A significant part of our FIG practice involves advising fund and asset managers. Lawyers in our investment funds group act for a broad range of clients in the investment funds and asset management sector, as well as for core investor clients such as pension funds and insurance companies.

We have considerable expertise advising on the structuring, establishment, promotion, regulation and operation of investment funds, including limited partnerships, open and closed-ended companies, authorised and unauthorised unit trusts, real estate investment trusts and various forms of parallel asset management arrangements and related wrapper products.

Our recent work reflects:

  • consolidation of the asset management industry, including through outsourcings;
  • the strong market focus on both emerging markets and infrastructure assets;
  • increasing interest in joint venture partnering for fund and asset management initiatives and crystallisation of ‘franchise value’ through the sale of strategic stakes;
  • the opportunities in the retail funds sector resulting from UCITS III and IV;
  • the trend to list funds including private equity funds, and investment companies, including those set up to invest in real estate, debt securities or other assets, and subsequently their restructurings as the markets dropped; and
  • attempts to create pan-European and other cross-border investment management services.

We are active across many geographies, including Europe, the US, MENA, Asia and emerging markets, such as India and China and, our practice is deliberately broad, spanning different asset classes and fund styles so that we can share with clients insights from across a range of sectors including:

  • classic private equity, real estate and infrastructure funds;
  • listed funds of all types, including REITs;
  • retail investor funds;
  • hedge funds and other alternative strategy funds; and
  • structured products.

We take a keen interest in monitoring industry developments so that our advice is up to date and meets the varying needs of our clients.

For more information please contact Jeremy Barton, business development manager.

The bank of the future

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News

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Freshfields advises SEB on €555m sale of German retail banking business to Santander View

Briefings

New usury rates and business opportunities for banks  View

Whistleblowers granted bounties and protection from SEC and CFTC in US financial reform law  View

Awards

Regulatory team of the year - JUVE Awards (2009)

Insurance team of the year - Legal Business Awards (2009)

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