Overview

Our multi-disciplinary family office practice comprises a global team of specialists with experience advising family offices established by ultra-high-net-worth families in the United States and worldwide. Situated across the United States, Europe and Asia, our lawyers have extensive knowledge and expertise in the areas of asset management, tax and benefits, trusts and estates, employment law, charitable planning, private equity, venture capital and regulatory compliance. We collaborate seamlessly across practices and geographies to manage our relationships with clients on a truly global basis. A family office has the multi-disciplinary needs of a private company; our attorneys understand the added complexity, and responsibility of, managing wealth within a unique family dynamic.

Our clients include:

Large U.S. and non-U.S. single-family offices;
Multi-family offices set up by private equity firms for their managing directors;
Multifamily offices that do not fit within the “private investor” exception under the Investment Advisers Act.

In addition, we advise not only family offices, but also the individual members of the families.

Our work falls into several categories:

Experience

Asset Management

Structured family office investment vehicles.
Advised on fund formations and fund investments, including review of fund documents.
Provided investment management advice, spanning the spectrum of SEC regulatory exemptions to advising on private and public company investment to investment review.
Advised on derivatives provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act and negotiate derivatives documentation.
Advised on funds with sophisticated structures necessitated by tax and/or regulatory goals, such as master-feeder funds, multiseries trusts, and mirror or parallel funds.
Advised on registered funds investing in hedge funds, commodities and other alternative investment asset classes, and funds with cross-border and international investment strategies.
Advised on direct investment transactions and co-invests.

Tax

Advised on investment activities, discussing U.S. and non-U.S. tax issues, ERISA and other regulatory issues related to those investments.
Reviewed and negotiate tax-related provisions in fund documents for family office investments in private equity funds, hedge funds and real estate funds.
Advised on structure and jurisdiction of holding vehicles for tax-efficient investment structures and employee benefit plan compliance.
Analyzed and provide tax and structuring advice on co-investment opportunities and venture capital investments.
Provide ongoing advice to fund operations, including applying fund allocation and distribution provisions in particularly complex situations and creating alternative investment vehicles and structures for investments that raise special tax issues for a class of investors or the fund as a whole.

Trusts & Estates

Charitable Planning

Impact Investing

Experience pioneering global impact investing transactions across a variety of sectors, including:

Sustainable agriculture;
Renewable energy;
Conservation;
Microfinance;
Health;
Education; and
The provision of basic goods and services.

Uniquely positioned to identify and effectively manage the unique risks and opportunities that exist throughout the life cycle of an investment.
Utilize our market-leading strategies and insights in corporate social responsibility as well as venture philanthropy, having represented individuals, institutions and families for more than a century in their charitable pursuits.

Employee Benefits

Real Estate

Intellectual Property

Created joint ventures, strategic alliances and collaborations with technology, financial services, life sciences and companies in other tech industries.
Assisted with international technology transfers and cross-border transactions.
Analyzed specialized IP holding company, financing, monetization and debt structures.
Negotiated complex pharmaceutical, technology and IP licensing deals.

Employment Law

Awards

Chambers USA
Two-time winner of Award for Excellence in Investment Funds; ranked nationally in Chambers High Net Worth Guide for “Family Offices & Fund Structuring” and “Private Wealth Law”
Chambers Global 2023
Our firm has again been recognized in 2023 by Chambers Nationwide and Chambers Global across International & Cross-Border Asset Management, Private Equity: Fund Formation, Investment Funds: Hedge Funds, Registered Funds, Investor Representation, Regulatory & Compliance.
Chambers USA 2023
We are the only firm ranked nationally by Chambers USA 2023 in the top two bands for each of private funds, hedge funds, registered funds and regulatory compliance
U.S. News & World Report–Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” Survey
Our firm has again been recognized in 2023 as a top-tier US law firm by U.S. News, with “Law Firm of the Year” in Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, and Tier 1 recognition in Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law and Mutual Funds Law.