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Washington, DC 20006
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Marty Dunn

Partner


Martin Dunn is a partner in O’Melveny’s Washington, DC office and a member of the Capital Markets Practice.  Prior to joining O’Melveny, he spent 20 years in various positions at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), most recently as Deputy Director, and former Acting Director, of the Division of Corporation Finance.  As Deputy Director, he supervised that Division’s Offices of Chief Counsel, Chief Accountant, Mergers and Acquisitions, International Corporate Finance, Rulemaking, Small Business, and Enforcement Liaison.

Illustrative Professional Experience

  • Provided guidance on securities law compliance to newly formed, publicly traded companies
  • Counseled companies through the public offering process, including compliance with SEC requirements and responses to SEC comments
  • Provided guidance on corporate governance best practices to publicly traded companies
  • Counseled Nasdaq company through “option backdating” and restatement issues
  • Counseled Fortune 500 company through a proxy contest with significant shareholder
  • Provides ongoing corporate/securities counsel to a number of large and medium-sized publicly traded companies
  • Provides ongoing equity derivatives advice

While at the SEC, Marty was responsible for a wide range of rulemakings, including:

  • Proxy Access Proposals (2007)
  • Regulation D Proposed Modernization (2007)
  • Form D Proposed Electronic Requirements (2007)
  • Smaller Reporting Company Proposed Disclosure System (2007)
  • Rule 144 Proposed Simplification (2007)
  • Form S-3 Proposed Expansion (2007)
  • Section 12(g) Proposed Exemption for Options (2007)
  • Foreign Private Issuer Deregistration (2007)
  • Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (2007)
  • Tender Offer Best Price Rules (2006)
  • Shell Company Rules (2005)
  • Securities Offering Reform (2005)
  • Section 12(d) Modernization (2005)
  • Nominating Committee Disclosure (2003)
  • Regulation G (Non-GAAP Financials) (2003)
  • Exemption for Standardized Options (2002)
  • Householding of Proxy Materials (2000)
  • Financial Statements for Guarantors (2000)
  • Rule 504 Amendments (1999)
  • Plain English Disclosure Requirements (1998)
  • Rule 144 Amendments (1997)
  • Additional Small Business Initiatives (1993)
  • Small Business Initiatives (1992)

Professional Activities

Speaker, “Fundamentals of Securities Law,” ALI-ABA, Various locations; “Rocky Mountain Securities Conference,” Colorado Bar Association, Denver, CO; “Northwest Securities Institute,” Oregon Bar Association, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia; “Securities Regulation and Business Law Problems,” University of Texas, Dallas, TX; “Annual Institute on Securities Regulation,” Practising Law Institute, New York, NY; “Annual Ray Garrett Jr. Corporate and Securities Law Institute,” Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, IL; “SEC Speaks,” Practising Law Institute, Washington, D.C. (Co-Chair, 2006); “Los Angeles County Bar Association Securities Regulation Seminar,” Los Angeles, CA; “Annual Securities Regulation Institute,” Northwestern University School of Law, Coronado, CA; “Advanced Securities Law Workshop,” Practising Law Institute, San Diego, CA; “Regulation D Offerings and Private Placements,” ALI-ABA, Scottsdale, AZ
Member, NASDAQ Listing Council
Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center, “Current Issues in Securities Regulation,” (1998-2003)
Editor, Corporate Counsel Magazine
Recipient, SEC Capital Markets Award (2001, 2002, 2006); SEC Regulatory Simplification Award (2005); SEC Law and Policy Award (2000, 2004); SEC Chairman’s Award for Excellence (2000); Federal Bar Association’s Philip A. Loomis, Jr. Award (1998); SEC Chairman’s Plain English Award (1998); SEC Supervisory Excellence Award (1995); Chambers USA (2009, 2010, 2011) Leading Individual in Securities Regulation: Advisory; Chambers USA (2009, 2010, 2011) Leading Individual in Securities Regulation

American University, Washington College of Law, J.D., 1988
University of Notre Dame, B.B.A., Finance, 1985

District of Columbia; Maryland

The SEC Netflix Report: Social Media May Qualify as a “Recognized Channel of Distribution” Under Regulation FD When Appropriate Advance Steps are Taken to Alert the Market (Capital Markets)

SEC Staff Publishes C&DIs Regarding Disclosure Requirements for Issuers Engaged in Certain Activities in Iran (Capital Markets)

SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance Publishes Guidance Regarding Shareholder Proposals (Capital Markets)

SEC Proposes Revisions to Regulation D and Rule 144A Allowing for General Solicitation And General Advertisement (Capital Markets)

SEC Adopts Compensation Committees and Compensation Adviser Rules (Public Company Advisory Group)

SEC Staff Publishes FAQs on the JOBS Act “IPO On-Ramp” (Public Company Advisory Group)

FAQs on JOBS Act Amendments to Exchange Act Registration Thresholds (Public Company Advisory Group)

SEC Staff Publishes FAQs on JOBS Act Implementation (Public Company Advisory Group)

Guidance Regarding Rule 506 Offerings Prior to the SEC Adopting Rules Implementing the JOBS Act (Public Company Advisory Group)

JOBS Act Removes Restrictions on Public Offerings of Hedge and Private Equity Funds (Investment Funds and Securitization)

SEC Staff Announces Process for Confidential Review of Registration Statements under the JOBS Act (Public Company Advisory Group)

