Standard Chartered Group GC David Fein Joins Paul, Weiss as Special Counsel

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that David Fein, group general counsel at Standard Chartered, one of the world’s largest financial institutions, will join the firm as special counsel in the Litigation Department beginning January 2022. Mr. Fein, who is also a former U.S. Attorney, has extensive experience in the areas of government and internal investigations, corporate governance and regulatory matters, and a proven track record of forming and supporting public-private partnerships. At Paul, Weiss, he will continue to focus on these areas, as well as cybersecurity, white collar, privacy, ESG and crisis management matters. Mr. Fein will be resident in the London office, collaborating with attorneys in the firm’s other offices.

“We are delighted to welcome David to the firm. He is widely recognized as an exceptional trial attorney, a trusted board-level and senior management advisor and a thought leader in forging public-private partnerships to fighting financial crime,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “David’s experience of leadership in both the public and private sectors gives him an unusually broad and deep perspective, which will be invaluable to clients navigating significant legal and governance challenges and opportunities. We look forward to helping support public, private and not-for-profit entities in unprecedented partnerships for the common good.”

“David is the full package; he is a deeply respected advisor with a distinguished record of achievement in senior roles in government and in the financial services industry, as well as significant private practice experience,” said Litigation Department Co-Chair Jessica S. Carey. “David’s arrival further strengthens our market-leading white collar and regulatory defense capabilities, and we are thrilled that he is joining our team.”

“I am delighted to join Paul, Weiss, with its unparalleled commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, excellence in the practice of law, and service to the community, ” said Mr. Fein. “Having known and worked with many of the firm’s partners for years, I am excited to practice alongside them now.”

As group general counsel at Standard Chartered from 2013 to 2021, Mr. Fein oversaw the legal, company secretary and shared investigative services functions; developed and executed legal strategies; and managed a global team of 600 colleagues across 70 markets. He is the chair of the United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, a global network of financial institutions and public and civil society partners working together to reveal, disrupt and prevent illegal wildlife trafficking. He is a board member of the American Friends of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and also serves on the board of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. He chaired Standard Chartered’s flagship philanthropic initiative, Seeing is Believing, raising over $100 million to fight avoidable blindness throughout the world.

Prior to his in-house role, he served as U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut (2010-2013) and as founder and chair of a leading law firm’s white collar practice (1997-2010). Earlier in his career, Mr. Fein was appointed Associate White House Counsel during the Clinton administration and Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Counsel to the U.S. Attorney.

Mr. Fein clerked for the Honorable Frank M. Coffin of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. For 10 years, he was a Visiting Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School, where he created and co-taught a class on federal criminal investigations and prosecution.

Mr. Fein earned his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from the New York University School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as a member of the Senior Board of the New York University Law Review.