David M. Martin

Partner
David focuses on providing practical business advice and insight to his real estate, finance, and corporate clients.
David M. Martin, Partner at Arent Fox

David handles strategic commercial real estate finance, acquisition and disposition transactions, real estate restructuring matters, distressed debt transactions, corporate and banking acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial lending, and other finance transactions.

Through his experiences as both outside counsel and general counsel for a major commercial finance company and a development-stage telecommunications company, David has developed an informed perspective on supporting and achieving a client’s goals and objectives. His time as a general counsel gives him a novel understanding of the issues and challenges faced by in-house attorneys, including those conducting business internationally. With more than 30 years of experience representing companies in several industries through positive and adverse economic cycles, David is well-positioned to provide clients with comprehensive legal advice to help them efficiently achieve and maximize their business objectives through changing economic conditions.

Client Work

David represents commercial banks, lenders, institutional investors, and other owners, developers, and managers of real estate and real estate-related investments. In addition, David represents investors, asset managers, banks, and private funds in a broad range of real estate and commercial finance and related transactions, including senior secured debt transactions, mezzanine finance transactions, and preferred equity and debt transactions.

David also regularly represents clients in connection with distressed debt transactions, workouts, restructuring and other troubled debt matters, utilizing his substantial experience working through changing economic conditions.

Previous Work

A former Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Commercial Lending for CapitalSource, David worked closely with the publicly-traded company’s structured finance, health care, and corporate finance business units.

Before joining CapitalSource, David served as President and General Counsel of New World Network, an international telecommunications company that developed and operated a submarine fiber optic cable system interconnecting the United States and 16 Latin American countries. David advised and managed the company on business, strategic, and legal issues during its formation, capitalization, financing, development, transition into an operating company, financial restructuring, and ultimate sale.

Boards, Memberships & Certifications

  • Washington Housing Conservancy, member of the Board of Directors
  • Maryland Carey School of Law, member of the Board of Visitors 
  • Connelly School of the Holy Child, former member of the Board of Trustees
  • CapitalSource Charitable Foundation, member of the Board of Directors

Recognitions

- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers (2024)

- Top 10 Influential Real Estate Lawyers in Washington DC, Business Today (2023)

- Washingtonian, Top Lawyers, Lifetime Achievement Honor Roll (2022)