Meltem Kodaman, a member of Sutherland's Corporate Practice Group, practices in the areas of general corporate and securities law with a focus on the use of derivatives including interest rate, foreign exchange, equity and commodity products. Her derivatives practice is diverse and includes the representation of a broad range of counterparties including mutual funds, dealer banks, insurance companies, pension plans, government-sponsored agencies, universities, nonprofit corporations and energy companies.
Meltem is also actively involved in the firm's Transactional practice and advises clients engaged in public and private securities offerings.
Representative Experience
Meltem's recent representative experience includes:
· Advising a major U.S. consumer products company on over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives transactions including interest rate, FX, equity and commodity transactions.
· Advising numerous energy and non-energy companies on termination and unwinding OTC transactions.
· Advising a commodity pool operator in establishing one of the first AMEX-traded commodity pools investing in oil futures contracts and other oil interests.
Professional and Community Involvement
· Member, Committee on Derivatives and Futures Law, American Bar Association
· Member, International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA)
Recent Publications
· Co-author, "The Development of Exchange-Traded Energy Derivatives," Energy and Environmental Trading (2008)
Legal Alerts
Legal Alert: CFTC and SEC Define "Swap Dealer" and "Major Swap Participant"
April 19, 2012
Legal Alert: CFTC Finalizes Dodd-Frank Rulemaking on Customer Clearing Documentation, Timing for Acceptance of Clearing, and Clearing Member Risk Management
April 2, 2012
Legal Alert: CFTC Issues Rules to Increase Oversight of Funds That Invest in Commodity Interests
February 29, 2012
Legal Alert: Regulatory Watch List for 2012: Issues Anticipated to Impact the Commodity ETF Industry
February 10, 2012
Legal Alert: CFTC Holds First Open Meeting of 2012 and Finalizes Key Rulemakings Under the Dodd-Frank Act
January 13, 2012
Legal Alert: CFTC Extends Effective Date for Swap Regulation and Finalizes Certain Swap Data Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements
December 22, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Attempts to Strike Balance Between Protection of Customer Funds and Flexibility for FCMs and DCOs Investing Customer Funds
December 13, 2011
Legal Alert: ISDA and SIFMA Attack Position Limits in First Challenge to CFTC Rulemaking Under the Dodd-Frank Act
December 7, 2011
Legal Alert: MF Global Update: MF Global Proceedings Test Multiple Insolvency Statutes
November 15, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Proposes to Extend July 14 Temporary Exemptive Relief Order
October 28, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC To Subject Agricultural Swaps to the Same Regulatory Regime as Other Swaps, Creates a Whistleblower Program and Sets Rules and Registration Requirements for Swap Data Repositories
August 15, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Issues Final Order to Provide Temporary Relief from Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act Slated to Become Effective on July 16, 2011 and Releases Agenda for Upcoming Meetings
July 15, 2011
Legal Alert: SEC Proposes Business Conduct Standards for Security-Based Swap Dealers and Major Security-Based Swap Participants
June 30, 2011
Legal Alert: Prudential Regulators Extend Public Comment Deadline for Capital and Margin Proposed Rules
June 23, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Proposes Temporary Relief from Certain Provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act Slated to Become Effective on July 16, 2011
June 14, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Extends Most, But Not All, Proposed Rule Comment Periods; Lawmakers Propose Extension of Title VII's Deadline
May 6, 2011
Legal Alert: U.S. Treasury Secretary Proposes to Exempt FX Swaps and FX Forwards from Dodd-Frank's "Swap" Definition
April 29, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Proposes Key Rulemakings that Complete the "Mosaic" of Proposed Rules to Implement Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act
April 28, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC and SEC Seek Public Input on the Timetable for Effective Dates of Final Rules to Implement Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act
April 15, 2011
Legal Alert: Proposed Margin Requirements for Uncleared Swaps Could Significantly Increase the Costs Associated with Over-the-Counter Swap Transactions and May Apply to Some End-Users
April 13, 2011
