From the perspective of board headhunters...

Spencer Stuart, the well-known headhunter, conducts around 60 percent of all director searches for big public companies. Which puts them in a good position to monitor trends and such. Julie Daum, who heads the practice at the firm, has some interesting observations in a recent Q&A with the New York Times. She thinks that Sarbox has lit fires in many boardrooms but wonders if it will lead to an unduly risk-averse approach. She also discerns that more boards are reaching out to shareholders, via the lead director or someone else. On Sarbox issues, no one would be surprised if the audit committee head were in direct contact with top stockholders or even the media. Five years ago, that would have been unthinkable. 

For more on Sarbox through the eyes of a headhunter:
- Here's the Q&A from the New York Times