Maria Christopher Bell > A&O Shearman > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

A&O Shearman
599 LEXINGTON AVENUE
NEW YORK, NY 10022-6069
NEW YORK
United States

Work Department

Environmental & Sanctions

Position

Counsel

Career

Maria advises U.S. and multijurisdictional clients on environmental issues in complex business transactions at A&O Shearman.

She has extensive experience assessing environmental risk in transactions, managing due diligence, coordinating work by technical consultants and drafting and negotiating indemnity and cost-sharing arrangements, having worked on hundreds of major acquisitions, divestitures and projects for many of our largest clients, including GE, Carlyle and Goldman Sachs. Maria also specialises in advising on ESG issues generally, including the incorporation of the Equator Principles into major projects.

She has considerable experience in permitting and compliance issues, having assisted many large corporate clients with managing practical issues associated with sensitive permits and licenses.

Lawyer Rankings

United States > Environment > Environment: transactional

A deep roster of major US corporations, government agencies and NGOs, including the US Department of Energy and the Equator Principles Association, regularly turn to New York-based A&O Shearman for its expertise in handling complex transactions in the environmental space. The environmental and ESG team also has considerable experience in the regulatory sector, where it advises clients on ESG reporting, product liability, climate change and emissions trading. The firm’s US and global environmental law groups are led by international environmental and regulatory risk and ESG expert Ken Rivlin, who is also the new chair of the New York Bar Association’s international environmental law committee. Senior counsel in the New York office, Felise Cooper chairs the firm’s global product liability and product compliance team, advising US and multinational clients on environmental issues in commercial transactions, product liability, and environmental and ESG issues in supply chain management, while Maria Christopher Bell is a key contact for drafting and negotiating environmental indemnity agreements and managing environmental issues in M&A, project finance, and real estate transactions. ESG specialist Nick Ognibene is recognized for his prowess in environmental and risks in complex cross-border transactions.