David J. Lavan

Partner

David is a former special counsel in the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

He focuses his practice on all aspects of SEC registration, reporting and compliance. He advises clients on public and private offerings of debt and equity, disclosure matters, corporate governance and accounting issues. As a former government bond broker, David provides clients with unique insights into the financial marketplace, counseling them on transactional and regulatory matters, as well as litigation. He represents both public and private companies, as well as independent board and committee members, investment banks, private equity funds and other financial institutions. He also represents public companies, investment banks, and broker-dealers facing a variety of corporate and market crises, as well as SEC investigations.

David also actively advises private fund sponsors and principals on fund formation, all aspects of the fundraising lifecycle, restructuring, secondaries, and all ongoing matters. In addition, he represents private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a full range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, leveraged financings, restructuring, and reorganizations.

He has experience advising clients regarding foreign direct investment matters, including US foreign ownership restrictions and, in particular, providing representation in the clearance of proposed business combinations potentially affecting national security—the review process conducted by the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, under the Exon-Florio provisions of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended by the Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007. He regularly assists clients in mitigating foreign ownership, control or influence (FOCI) as may be required by CFIUS or U.S. national industrial security regulations. David has experience guiding foreign investors and U.S. companies alike through CFIUS proceedings, having provided CFIUS advice in connection with transactions across a range of sectors, including energy, communications, technology and manufacturing. In addition, he represents clients in navigating the various embargoes administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

David is a respected authority on SEC issues, and is recognized as a go-to on a wide range of SEC regulatory and corporate governance issues and is frequently sought to speak, write and comment about SEC regulatory developments.

Credentials

Education

California Western School of Law (J.D.)

University of Virginia (B.A.)

Bar admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • New York

Distinctions

  • BTI Client Service All-Stars (2018)

Career Highlights
  • Counseled Client in its Acquisition of a $1.9 Billion Publicly Traded Financial Holding Company.

    Peoples Bancorp Inc. has engaged us for a variety of significant projects involving M&A and regulatory matters over the last 12 months. We partnered with Peoples on its most significant acquisition to date with our team, the purchase of Premier Financial, a $1.9 billion dollar public company with financial operations in seven states. This was a complex deal requiring a deep and broad team to handle a three-step merger, shareholder approvals, various regulatory approvals, and multi-state filings. The team was heavily involved in negotiating proper allocations of risk, transaction documents, and leading diligence, working hard in a compressed timeframe to get to signing. Other projects completed with Peoples included advising on a variety of corporate governance matters and regulatory matters.

  • Counseled Leading ULT Freezer Company through Merger

    We counseled our client, Stirling Ultracold, an innovative developer and manufacturer of ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers for life science and biopharma research, through its merger with BioLife Solutions, Inc., a developer focused on bioproduction devices used in cell and gene therapies. The all-stock mergers was in excess of $230 million.

    Stirling’s CEO saw the potential for increased demand for the company’s freezers during the COVID-19 pandemic as the freezers were a direct competitor to dry ice used in storing the COVID-19 vaccine. Merging with BioLife enabled Stirling to execute an aggressive strategic plan marketing and selling its freezers. Dinsmore served as the company’s general counsel since 2019, and our team of attorneys brought experience in mergers and acquisitions, labor, insurance, and life sciences, all of which was necessary to fully understand and address the company’s specialized needs. We counseled our client through the merger while simultaneously defusing challenges. Our team’s collective experience enabled Stirling’s executives to address the company’s short-term needs while also achieving its long-term goal.

    “The entire team at Dinsmore was, by far, the best engagement I have had in the 15-plus strategic transactions I have done throughout my career,” said previous Stirling Ultracold CEO Dusty Tenney, now COO and president at BioLife. “Their responsiveness, engagement, availability and deal leadership were extraordinary from LOI to closing.”

Publications
  • July 28, 2025

    Make Sure to CC the AG: Colorado and Washington Require State-Level Merger Notices

  • April 11, 2025

    Accredited and Unleashed: The SEC’s Quiet Green Light

  • February 26, 2025

    Planning Strategies for Horse Racing Partnership Managers

  • December 28, 2023

    Private Investment Funds: Assess Your Structures and Prepare for Corporate Transparency Act Compliance

  • November 8, 2023

    DOJ Offers ‘Stay Out of Jail Free Card’ for Successor Liability

  • October 19, 2023

    The SEC Shortens the Time to Report Going Long

  • October 9, 2023

    Disclose for Declination – DOJ Announces New Safe Harbor Policy for Voluntary Disclosures in Mergers & Acquisitions

  • September 1, 2023

    SEC Adopts Significant New Rules for Private Fund Advisers

  • August 4, 2023

    More Disclosures Required for Public Companies with the SEC’s New Cybersecurity Rules

  • June 13, 2023

    Regula Interruptus – Share Repurchase Disclosure Rule Delayed?

News
  • June 5, 2024

    Dinsmore Corporate Team Advises on Eastern Ohio Bank Merger of Equals

Events
  • January 18, 2022

    PLI “Understanding Financial Products 2022” Program

  • December 3, 2021

    Dinsmore’s Annual Continuing Legal Education Seminar