Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, announces the addition of Ashley Bell as a partner. Bell joins the Firm’s award-winning Public Policy practice from his most recent post as policy advisor for the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council in the Office of American Innovation and as regional administrator for the Small Business Administration (SBA). He will be resident in Dentons’ Atlanta office, and maintain a strong presence in Washington, DC, working closely with the firm’s real estate, corporate, capital markets and public finance practices. 

While at the White House, Bell led entrepreneurship policy making and was actively engaged in the promotion and implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). He served as the point person for the Opportunity Zone program, a bipartisan community development program established in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to incentivize investments in low-income communities across the country. At the same time, Bell in his role at SBA supported economic growth in underserved communities and for minorities and women.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome Ashley to our firm and our highly regarded Public Policy practice,” said US CEO Mike McNamara. “He is a skilled lawyer whose government experience and entrepreneurial mindset will be a tremendous asset to our clients.”

Working closely with venture capital funds, qualified opportunity zone funds and traditional lenders Bell has successfully leveraged public and private resources to support economic growth in underserved communities. He has also worked directly with entrepreneurs to create strategies to leverage local, state and federal incentives.

“Ashley has fostered and maintained relationships with the small business, real estate and private equity communities, as well as financial institutions and in government,” said Eric Tanenblatt, Global Chair of the Public Policy practice. “In addition to his deep legal experience he is highly creative and driven. We are delighted to welcome him.” 

Before his federal government service, Bell co-founded a litigation and municipal law firm where he was involved in litigation, corporate, real estate and public finance matters. For more than 10 years, he practiced as a municipal finance attorney who guided more than a billion dollars in successful bond transactions that revitalized urban areas across America.

A former elected county commissioner and president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, Bell earned his JD from Louisiana State University and his BS from Valdosta State University.

Bell joins the ranks of Dentons' diverse Public Policy partners and principals, including Thurbert Baker and Sam Olens, former Georgia Attorneys General; Ceasar Mitchell, immediate past president of the Atlanta City Council; Gordon Giffin, former US Ambassador to Canada; Eric Tanenblatt, former chief of staff to Governor Sonny Perdue; Michael Nutter, former mayor of Philadelphia, PA; Sharon Gay, former Deputy Chief of Staff and Executive Counsel to the mayor of Atlanta; Steve Labovitz, former chief of staff for the City of Atlanta; and Edward Lindsey, former Georgia State Representative and House Majority Whip.