JOBS Act Approved by the US Congress (Public Company Advisory Group)

SEC Responds to No-Action Requests Regarding Proxy Access Proposals (Financial Services)

SEC Adopts Revised “Accredited Investor” Standard (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

Change in SEC Policy on Draft Securities Act Submissions By Foreign Issuers (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

ISS Releases the 2012 Updates to its Proxy Voting Policy (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

Proxy Access to Proceed Through Shareholder Proposals (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

SEC Adopts Final Dodd-Frank Adviser Registration Rules: Many Asian Advisers Will Need to File Reports with the SEC (Investment Funds and Securitization)

Proxy Access Rule Vacated (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

Dodd-Frank Act Anniversary: SEC Rulemaking Status Update (Corporate Finance/ Capital Markets)

SEC's Recent Corporation Finance Statements (Capital Markets, Corporate Finance)

U.S. Supreme Court Limits Liability in Private Actions under Rule 10b-5 (Securities Litigation)

SEC Votes to Propose A New Rule and Rule Amendments Regarding Compensation Committee Structure and Disclosure(Capital Markets, Corporate Finance)

“Proxy Access” Rules Stayed Pending Litigation (Capital Markets, Corporate Finance)

SEC Votes to Propose New Rules and Publish Interpretive Guidance Regarding Short-Term Borrowings Disclosure (Corporate Finance)

SEC Adopts “Proxy Access” Rules (Capital Markets, Corporate Finance)

What Public Companies Need to Know Now About the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Corporate Finance Alert, July 21, 2010)

SEC Seeks Public Comment on Reform of the U.S. Proxy System (Corporate Finance Alert, July 14, 2010) 

New SEC Guidance Regarding the Suspension of Exchange Act Reporting (Corporate Finance Alert, March 24, 2010) 

Preparing the New Proxy Disclosures – Some Examples and Analysis (Corporate Finance Alert, March 15, 2010) 

SEC Issues Amendments to E-Proxy Rules (Corporate Finance Alert, February 26, 2010) 

SEC Publishes Interpretive Guidance on Climate Change Disclosure (Corporate Finance Alert, February 10, 2010) 

SEC Adopts Interpretive Guidance on Climate Change Disclosure (Corporate Finance Alert, January 28, 2010) 

SEC Issues No-Action Letter Permitting Reliance Upon Section 3(a)(9) in Exchanges of Securities with Upstream Guarantees (Corporate Finance Alert, January 14, 2010) 

SEC Approves Significant New Proxy Disclosure Requirements (Corporate Finance Alert, December 16, 2009)

SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance Publishes Guidance Regarding Shareholder Proposals (Corporate Finance Alert, November 30, 2009)

SEC Proposes Amendments to the E-Proxy Rules (Corporate Finance Alert, November 18, 2009)

Securities and Exchange Commission Announces Changes to Short Selling Rules (Corporate Finance Alert, July 29, 2009)

SEC Releases Proposed Proxy Rule Amendments (Governance and Executive Compensation Alert, July 15, 2009)

That Stock Grant Could Cost More Than You Think -- The Application of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act to Officer and Director Equity Compensation (Corporate Finance Alert, July 8, 2009)

Elimination of Broker Discretionary Voting in Director Elections (Corporate Finance Alert, July 1, 2009)

SEC Proposes Significant Proxy Rule Amendments (Corporate Finance Alert, July 1, 2009)

SEC Proposes "Proxy Access" Rules (Corporate Finance Alert, May 20, 2009) 

Implementing the SEC’s XBRL Rules (Corporate Finance Alert, April 21, 2009)

SEC No-Action Positions Significantly Increase Potential for Combined Short Slates (Corporate Finance Alert, April 7, 2009)

Chairman Mary Schapiro Outlines the SEC's Near-Term Agenda (Corporate Finance Alert, April 6, 2009)

SEC Issues Updated Guidance on Rule 10b5-1 Trading Plans (Corporate Finance Alert, March 27, 2009)

O'Melveny & Myers Client Alaska Air Group Receives Groundbreaking Shareholder Proposal No-Action Letter (Corporate Finance Alert, March 11, 2009)

Proposed Delaware General Corporation Law Amendments (Corporate Finance Alert, March 10, 2009)

The SEC Staff Provides Guidance Regarding Shareholder Proposals  (Corporate Finance Alert, November 10, 2008)

How to Comply with the SEC Short Sale Disclosure Requirement  (Corporate Finance Alert, October 29, 2008))

SEC Amends the Rule 12g3-2(b) Exemption for Foreign Private Issuers  (Corporate Finance Alert, October 10, 2008)

Securities and Exchange Commission Extends Effective Dates of Emergency Actions Regarding Short Sales and Issuer Repurchases (Corporate Finance Alert, September 22, 2008)

Securities and Exchange Commission Issues New Rules on Short Selling (Corporate Finance Alert, September 18, 2008)

SEC Votes to Provide New Interpretive Guidance Regarding Corporate Websites (Corporate Finance Alert, August 1, 2008)

The Delaware Supreme Court Rules in CA, Inc. v. AFSCME: A New Framework for Analyzing Bylaws and Shareholder Proposals (Corporate Finance Alert, July 25, 2008)

Is the "Shelf Life" of Your Registration Statement About to Expire? It's Time to Determine Whether You Need New Shelf Registration Statements (Corporate Finance Alert, July 17, 2008)