corporate scandal lingo?

[Baker, John]

        Since I'm a securities lawyer, I may not be the best source for common parlance, but here goes:

        "Enron" and its derivatives has been used quite a bit in this new post-Enron era.  For a list of ADS-L messages discussing the phenomenon, see

http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?S2=ads-l&q=enron&0=S&s=&f=&a=&b=

        For Word Spy's take, see

www.logophilia.com/WordSpy/enronomics.asp

        SOX does seem to be catching on for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.  I haven't actually heard Peekaboo for the PCAOB, although I saw the Wall Street Journal article stating that this was happening.

        "Disclosure controls and procedures," from the new SEC rules, has quickly become an established corporate term.  I don't think it's been used much outside its legal/business context, though.

John M. Baker           <JMB at Stradley.com>
Stradley, Ronon, Stevens & Young, LLP   Http://www.stradley.com
1220 19th Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC  20036
(202) 419-8413          Fax (202) 822-0140
FundLaw Listowner               Http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fundlaw



-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Aman [mailto:caman at AMLAW.COM]
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 2:40 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: corporate scandal lingo?


I'm searching for lingo used in the post-Enron policy debate/media
coverage/general conversation over corporate scandals and corporate
governance.

I'm particularly interested in legalisms that have bled into the common
parlance, at least for a short period.

For instance: the (gleeful) use of "perp" for white collar criminals;
the use of "colorable defense" in the context of proposed SEC rules on
attorney conduct; the use of "noisy withdrawal" in same context; the use
of "material violation" (in SOX rule-making and by Iraq weapons
inspections).

And /or new names: SOX (for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act) and "peekaboo" for
the new Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (or PCAOB).

Any others that anyone has noticed? The results will appear in a column
I'm writing for the April issue of Corporate Counsel magazine (a monthly
with 30K circulation among in-house lawyers).

Happy to quote & credit as you wish. Many thanks.

Catherine Aman
Staff reporter
American Lawyer Media
212 313 9205
caman at amlaw.com