With an expansive practice spanning many industries, Christopher Connell is known for facilitating sophisticated transactions for public and private companies. With a dedication to deeply understanding his clients’ businesses, Chris often serves as trusted outside general counsel to handle strategic growth, corporate, contracts and governance needs. Chris is chair of the firm’s corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities practice.
Chris handles complex transactions including mergers and acquisitions, offerings of debt and equity securities (both public and private), initial public offerings (IPOs) and securities matters for public companies. Navigating increasing regulatory scrutiny and ever-changing economic factors, Chris works closely with regional, national and global banks, asset management firms, investment advisers and real estate developers to execute multimillion-dollar transactions.
Ensuring transactions are tailored to align with clients’ business objectives, Chris uses a multidisciplinary approach to guide boards of directors and other corporate leadership through every step of the deal, including negotiation, structuring, due diligence, corporate governance matters, regulatory filings and compliance. He collaborates across the firm’s practices to address any issues that may arise through and post-closing.
Featured Representative Matters
Investment Management M&A
Represented Mutual Group Inc., a national platform serving independent financial advisers and registered investment advisers, in a transaction involving a strategic investment by Emigrant Partners to enable Mutual to expand its national footprint and position its business for growth.
Represented TradePMR, a custodial and portfolio management platform for registered investment advisors, in an approximately $300 million acquisition by Robinhood Markets Inc.
Represented Chatham Financial, a global leader in financial risk management advisory and technology, in its acquisition of EA Markets.
Represented Columbia Pacific Advisors, an alternative asset management firm with approximately $3.5 billion in assets under management, in its sale of a minority stake to CI Financial.
Advised Great Valley Advisor Group, a technology-driven full-service registered investment adviser, in its acquisition of U.S. Financial Advisors, a registered investment adviser with over $725 million in assets under management.
Advised Artivest Holdings in its sale of its advisory, mutual fund, commodity pool and broker-dealer businesses to Altegris Holdings.
Private Equity Investment
Represented Oppenheimer & Co. in its acquisition of the preferred stock of Red Rover Moving & Storage, a provider of moving and storage solutions.
Banking and Financial Institutions
Advised 1st Colonial Bancorp Inc. in a merger agreement with Mid Penn Bancorp Inc. in which Mid Penn acquired 1st Colonial in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $106.1 million.
Represented Customers Bancorp, the holding company for Customers Bank, in connection with its $172.5 million underwritten public offering of common stock.
Represented DNB Financial Corp., the holding company for community bank DNB First, in its $206 million acquisition by S&T Bancorp Inc. that will expand S&T’s footprint into the Pennsylvania counties of Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia.
Represented Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in its definitive agreement and plan of merger to acquire Continental Bank Holdings Inc. and related joint proxy statement/prospectus on Form S-4, in a transaction valued at $109 million.
Represented Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in its multimillion-dollar acquisition of the private wealth management group of Hershey Trust Co.
Advised Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in its agreement to acquire certain assets of First Bank of Delaware.
Advised Bryn Mawr Bank Corp. in its multimillion-dollar acquisition of Davidson Trust Co.
Represented Customers Bank in connection with its IPO of common stock.
Represented Customers Bank in connection with its corporate holding company restructuring and acquisition of Berkshire Bancorp.
Advised Valley Green Bank in connection with its sale to Univest Corp. of Pennsylvania.
Real Estate
Represented Silvi Materials, a vertically integrated leader in construction materials, in its acquisition of Eagle Rock Concrete.
Represented a major national merchant-builder real estate developer, several regional banks and a computer-hardware service company on acquisition and leasing issues.
Advised a national commercial real estate developer with the acquisition of a property in suburban Philadelphia and negotiating for the developer on leases with national tenants.
Advised several regional outdoor advertising companies on the sale of assets to a publicly held company and on purchasing assets from other regional companies.
Recognitions
The Legal 500 US Elite (Philadelphia: Corporate and M&A) (2025-26)
Best of the Bar: Philadelphia's Top Lawyers, Philadelphia Business Journal, (2017)
Featured Speaking Engagements
Panelist, Customers Bank’s Virtual Town Hall
Panelist, “The CARES Act and the PPP: What Catholic Parishes Need to Know,” Ascension Press
Panelist, “Banking in the 21st Century — Settling into the Digital Age,” Association for Corporate Counsel’s Banking & Financial Services Law CLE
Moderator, Association for Corporate Growth’s Annual M&A Dealmakers’ Panel
Presenter, “Executive Board Governance – Roles & Responsibilities … Do You Know What You Don’t Know?” Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers
Presenter, “Interacting with Our Clients Through Technology in a World of Regulators and Scammers,” Philadelphia Estate Planning Council
