John W. White is Chair of the Corporate Governance and Board Advisory Practice. From 2006 through 2008, he served as Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees disclosure and reporting by public companies in the United States.
During his over 30 years as a partner at Cravath, White has focused his practice on representing public companies in a wide variety of areas, including public reporting responsibilities, corporate governance matters, public financings and restatements and other financial crises.
While on the SEC staff, White led the Division through one of the most significant and prolific rulemaking periods in its history, including the Commission’s adoption of final rules addressing executive compensation disclosure, Sarbanes‑Oxley Section 404’s internal control requirements, internet access to proxy materials, oil and gas disclosure, use of interactive data in financial reporting, shareholder proposals relating to the election of directors, private offerings, and capital raising and reporting by smaller public companies, as well as the Commission’s issuance of guidance regarding the use of corporate websites. International initiatives included acceptance of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by foreign private issuers, the proposed roadmap for use of IFRS by U.S. issuers and modernizing the Commission’s rules on cross‑border tender offers and deregistration and exemption from registration of foreign issuers, as well as revisions to the public reporting regime for foreign private issuers. He played an integral role in the SEC’s response to market turmoil throughout 2008, ensuring that the Division acted swiftly and appropriately to facilitate strategic transactions and access to capital for public companies.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America | 2026 | Corporate Governance |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America | 2025 | Corporate Governance |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America | 2024 | Corporate Governance |
| The 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America | 2022 | Corporate Governance |
| Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America | 2021 | Corporate Governance |
| The 2013 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers | 2013 | Corporate |
| The 2012 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers | 2012 | Corporate |
| Legends of the 500 | 2015 | |
| Hall of Fame | 2016 | Power Brokers |
White has served as a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Council (FASAC), which advises the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and is a member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s Standards and Emerging Issues Advisory Group. White also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of Financial Executives International (FEI) and chairs the Advisory Council of USC’s SEC and Financial Reporting Institute. He is a frequent speaker on corporate governance and the securities laws. White served three years on the New York Stock Exchange’s Legal Advisory Committee, four years as Chairman of the Securities Regulation Institute and five years as Co‑Chair of PLI’s Annual Institute on Securities Regulation. Additionally, he serves as an inaugural member of The American College of Governance Counsel. White was twice selected by National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as one of the 100 most influential people in the boardroom and corporate governance community. Lawdragon has named White a nationwide “Legend” and inducted him as a “Power Broker” into its “Hall of Fame.”