MATTHEW J. DOLAN is a partner in the firm’s Palo Alto office. Matt maintains a broad-based commercial securities litigation practice, focusing on the representation of corporate and individual clients in the technology and life sciences industries in class action, shareholder derivative, and corporate governance litigation in state and federal courts in California, New York, and Delaware. He regularly represents public companies and individuals in matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission and conducts internal investigations and counsels technology and life sciences companies on disclosure issues. Matt also has extensive experience representing issuers and underwriters in class action litigation in state and federal courts throughout the West Coast and Texas regarding securities offerings. He was named to the Daily Journal’s 2021 “Top 40 under 40” list, which celebrates the achievements of California-based lawyers under the age of 40.
Technology and Life Science Class Action Matters and Investigations
Matt routinely represents public companies in the technology and life sciences industries in securities class action litigation and derivative litigation. Representative clients include Dendreon Corporation, Iovance Biotherapeutics and Nektar Therapeutics. Matt also devotes a substantial portion of his practice to representing technology companies in confidential internal investigations and SEC investigations, including representation of a public technology company in an alleged stock price manipulation scheme and representation of a public technology company CFO in an alleged accounting fraud.
Technology and Life Sciences Corporate Governance and Fiduciary Duty Matters
A substantial portion of Matt’s practice focuses on advising technology and life sciences clients on corporate governance matters and representing boards of directors in fiduciary duty litigation. He has recently represented the directors of major Silicon Valley technology companies, including Apple, Inc., in multiple litigation matters. In addition, he counsels public and private companies on an ongoing basis regarding corporate governance hygiene, including conducting reviews of governance matters and advising public company boards on best practices.
1933 Act Securities Litigation
Matt has extensive experience representing issuers and underwriters in state and federal litigation in California, Texas and Washington. Over the past six years, he has represented every major investment bank in litigation brought pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, and has litigated such cases through expert discovery and summary judgment. Matt has particular knowledge handling California state court class action claims under the 1933 Act, having been involved in more than five such actions in just the past several years. Among these actions, Matt led the defense of the underwriter syndicate in litigation related to the initial public offering of Cyan, Inc., including litigation before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the jurisdiction of state courts to hear claims arising under the 1933 Act.
Merger and Acquisition Litigation
Matt additionally represents both target and acquiring companies in merger and acquisition litigation in California state and federal court and Delaware Chancery Court and federal court. Matt’s experience includes the entire life cycle of M&A matters, from advising corporate clients prior to announcement of a transaction to litigating injunction motions to extensive post-close litigation in California state court and Delaware Chancery Court.
Pro Bono Practice
Matt engages in an active pro bono practice that includes leading teams in impact litigation matters. Recent matters include:
- Leading a litigation team representing the residents of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, the last mobile home park in Palo Alto, California, to preserve needed affordable housing. Following four years of advocacy, including successful litigation against the City of Palo Alto, a sale of the mobile home property was brokered among the property owner and city, state, and federal stakeholders resulting in transfer of the property for more than $40 million to a nonprofit organization to preserve the park as affordable housing and secure the homes of the park residents.
- Leading a team of Sidley attorneys in filing an amicus brief in a significant LGBT parental rights case before the Mississippi Supreme Court that resulted in a holding from the Court that non-biological parents of children born and raised in same-sex marriages have the same parental rights as different sex parents.
- Leading Sidley’s efforts, in partnership with Lambda Legal and the Southern Poverty Law Center, to combat changes made by the Trump Administration to the treatment and rights of transgender prisoners in federal custody.
Community Activities
In addition to his pro bono activities, Matt is active in a number of community groups. In addition to his pro bono work with Lambda Legal, for the past three years Matt has served on the Executive Committee of Lambda Legal’s San Francisco Leadership Committee. Matt serves on the Associate Board of Immigration Equality, the nation’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization based in New York. Matt is also significantly involved with the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s premier science education museum, serving on the host committee for the Exploratorium’s Science of Cocktails event. Additionally, Matt is involved with the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, a major provider of pro bono legal services to disadvantaged populations in the Bay Area.
Education and Background
Matt is a graduate of Duke University (2004) and Tulane Law School (2008). During law school, Matt served as a Senior Fellow, teaching legal research and writing, and as Managing Editor of the Tulane Law Review. Following law school, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Carl J. Barbier of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Matt began his private practice career at an international law firm in New York City. He is a member of the state bars of New York and California.