SEC Senior Counsel William Martin Joins O’Melveny’s White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations Practice in New York
April 3, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEW YORK—April 3, 2019—William Martin, senior counsel in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, has joined O’Melveny in New York as counsel in the firm’s White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations practice.
As a member of the SEC’s Market Abuse Unit, Martin investigated and prosecuted cases involving insider trading, market structure practices, and other trading schemes. Based in the SEC’s New York office, he worked closely with other law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the Justice Department, FBI, IRS, and FINRA. His responsibilities at the SEC included developing investigations, recommending enforcement measures, and negotiating settlements.
Martin received multiple awards at the SEC for his work investigating high-profile cases. His experience also includes matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), failure-to-supervise, investment advisors, and cybersecurity.
Steven Olson, chair of O’Melveny’s White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations group, said, “Bill Martin is a well-rounded and highly-respected enforcement lawyer who will be an invaluable asset to our practice and our clients. His tenure at the SEC and experience with other regulatory agencies will enhance our representation of individuals and companies in internal investigations and enforcement proceedings, especially in areas involving financial markets.”
O’Melveny’s bench of white collar lawyers is among the deepest in the country. The team has for decades represented companies, boards, and individuals in court and before governmental agencies and regulators in the United States, Europe and Asia.
“I’m excited to join O’Melveny, recognized internationally for its strong track record and outstanding bench of lawyers who know how to help clients respond to government inquiries, whether an informal review or a full-scale investigation and enforcement action,” Martin said. “The firm has counseled some of the nation’s most prominent corporations, board committees, individual officers and directors, and others. I look forward to adding my experience to the group.”
Martin is the fourth federal enforcement official to join O’Melveny in the past year. The firm welcomed Lisa Monaco, former Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to President Obama and former Assistant Attorney General, just last month. She followed the 2018 arrivals of former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Argentieri, who served in a leadership role in the Eastern District of New York, and Ben Singer, who headed the Justice Department’s Securities & Financial Fraud Unit.
Before the SEC, Martin worked at a major New York law firm, advising clients facing federal and state investigations, shareholder derivative and securities litigation, and internal investigations. His practice included a significant cross-border component and notable litigation brought under the FCPA.
Martin earned his law degree, with honors, from University of Chicago Law School, where he served as comment editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and as a faculty research assistant in international law. Before law school, he received an MPA in Domestic Public Policy from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School, and a BA, magna cum laude, in Economics and Political Economy from Carleton College, where he was a National Merit Scholar and student body president.
Martin clerked for the Hon. Chester J. Straub of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2007 to 2008 and the Hon. P. Kevin Castel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in 2005 to 2006.
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Contact:
Christopher Rieck
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 212 326 2218
crieck@omm.com