Pomerantz: A Dedication to Education

By Katarina Marcial

Pomerantz takes pride in being a thought leader in the ever-evolving fields of securities litigation and corporate governance. The firm’s philosophy is that education is a keystone of community, problem-solving and innovation. Through its educational initiatives, Pomerantz actively engages with institutional investors and corporate governance experts, bringing them together through various platforms, including panels, conferences and the firm’s signature Corporate Roundtable events. Pomerantz personnel also regularly participate in events organized by others, frequently as featured speakers. The final quarter of 2024 was no exception, as Jeremy A. Lieberman, Jennifer Pafiti and Dr. Daniel Summerfield participated in educational events worldwide.

Jeremy, Pomerantz’s Managing Partner, has been crisscrossing the globe for decades to meet institutional investors where they are based, educate them on their rights within and beyond the U.S. and listen to their needs. A font of legal knowledge and gifted speaker, Jeremy is frequently invited to share his insights at investor events. On November 13, 2024, he participated in a dynamic fireside chat with Leonor Martins Machado, Managing Associate at Morais Leitão, at the Global Class Actions Symposium hosted by Global Legal Group in Lisbon, Portugal. During their one-on-one conversation, Jeremy offered his perspective on the U.S. class action system, addressing topics such as securities fraud cases, the impact of the Morrison ruling – which barred recovery for losses in foreign-traded securities under the U.S. federal securities laws – and the appeal of class actions in the U.S. for investors worldwide.

Jennifer Pafiti, Partner and Head of Client Services, is dually qualified to practice law in the U.S. and the U.K. She spearheads the firm’s educational initiatives, including its Corporate Governance Roundtables, which gather some of the most influential institutional investors and corporate governance experts worldwide to discuss real-time matters that affect the value of the funds they represent.

In June 2024, Jennifer organized a Roundtable in London with special guest Sir Tony Blair, who provided an insightful assessment of the state of global affairs. Another guest speaker was Dame Laura Kenny, the U.K.’s most decorated Olympian.

Jennifer is based in Pomerantz’s Los Angeles office and co-manages its London office with Dr. Daniel Summerfield, Director of ESG and UK Client Services. Daniel joined Pomerantz in October 2022 after 20 years at the Universities Superannuation Scheme (“USS”), the United Kingdom’s largest private pension fund. Most recently, Daniel was Head of Corporate Affairs of USS, following a period of 16 years as head of Responsible Investment.

Pomerantz was a sponsor of the 2024 International Corporate Governance Network Conference held on November 12-14, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia, where Jennifer and Daniel participated in a panel on governance challenges facing investors. Their dialogue offered valuable strategies for long-term investor engagement with policymakers. They had the honor of speaking alongside Kate Griffiths from ACSI, Massimo Menchini from Assogestioni, and Luz Rodriguez from the Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association. This panel of experts weighed in on the appropriate timing, issues to address and channels and tools that institutional investors may utilize for effective engagement, giving conference attendees actionable takeaways to implement. Additionally, Pomerantz hosted a dinner at The Society Restaurant in Melbourne, where Jennifer engaged in a spirited debate with Amy D’Eugenio, Sustainability Director at Federated Hermes Ltd., on the role of securities litigation for institutional investors.

The end of the year proved to be busy for Daniel. On November 20, 2024, he participated in a panel discussion at Assogestioni’s Board-Shareholder Dialogue Conference in Rome, where he explored the evolution of board-shareholder dialogues and examined case studies highlighting the successes and challenges of facilitating effective engagements.

Back in London, on December 5, Daniel co-hosted a breakfast event for UK pension fund trustees with QuietRoom, a pension fund communication consultancy business. During the event, insights from both pension lawyers’ and trustees’ perspectives were shared, including best practices and common pitfalls to avoid in order to ensure meaningful reporting and beneficial outcomes for pension fund beneficiaries.

Later that day, Daniel gave an in-house training session to a group of professional trustees in London. He discussed the increase in ESG and climate litigation cases in many markets, including the UK, and outlined some of the reasons behind this development, pointing to some important case studies. Daniel also looked towards the future, highlighting some issues of which trustees should be aware, including greenwashing and the importance of both evidence-based reporting and having a securities litigation monitoring program in place.

Pomerantz kicked off December by hosting a private lunch for institutional investors in London, featuring Lord Peter Mandelson as Guest of Honor. During the gathering, Lord Mandelson, a key architect of the UK Labour Party's transformation and a trusted advisor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, discussed the new UK government agenda, the challenges facing British politics and the UK's changing role on the global stage. Jeremy, Jennifer and Daniel presided over the event.

Pomerantz reaffirmed its dedication to education in Q4 2024 and is already scheduling events for 2025. For information on where you can engage with the Pomerantz team, be sure to check out “Notable dates on the Pomerantz horizon” in each issue of the Monitor.  

Katarina Marcial is Pomerantz’s Senior Marketing Manager.