Legal Alert: Chairman Gensler Outlines Timeline for Finalizing and Implementing the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Dodd-Frank Rulemakings
March 18, 2011
Legal Alert: Comments Sought on Proposed Interpretive Order on Disruptive Practices Due May 17
March 18, 2011
Legal Alert: U.S. District Court Affirms Lehman Ruling Raising Concern on Cross-Affiliate Netting
February 16, 2011
Legal Alert: New Lehman Plan Portends Coming Battle for Holders of Derivatives-Based Claims
February 14, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Proposes Rules to Continue to Allow Agricultural Swaps and Commodity Options and to Supplement Previously Proposed Swap Documentation Requirements
January 21, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Issues Two Additional Proposed Rules Under the Dodd-Frank Act at Its First Open Meeting of 2011
January 14, 2011
Legal Alert: Dodd-Frank Act Rulemakings-End-User Update
January 7, 2011
Legal Alert: CFTC Issues Sixth Series of Proposed Rules Under Dodd-Frank Including Rules to Further Define Swap Entities
December 2, 2010
Legal Alert: Secretary of the Treasury Seeks Input on Whether Foreign Exchange Swaps and Foreign Exchange Forwards Should Be Regulated as Swaps Under Dodd-Frank
October 29, 2010
Legal Alert: CFTC to Create a Position Reporting System for Certain Physical Commodity Swaps
October 21, 2010
Legal Alert: CFTC Solicits Comments on How the Trading of Agricultural Swaps Should Be Governed
October 20, 2010
Legal Alert: CFTC Issues Interim Final Rule With Respect to Reporting Requirements for Pre-Enactment Swaps
October 5, 2010
Legal Alert: SEC and CFTC Request Comments on Significant Defined Terms in Title VII of Dodd-Frank
September 14, 2010
Legal Alert: ISDA Protocol Addresses New Withholding Rules for Dividend Equivalent Payments
September 1, 2010
Legal Alert: CFTC and SEC Accepting Comments on Dodd-Frank Rulemaking
August 19, 2010
Legal Alert: Financial Reform Legislation Amends Section 1256 of the Internal Revenue Code to Provide Greater Certainty with Respect to the Tax Treatment of Swaps, Caps, Floors, and Similar Agreement
July 21, 2010
Legal Alert: Final Version of Financial Regulatory Reform Bill Establishes New Landscape - Critical Details Left to Regulators
June 30, 2010
Legal Alert: Senate Passes Financial Regulatory Bill - Dramatic Changes to Derivatives Regulation a Certainty
May 24, 2010
Legal Alert: Pending Derivatives Legislation Would Create Legal Uncertainty for Existing Contracts-Particular Concerns for End-Users
May 14, 2010
Legal Alert: Compromise on Derivatives Bill Adds to Debate
April 29, 2010
Legal Alert: Derivatives Market Awaits Senate Agriculture Committee Bill After Dodd Bill Includes Few Changes
April 7, 2010
Legal Alert: SEC Staff Evaluating the Use of Derivatives by Funds
March 26, 2010
Legal Alert: New ISDA Papers on Collateral Practices
March 18, 2010
Legal Alert: CFTC Proposes Position Limits for Major Energy Commodities
January 14, 2010
Legal Alert: Derivatives Legislation Update: House Passes Bill; Senate Bill a Work in Progress
January 7, 2010
Legal Alert: Lehman Bankruptcy Court Rules on Right to Withhold Payment Under ISDA Master Agreement
September 29, 2009
Legal Alert: Obama Administration Proposes OTC Derivatives Bill
August 14, 2009
Legal Alert: CDS Small Bang Protocol Opens for Adherence
July 15, 2009
Legal Alert: Obama Administration Supports More Regulation and Restructuring of OTC Derivatives Markets
June 24, 2009
Legal Alert: Lehman Brothers Seeks to Void Contractual Rights Allowing Derivatives Counterparties to Withhold Payment
June 5, 2009
Legal Alert: Lehman Files Motion to Establish a Bar Date for Chapter 11 Proceeding Including New Proof of Claim Requirements
May 29, 2009
Legal Alert: Obama Administration Releases Plan for Regulating Derivatives
May 14, 2009
Legal Alert: Authorizing the Regulation of Swaps Act
May 6, 2009
Legal Alert: CDS Big Bang Protocol Opens for Adherence
March 16, 2009
Legal Alert: ISDA Close-Out Amount Protocol
February 27, 2009
Legal Alert: SEC Issues Temporary Exemption for CDS Central Counterparties
January 16, 2009
Legal Alert: Avoiding Documentation Disadvantages in OTC Derivatives Collateral Valuation Disputes
January 7, 2009
Legal Alert: Lehman Bankruptcy Developments That Affect Trading Counterparties
January 5, 2009
Legal Alert: New York State Insurance Department Tables Plan to Regulate Credit Default Swaps
November 21, 2008
Legal Alert: President's Working Group Announces Initiatives to Strengthen OTC Derivatives Oversight and Infrastructure
November 19, 2008
Legal Alert: Lehman Brothers Motion to Settle or Assign
November 18, 2008
Legal Alert: Counterparty Rights in the Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy
October 10, 2008
Legal Alert: Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy-ISDA Issues
September 15, 2008