Mark Peterson assists a broad range of clients whenever they are exploring complex acquisitions, dealing with board-level issues, or for practical, business-savvy legal advice, because few understand the market and business pressures of the GC role like Mark. Mark began his legal career at O’Melveny in 1991, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt offerings, SEC compliance and corporate governance, as well as other general corporate advice. He then spent 14 years in-house, serving as general counsel and chief legal officer of several public and private equity owned companies. In those roles, Mark had primary responsibility for all legal affairs, including mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, SEC and exchange reporting and compliance, intellectual property, litigation management and strategy, labor and employment, risk management, and corporate governance.
In 2011, Mark returned to O’Melveny as a corporate and securities partner, advising senior executives and boards of directors on matters ranging from corporate governance to strategic M&A transactions, capital-raising transactions, and day-to-day business and legal issues. His clients comprise a diverse group of public and private companies in industries including consumer products, healthcare, life sciences, medical devices, technology, natural resources and data analytics.
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Education
- University of California at Berkeley, J.D., 1991
- Brigham Young University, B.S., Accounting, 1988: cum laude
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Corporate Governance Law and Securities / Capital Markets Law in Newport Beach, CA (2024-2025)
Professional Activities
Board
- Board Chairman, USA Volleyball Foundation
- Board Member, Meade Instruments Corp., a Nasdaq-listed consumer optical and electronics company
- Board Member and Executive Committee Chairman, J. Reuben Clark Law Society
- Board Member, Forum for Corporate Directors
- Board Member, UCI Audit Committee Summit
- Advisory Board Member, UCI Center for Corporate Legal Leadership
- Orange County Bar Association Finance Committee
- Former Chairman, Orange County Bar Association Corporate Counsel Group
- Former Chairman, Forum for Corporate Directors GC Affinity Group
Speaker
- Lecturer: UCI MBA Program, Business Law Class
- Speaker, “Understanding CSR and ESG for In-House Counsel – Navigating Benefits and Pitfalls,” OCBA Corporate Counsel Section Meeting (June 11, 2024)
- Trainer, “Public Company Disclosure and Compliance Issues,” Edwards Lifesciences (August 05, 2021)