Chapman and Cutler announced that Felicia B. Graham, Douglas L. Madsen, Michael H. Mitchell, Mark R. Riccardi, Craig Fishman and Rachel G. George, formerly of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, joined the firm as partners in Chapman’s newly established office in Washington, D.C. The office is located at 1717 Rhode Island Avenue NW, and is the firm’s fifth location.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome such highly regarded and talented attorneys to our firm,” said Tim Mohan, chief executive partner and securitization attorney. “Our new partners will further advance the reach of our securitization and structured finance practice, which is one of the largest in the US. Opening a Washington, DC office has long been part of our strategic plan, and its importance has been increased substantially with heightened regulation affecting our clients in the banking, securities, structured finance, and public finance markets.”

Graham, Madsen, Mitchell, Riccardi, Fishman and George all have significant structured finance practices:

Graham represents financial institutions and issuers in asset-backed commercial paper transactions, asset-backed financings and structured products, and advises clients on related regulatory matters. She also has a longstanding practice as underwriters’ counsel in tax-exempt housing transactions.

Madsen advises financial institution clients as issuers of asset-backed securities with a particular emphasis on unsecured consumer asset and credit card-backed revolving securitization structures.

Mitchell acts as counsel to issuers and underwriters on a variety of asset-backed securities issuance platforms and is recognized as an industry authority on SEC regulations and Dodd-Frank rule-making initiatives.

Riccardi represents financial institutions, investors and other market participants in capital markets and debt financing transactions, including structured products, secured lending, securitization, and related regulatory matters.

Fishman represents financial institutions as purchasers, lenders, and investors in asset-backed securities transactions and as lenders in asset-based lending transactions.

George represents financial institutions in a range of asset-based lending and asset-backed securities transactions and advises clients on SEC regulations and Dodd-Frank rule-making initiatives.