Financial Institution Regulatory Lawyer Christopher Bellini Joins Fried Frank

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has announced today that Christopher Bellini has joined the Firm as a corporate partner resident in the Washington, DC office.  Mr. Bellini bolsters the Firm's financial institution regulatory expertise and complements the capabilities of Fried Frank's preeminent transactional, asset management and enforcement practices.

Mr. Bellini advises banks and other regulated financial institution entities on the regulatory aspects of a range of matters including mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments, financial products and services, and government investigations and enforcement actions. He frequently counsels financial institutions with regard to the regulatory reforms being implemented with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act.

"We are delighted to welcome Chris to Fried Frank and to our financial services practice. His regulatory expertise and experience will strengthen the existing offerings of numerous practice areas including the asset management, capital markets, enforcement and investigations, and private equity and M&A groups," said Valerie Ford Jacob, Fried Frank's chairperson.

"Chris will be a tremendous resource to our global financial services clients as they contend with ongoing changes in the regulatory landscape," stated Robert C. Schwenkel, chair of Fried Frank's corporate department.

Mr. Bellini was most recently a partner and co-chair of the financial institutions group in the Washington, DC office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Prior to that, he was an attorney at the Federal Reserve Board and an auditor at a major accounting firm. He is the former editor-in-chief of the Banking Law Journal of the Banking Law Committee of the American Bar Association. He currently serves as the chair of the Legislation and Regulation Subcommittee of the Banking Law Committee. He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where he teaches international banking law.

Mr. Bellini holds a JD, magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a BA, summa cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is admitted to the bar in the District of Columbia and in Massachusetts.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a leading international law firm.   From its offices in New York, Washington, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai, the Firm's more than 500 lawyers regularly serve the world's leading corporations and financial institutions with regard to their most critical legal needs and business opportunities.  More information about Fried Frank can be found at www.friedfrank.com.

SOURCE Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson