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    Home /  Lawyers /  C. Michelle Chen

    C. Michelle Chen

    Partner

    C. Michelle Chen Headshot Photo Portrait backdrop

    Washington, D.C.

    +1-202-956-7500

    |

    chenc@sullcrom.com

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    Michelle Chen is a partner in the Firm’s Financial Services Group, with a broad regulatory and transactional practice. She advises financial institutions on a range of U.S. bank regulatory matters, including permissible activities, investments and regulation of non-U.S. banking organizations in the United States. She also advises financial institutions and trade associations on climate and other ESG and sustainability issues, focusing on disclosure and bank regulatory matters. Ms. Chen's transactional practice primarily focuses on advising U.S. and non-U.S. banking organizations on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and similar transactions.

    Ms. Chen has been recognized in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (2025, 2024) for her expertise in Banking and Finance Law, Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation (2024, 2023), as a Rising Star in Banking by Law360 (2022) and as a DC Rising Star in The National Law Journal (2022). She was also named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow for 2023.

    Ms. Chen frequently contributes to thought leadership in the ESG and banking space. She is a member of Law360’s Banking Editorial Advisory Board (since 2023), and the author of LexisNexis’ U.S. Bank M&A Practice Guide.

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    Spotlight

    S&C Critical Insights – ESG Considerations for Financial Institutions in 2024

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    chen_-hu-_368x159

    Michelle Chen and Samantha Hynes Named “D.C. Rising Stars” by The National Law Journal 

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    Law360 Rising Stars: Eight Sullivan & Cromwell Lawyers Named Rising Stars

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    • Experience
    • Rankings and Recognitions
    • News
    • Publications, Videos and Podcasts
    • Credentials
    • Related Practices
    Experience

    Experience

    • Artisan Partners in a number of underwritten common stock offerings following its IPO
    • Capital One in reorganizations of its U.S. banking operations
    • Carlyle Group’s business development companies on Investment Company Act, formation and disclosure matters, as well as capital raising and joint venture transactions
    • CITIC Securities in its acquisition of CLSA from Crédit Agricole for $1.25 billion

    • EverBank in its $2.5 billion sale to TIAA
    • Intercontinental Exchange in its $2.5 billion underwritten senior notes offering in connection with its acquisition of Interactive Data
    • Fiserv in its $22 billion acquisition of First Data and a number of underwritten common stock offerings
    • M&T Bank in its $8.3 billion acquisition of People’s United 
    • MUFG in its:
      • $936 million acquisition of shares of U.S. Bancorp
      • $8 billion sale of MUFG Union Bank to U.S. Bancorp
    • Otto Bremer Trust in:
      • its sale of 725,000 Class B shares of Bremer Financial to multiple investors
      • the $1.4 billion sale of Bremer Financial, in which Otto Bremer Trust helds a majority stake, to Old National
    • PacWest in its $849 million acquisition of Square 1 Financial
    • Popular in its acquisition of certain assets and deposits of Doral Bank from the FDIC in a receivership transaction and multiple related purchase and assumption transactions
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    Rankings and Recognitions

    Rankings and Recognitions

    Ms. Chen has been recognized in The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (2025, 2024) for her expertise in Banking and Finance Law, Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation (2024, 2023), as a Rising Star in Banking by Law360 (2022) and as a DC Rising Star in The National Law Journal (2022).

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    News

    News

    • S&C Advises the Otto Bremer Trust in Bremer Financial’s $1.4 Billion Acquisition by Old National

      November 27, 2024
    • Michelle Chen Comments on the Federal Reserve’s Proposed Guidance on Climate-Related Financial Risk Management in Global Banking Regulation Review

      December 12, 2022
    • S&C Advises Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group as It Completes Sale of MUFG Union Bank to U.S. Bancorp

      December 8, 2022
    • Michelle Chen Featured in The American Lawyer’s “How I Made Partner” Series

      February 15, 2022
    • S&C Advises Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in $8 Billion Sale of U.S. Core Regional Banking Franchise to U.S. Bancorp

      October 18, 2021
    • S&C Advises M&T Bank in Acquisition of People’s United Financial

      February 22, 2021
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    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    • Matthew Schwartz, Michelle Chen and Leanne Van Allen Author Law360 Article on State Financial Fair Access Laws

      Articles June 18, 2024
    • Marc Treviño, Michelle Chen and Alex LePore Author Law360 Article on Financial Stability Board Report on Trends in Climate-Related Compensation Practices

      Articles February 6, 2024
    • ESG Considerations for Financial Institutions in 2024

      Podcasts February 5, 2024
    • Michelle Chen, Marc Treviño and Alex LePore Co-Author Memo on Treasury Department Principles for Net-Zero Financing and Investment

      Articles October 5, 2023
    • ESG Considerations for Financial Institutions

      Podcasts January 26, 2023
    • Implications of the SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Proposal for Financial Institutions

      Podcasts May 4, 2022
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    Credentials

    Credentials

    Education

    • Columbia Law School, J.D., 2012
    • Duke University, B.A., 2008
    • Duke University, B.S., 2008

    Bar Admissions

    • District of Columbia
    • New York

    Languages

    • Chinese (Mandarin)
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    Related Practices

    Related Practices

    • General Practice
    • Bank Regulatory
    • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
    • Financial Services
    • Financial Services Capital Markets
    • Financial Services Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Investment Management
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