2012 article index: these were the hot issues and the top of the agenda topics that Directors & Boards authors addressed this past year.

• Position: Briefs

ADVISORY BOARDS

The ABCs of Forming an Advisory Board--Some CEOs don't think they need any outside advice, but most do. An advisory board can make a leader look very smart when used effectively. By Dennis Cagan of Caganco Inc. Fourth Quarter 2012

Finding Great Advisers--You want advisers you can 'fall in love with.' By Jason L. Baptiste, author of The Ultralight Startup. Fourth Quarter 2012

AUDIT COMMITTEES

Ten To-Do's for the Audit Committee--It is a breathtaking set of marching orders, but this is what your boards, management, and shareholders need. By Dennis T. Whalen of the KPMG Audit Committee Institute. First Quarter 2012

BANKRUPTCY

Board Resignations and Bankruptcy--Key considerations when determining whether to resign from a board in advance of a bankruptcy filing. By Dan Grunfeld, Marc Cohen and Vincent Sama of Kaye Scholer LLP. Fourth Quarter 2012

BOARD COMPOSITION

My Board at Principal Solar Inc.--CEO Michael Gorton reviews his roster of luminaries. First Quarter 2012

On Using a Skills Grid--A tool to help gauge for any gaps on the board. An excerpt from the PwC book, Board Effectiveness--What Works Best. First Quarter 2012

Where Global Boards Are Falling Way Short--Of the thousands of directors who sit on the Fortune 500 boards, only 21 live and work in Asia--a perilous lack of growth market representation. By Kathryn Yap and Alex Eymieu of CTPartners. Second Quarter 2012

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Make the Board a Mosaic of Talent--Seek outtalented director candidates who are 'below the radar.' By corporate directors Cheryl Francis and Sheila Penrose. Annual Report 2012

What We Heard from Directors--Having a wide range of perspectives represented in the boardroom is critical to effective corporate governance. By Amy Hayes of Russell Reynolds Associates. Annual Report 2012

The Case for a 'Legal Director'--Current and growing governance obligations compel boards to recruit a director with corporate legal experience as a necessary skill set on the board. By Gary Schmidt, former corporate counsel. Sidebars: Agree--A legal director can lessen the 'mortal fear' of litigation, by corporate director Raymond Troubh; Disagree--There is no driving mandate for a legal director, by Karl Okamoto of Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law. Third Quarter 2012

More on the Legal Director--Great governance starts with well-chosen directors, including experts in the law. By John Stout of Fredrikson & Byron. Third Quarter 2012

My Board: FM Global--CEO Shivan Subramaniam ensures that his board members are vested in 'resilience.' Third Quarter 2012

BOARD DIVERSITY

Boardroom Parity in the U.S. by 2022--For gender diversity, that is. It can happen (and without quotas). By Janice Reals Ellig of Chadick Ellig and Kathryn S. Wylde. Plus, excerpts from Women Leaders at Work by Elizabeth Ghaffari and I'd Rather Be in Charge by Charlotte Beers. First Quarter 2012

A Global Nominating Commission--WomenCorporateDirectors launches a new initiative. Second Quarter 2012

Advancing Board Diversity: Search Firms Can Do More--How executive search firms can play a constructive role toward furthering the desired goals. By Peter M. Felix of the Association of Executive Search Consultants. Third Quarter 2012

Nominating Committees Must Look Harder--The Committee for Economic Development report on advancing more women to hoards. Third Quarter 2012

Board Diversity and the Regulators--Action by the local government to force changes: the Philadelphia story. Fourth Quarter 2012

BOARD DYNAMICS

The Rogue Director--Tactics for dealing with the troublesome board member. Guidance from Richard Clarke, Stephen Yoder, Betsy Atkins, Karen Kessler, and Peter Spanberger, with revisits to classic advice from Toni Lynn Chinoy, Ian Ayres and Barry Nalebuff, and Ralph Whitworth. Second Quarter 2012

Governance Book of the Year--Great Companies Deserve Great Boards by Beverly Behan. Annual Report 2012

Director Alignment Study--Women-CorporateDirectors finds where men and women directors are aligned ... and where they are not. Fourth Quarter 2012

BOARD GUIDELINES

Disclosure Obligations for a Director Resignation--A review of SEC, NYSE and Nasdaq reporting requirements, and recommendations for ensuring appropriate disclosure controls. By Jessica Lochmann Allen and G. Tyler Parramore of Foley & Lardner LLP. Fourth Quarter 2012

BOARD PRACTICES

Board 'Hygiene': What You Need to Know--These are the important questions to ask (before you join) about...