Eric R. Dinallo Joins Debevoise

                               

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Debevoise & Plimpton LLP today announced that Eric R. Dinallo, former New York State Superintendent of Insurance, has joined the firm as a Partner in the New York office and a member of the firm's Financial Institutions Group.  Mr. Dinallo will represent clients throughout the financial services sector and provide counseling on a broad range of matters, including government and internal investigations, enforcement actions, litigation and compliance matters, and regulatory and strategic legal advice on mergers and acquisitions and other corporate transactions.

"Eric Dinallo brings unparalleled experience across the financial services industry, having served as New York's top insurance regulator, general counsel of a prominent insurance broker, chief of regulatory matters at a leading investment bank, and a senior official in the New York State Attorney General's office," said Martin Frederic Evans, Presiding Partner of Debevoise. "Eric's depth of knowledge of the insurance industry, combined with his experience in virtually all areas of financial services, provides him with a unique perspective and skill set that will further enhance our entire Financial Institutions Group. We are delighted Eric has chosen to join Debevoise and welcome him enthusiastically to the firm."

Mary Jo White, Chair of the Litigation Department at Debevoise, said, "We are very excited to have Eric join us. His wide range of expertise and experience will enhance our practice in many areas, including the work we do for the financial services institutions, our regulatory, enforcement and investigations practices, and complex civil litigations.  Debevoise continuously strives to serve our clients at the very highest levels and we believe Eric's election underscores our commitment to providing our clients with the very best talent in every area."

Wolcott B. Dunham, Jr., Global Co-Chair of Debevoise's Financial Institutions Group, said, "We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Eric's caliber work with our insurance practice.  He has vast experience working with regulators around the world and is widely recognized for his contributions to shaping the direction of financial supervision."

"Debevoise is a world-class firm with extraordinary talent, deep and diverse client relationships and a wonderful esprit de corps," said Mr. Dinallo.  "I am honored by the opportunity to work alongside the many exceptional lawyers at the firm and look forward to providing the highest quality counsel to the firm's clients on domestic and international matters."

Mr. Dinallo has a diverse background in both the public and private sectors. Last month, he was appointed by New York Attorney General-elect Eric Schneiderman and served as co-chair of the Economic Justice Subcommittee of Mr. Schneiderman's Transition Committee. Mr. Dinallo joined the New York University Stern School of Business as the Henry Kaufman Visiting Professor of Finance in September 2009 and currently teaches the professional responsibility course as an adjunct professor on markets, ethics and the law.  Previously, he was New York State Superintendent of Insurance. As Superintendent, he was deeply involved in insurance regulation and the insurance industry's role in the financial system, and faced a number of difficult challenges, including many relating to the global financial crisis.  During his tenure, Mr. Dinallo worked with the United States Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and others in the restructuring of financial services giant AIG.

Prior to his term as Superintendent, Mr. Dinallo served as General Counsel of Willis Group Holdings, the world's third largest insurance broker.  Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and the Global Head of Regulatory Affairs of Morgan Stanley, where he was responsible for coordinating and supervising global regulatory matters for institutional sales, trading, investment banking, asset management, retail brokerage and the credit card business. Earlier this year, Mr. Dinallo was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for New York State Attorney General.

In 1999, Mr. Dinallo was recruited by former Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to serve as Chief of the Investment Protection Bureau.  There, Mr. Dinallo was responsible for opening more than forty major civil and criminal cases, including the "research analyst" and "IPO spinning" cases, and led the Investment Protection Bureau through the initial phases of the investigations into market timing and late trading in the mutual fund industry.  Earlier, Mr. Dinallo, served as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney's office, where he spent the majority of his tenure investigating and trying white collar cases, including securities fraud and insider trading cases.  He began his career by clerking for the Honorable David M. Ebel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and was a litigation associate at a major New York law firm.  Mr. Dinallo received his J.D. from New York University, an M.A. from the Duke University School of Public Policy and a B.A. degree from Vassar College.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a leading international law firm, representing a wide range of clients in transactions and disputes around the world.  Founded in 1931, the firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong and Shanghai.