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Christopher C. Frieden

Partner and Chair of Partners Committee at Alston & Bird LLP

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

CC
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Why they matter

Atlanta's go-to RIA M&A lawyer, having steered 175+ wealth management deals worth $7B+ since 2020 — a direct line into active RIA consolidation activity.

Background

Christopher C. Frieden is a Partner and Chair of the Partners Committee at Alston & Bird LLP, and former co-chair of the firm's Financial Services Group. Based in Atlanta, he focuses on M&A, joint ventures, and corporate finance transactions in the wealth management, investment advisory, and asset management space, having advised on 175+ such deals since 2020 representing over $7 billion in transaction value in the past two years. He holds a J.D. from Emory University School of Law (1999) and a B.S. from the University of Virginia (1996), and previously served as an adjunct professor at Emory Law.

Notable deals

  • 2024
    Led Alston & Bird team advising Homrich Berg on its acquisition of $6.4B multifamily office WMS Partners, forming HB Family Office
  • 2023
    Led legal team representing CAPTRUST Financial Advisors on a minority growth investment from Carlyle-managed funds
  • 2023
    Led counsel for Modern Wealth Management's launch with $200M equity financing from Crestview Partners to acquire anchor RIAs
  • 2023
    Represented Parallel Advisors in its recapitalization transaction led by Golden Gate Capital

Call-prep brief

Background

  • Partner and Chair of the Partners Committee at Alston & Bird; former co-chair of the firm's Financial Services Group
  • Atlanta-based; J.D. Emory (1999), B.S. UVA (1996); former Emory Law adjunct professor
  • Named 2021 "Financial Services Dealmaker of the Year (Middle Market)" by The Deal Awards

Current Focus

  • RIA and wealth management M&A, recapitalizations, and PE-backed platform consolidation
  • Has advised on 175+ wealth management transactions since 2020, totaling $7B+ in the past two years alone
  • Recent deal flow spans anchor-RIA roll-up launches (Modern Wealth Management), family-office consolidation (Homrich Berg/WMS), and sponsor-backed growth investments (CAPTRUST/Carlyle)

What They Care About

  • Deal structure and speed for repeat PE sponsors active in the RIA space
  • Reputation as trusted counsel to both platforms and founder-advisors going through liquidity events
  • Firm leadership responsibilities (Partners Committee chair) alongside active deal practice

Sensitivities

  • As outside counsel, he owes confidentiality to current and past clients — expect him to speak in generalities about market trends rather than specific unannounced deals
  • Given his leadership role, availability may be more limited than a pure deal partner

Questions to Ask

  1. What deal structures are RIA aggregators favoring right now given rate and valuation shifts in 2026?
  2. Which sponsors or platforms are most active/aggressive in sourcing anchor RIA acquisitions currently?
  3. What due diligence or regulatory issues most commonly derail RIA roll-up transactions today?

Outreach draft

Subject
Quick call on RIA consolidation trends?
Hi Chris, I came across your work leading Alston & Bird's representation on several recent wealth management deals, including the Homrich Berg/WMS Partners and Modern Wealth Management transactions. Our team is doing diligence on the RIA aggregation space and would value your perspective on current deal structures, active sponsors, and diligence hurdles we should be watching for. Would you have 20-30 minutes in the next couple of weeks for a call? Happy to work around your schedule and can share more on our focus beforehand if useful. Best, [Your Name]

Linked companies

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