Willkie’s Private Funds team operates seamlessly across our offices in the US, France, UK and Germany. Willkie’s interdisciplinary team of fund formation, regulatory and compliance, tax and ERISA attorneys advises:
- sponsors on forming blind pool and single asset funds across the liquidity spectrum and virtually all sectors, with a particular focus on buyout, growth equity, credit, energy, infrastructure, real estate, secondaries, software and reinsurance;
- financial institutions, banks and wealth managers on the formation and distribution of access funds into liquid and illiquid private funds sponsored by premier managers;
- large family offices and institutional limited partners investing in private investment funds, direct investments and co-investments;
- various stakeholders in liquidity and capital solutions transactions, including purchases and sales of LP positions (single interests and portfolios) and GP-led secondaries; and
- individual and institutional clients on a host of internal management matters including strategic GP level transactions, such as seeding arrangements, GP stake sales, management company reorganizations, carry plans, employee compensation arrangements, and succession planning.
The Private Funds team regularly collaborates with the Registered Funds team on the establishment and distribution of hybrid products, including registered funds that invest in private markets and/or private funds, direct participation programs (including non-traded REITs and BDCs) and publicly reporting private funds. We also work closely with the Regulatory and Enforcement team on a broad range of regulatory, examination, enforcement, and litigation matters.
Law360 recognized Willkie in its “Practice Group of the Year” awards for 2022, honoring the firm as one of six named for achievements in the Fund Formation category. The award series focuses on landmark matters and general excellence across various practice areas. Willkie was ranked as a leading firm for Private Equity: Fund Formation and Hedge Funds by Chambers USA 2022, with a client noting, “the team is exceptional, they have the ability to spot issues and provide commercial solutions.” Our Private Equity: Fund Formation practice is also highly ranked in France by Chambers Europe 2022, where a client highlights the firm's “knowledge of the private equity sector and its ability to mix legal technical skills with a business-oriented mindset,” adding that “the team is always looking for solutions to overcome legal issues or mitigate identified risks.”