James Moloney

James Moloney became the Director of the Division of Corporation Finance in October 2025.

Mr. Moloney previously served at the SEC for six years prior to joining Gibson Dunn & Cutcher, where he worked for 25 years, ascending from corporate associate to equity partner. He served as a longstanding co-chair of the firm’s securities regulation and corporate governance practice. He advised a wide base of clients on corporate governance matters, disclosure rules, mergers & acquisitions, tender offers, proxy contests, and going-private transactions among other areas.

During his tenure at the SEC from 1994 to 2000, Mr. Moloney was an attorney-advisor and later a special counsel in the Office of Mergers & Acquisitions in the Division of Corporation Finance. Notably, Mr. Moloney was the primary author of the proposing and adopting releases for Regulation M-A, a comprehensive set of rules governing mergers & acquisitions, tender offers and proxy solicitations.

Mr. Moloney received his LL.M. degree in securities regulation with distinction from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received his J.D. degree cum laude from Pepperdine University, where he was an editor of The Pepperdine Law Review. He received his B.S. degree in business administration from Boston University.