C. Dabney O'Riordan

Dabney O’Riordan is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s Securities Enforcement Defense practice where she advises asset managers and public companies on SEC regulatory compliance, and represents clients before the SEC and in private disputes to advance their business goals while minimizing regulatory risk. Dabney, a seasoned litigator with years of experience in both private practice and at the SEC, offers unparalleled expertise in SEC matters. Notably, she led the SEC’s national Asset Management Unit (AMU) for over six years, gaining invaluable insights into SEC exams and enforcement investigations.  

Dabney’s extensive experience enables her to develop creative, effective, and efficient solutions for clients in all aspects of their business.  For example, while at the SEC, Dabney conceived of and led the Share Class Selection Disclosure Initiative, resulting in receiving the Chairman’s Award for Main Street Investors.  Then-SEC Chairman Jay Clayton described the initiative as having “immediate and lasting benefits . . .”  In private practice, Dabney regularly develops novel approaches to achieve key client objectives, and her deep understanding of the law has allowed her to effectively engage with the SEC staff regarding substance and policy.

Through her 17 years at all levels of the SEC’s Enforcement Division, Dabney developed an in-depth knowledge of the SEC’s approach to opening and pursuing investigations.  As the longest-serving leader of the AMU, Dabney directed the SEC Enforcement Division’s efforts to address emerging issues in the asset management industry, and regularly collaborated with other senior leaders in the Division of Examinations and Division of Investment Management.  Before leading the national AMU, Dabney led the SEC Los Angeles Regional Office’s Enforcement program as Associate Regional Director, overseeing the office’s enforcement priorities, investigations, and litigation involving public companies, insider trading, brokers, and investment advisers.  Prior to that, Dabney spent eleven years investigating, litigating, and managing matters within the SEC’s Enforcement Division, frequently working in parallel with the federal criminal authorities.  

Before joining the SEC, Dabney was in private practice focusing on business litigation and served as a law clerk to the Honorable David R. Thompson of the Ninth Circuit Court to Appeals.  She received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and a B.A. magna cum laude from Wellesley College.