Border Impact of U.S. Adoption of International Financial
Reporting Standards" 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on
Saturday, April 18, in the Vancouver Convention Exhibition Centre West,
Room 208-09, Level 2co-sponsored with the Committee on Federal
Regulation of Securities. We are planning a multi-faceted panel, which
will be moderated by Thomas White of WilmerHale and Rob Collins of Blakes.
We will discuss the status of the SEC's roadmap on IFRS in light of recent
comments by SEC Chairman Schapiro and other developments. We will also
consider Canada's process for transition to IFRS by 2011 and the lessons of
that experience for U.S. conversion. Finally, we will hear from an
accounting executive at a major multinational about the challenges faced by
these companies in planning for IFRS conversion in the U.S. and other
jurisdictions. Panelists will include Paul Cienki, Vice President,
Government Accounting and Compliance, Honeywell International, Inc.; Philip
Dowad, Audit Partner, KPMG LLP (Canada); and Linda Griggs, partner, of
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP.
Recent Meetings and Programs
2008 Annual Meeting. On August 10, 2008, we presented a program at
the ABA Annual Meeting, co-sponsored by the Committee on Federal Regulation
of Securities, on "The SEC's Advisory Committee on Improvements to
Financial Reporting and Other Financial Reporting Developments." Our
committee meeting also featured Gordon Seymour, General Counsel of the
PCAOB.
CLE Webcast. On November 10, 2008, we presented a webcast,
co-sponsored by the Banking Law Committee, on "The Mark-to-Market
Accounting Controversy."
2008 Fall Meeting. On November 21, 2008, we presented a program at
the Business Law Section Spring Meeting, again co-sponsored by the
Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities, on "Getting Ready for
Financial Statement Convergence." Our committee meeting featured Wayne
Carnall, Chief Accountant of the Division of Corporation Finance of the
SEC.
You can find summaries of our recent committee meetings, along with Randy
McClanahan's very useful summaries of current FASB developments, at the
Committee's webpage: Section of Business Law: Law and
Accounting.
Committee Comment Letters
SEC Rulemaking File S7-11-08, "Interactive Data to Improve
Financial Reporting." We participated with the Federal Regulation of
Securities Committee in the preparation of a comment letter on the SEC's
XBRL proposal, which was filed on August 6, 2008. The Commission issued
its final XBRL rules on January 30, 2009.
FASB Proposed FSP 141R-a, "Assets and Liabilities Arising from
Contingencies in a Business Combination." The FASB proposed to amend
SFAS 141R to change the accounting for contingencies acquired or assumed in
business combinations. We filed a comment letter on January 16, 2009. On
February 25, 2009, the FASB approved a revised FSP 141R-a that reflected
several comments we made in our letter.
SEC Rulemaking File S7-27-08, "Roadmap for the Potential Use of
Financial Statements Prepared in Accordance with International Financial
Reporting Standards by U.S. Issuers." Together with the Federal
Regulation of Securities and Audit Letter Response Committees, we are
preparing a comment letter on the SEC's proposed IFRS roadmap. The comment
letter is due on April 20, 2009. Our draft is in processplease
let me know if you wish to participate in the drafting committee.
Upcoming Program
We will be co-sponsoring a program along with the Federal Regulation of
Securities Committee at the Second Global Business Law Program in Hong Kong
on June 11, 2009. The topic will be "Asian Companies and the SEC:
Strategies for Complying with Different Regulatory Regimes." Among
other topics, the panel, including a representative from
Pricewaterhouse Coopers' Shanghai office, will discuss accounting issues faced by Chinese companies
seeking access to the U.S. markets and China's experience in transitioning
to IFRS.
As our agenda indicates, accounting issues will continue to be important
for our clients. Our Committee meetings, our participation in programs and
the drafting of comment letters and articles about accounting developments
provide valuable resources for business lawyers to keep up with and
exchange views and information about accounting and auditing developments
of relevance to their practices. Please join us in Vancouver on April 18.
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