Mr. Baris represents investment companies, broker-dealers, investment advisers and other financial institutions in the full spectrum of financial services regulation. He helps clients develop new financial products that cross over banking, commodities, insurance and securities law. Mr. Baris counsels independent directors in governance issues. He also advises mutual funds and investment advisers in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, compliance, exemptive applications and innovative regulatory issues.

Mr. Baris served as Vice Chairman of the Subcommittee on Investment Companies and Investment Advisers from 2003-2009. The Subcommittee is part of the American Bar Association’s Section of Business Law Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities.

Mr. Baris also serves as a member of the Board of Advisors of The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation.

An active speaker and writer on issues concerning investment management and the regulation of financial institutions, Mr. Baris has been published in a variety of trade and general interest publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, Fund Action, the Review of Banking & Financial Services, and USA Today Magazine.

J.D., Hofstra University School of Law, 1978
B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1975

District of Columbia, 1989
New Jersey, 1984
New York, 1979

U.S. Supreme Court, 1984
U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, 1984
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1983
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, 1979
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1979

Honors
Nominated for “Independent Fund Counsel of the Year” by Fund Directions (Institutional Investor), 2010
Listed in Best Lawyers in America for 2010 (Banking Law, Mutual Fund Law), 2009 
Listed in Chambers USA 2009
Listed in Legal 500 U.S. and Global 2009
Listed in New York Super Lawyers (Securities and Corporate Finance), 2008-2009 
Nominated for “Fund Titan” Award (Outside Counsel Category) by Ignites.com, October, 2008

Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Investment Companies and Investment Advisers, American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities (2004-2009); (Chair, 2004-2009) 
Member, Board of Advisors of The Review Of Securities & Commodities Regulation 
Chair, Task Force on Investment Company Use of Derivatives and Leverage, American Bar Association, Section of Business Law, Committee on Federal Regulation of Securities 
Member, ABA Task Force on Shareholder Access