Schulte Roth & Zabel (SRZ) 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.

“We are delighted to have Chris join our team. His deep expertise advising private equity funds and their portfolio companies on leveraged finance transactions bolsters our M&A support capabilities,” said Michael M. Mezzacappa, co-head of SRZ’s Finance Group. “Chris is an excellent addition to the group. He brings extensive experience with respect to complex acquisition financing transactions, which will help to grow our leveraged finance practice,” added Eliot L. Relles, co-head of the Finance Group.

“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.

About Schulte Roth & Zabel

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP (www.srz.com) is a full-service law firm with offices in New York, Washington, DC and London. As one of the leading law firms serving the financial services industry, the firm regularly advises clients on corporate and transactional matters and provides counsel on regulatory, compliance, enforcement and investigative issues. The firm’s practices include: bank regulatory; bankruptcy & creditors’ rights litigation; blockchain technology & digital assets; broker-dealer regulatory & enforcement; business reorganization; complex commercial litigation; cybersecurity; distressed debt & claims trading; distressed investing; education law; employment & employee benefits; energy; environmental; finance; financial institutions; hedge funds; individual client services; insurance; intellectual property, sourcing & technology; investment management; litigation; litigation finance; mergers & acquisitions; PIPEs; private equity; real estate; real estate capital markets & REITs; real estate litigation; regulated funds; regulatory & compliance; securities & capital markets; securities enforcement; securities litigation; securitization; shareholder activism; structured finance & derivatives; tax; and white collar defense & government investigations.