Prominent Finance Lawyer Christopher O. Bell Joins Schulte Roth & Zabel

Schulte Roth & Zabel announces the addition of Christopher O. Bell as a partner in the Finance Group, resident in the New York office. Mr. Bell comes to SRZ from Proskauer Rose, where he was a partner in the Corporate Department. He was also previously a partner at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

Mr. Bell focuses his practice on representing private equity funds and their portfolio companies on leveraged finance transactions, with an emphasis on debt commitments and credit facilities for leveraged acquisitions, including acquisition financings and asset-based lending facilities. He also represents sponsor portfolio companies on their working capital facilities and their ongoing compliance under those facilities. Mr. Bell has worked extensively on various recapitalizations, refinancings and related transactions, including incremental facilities.

“Chris is a first-rate lawyer well known in the leveraged finance space. We are very excited to have him join us,” commented Alan S. Waldenberg, chair of SRZ’s Executive Committee.

SRZ regularly advises on headline-making deals for many of the world’s most active and influential private equity firms. SRZ’s transactions have been consistently recognized as “Deals of the Year” by industry rankings. Most recently, SRZ’s representation of Veritas Capital and its affiliates’ $5.7-billion acquisition of athenahealth Inc. won “Private Equity Deal of the Year” at The Deal Awards.

SRZ’s Finance Group is a nationally recognized leader in complex, leveraged financing transactions. The lawyers have significant experience in both middle-market and large-cap leveraged transactions, representing both traditional and alternative lenders as well as private equity clients and their portfolio companies.

“Schulte’s corporate practice has an excellent reputation in the market. I am delighted to be a part of a team known for its innovative approach to complex deals,” said Mr. Bell, who holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, an M.A. from New York University and an A.B. from Harvard University.