Jesse Kean is a partner in Willkie’s Asset Management Department.
Jesse has advised open-end and closed-end investment companies on a broad range of transactions, including complex fund mergers, mutual fund-to-ETF conversions, shareholder activism defense, and the registration and offering of a wide array of registered funds, including one of the largest single-day ETF launches in history.
He has significant experience launching and representing global, emerging market and U.S.-focused funds with a variety of market capitalizations, as well as liquid alternative funds, multi-asset funds, index funds, target date funds, ESG funds, money market funds, ETFs, sector-specific funds, smart beta funds, and credit funds. He also counsels the independent trustees of registered funds.
Experience
- Listed in both Chambers Global (USA, 2021-2025) and Chambers USA (Nationwide, 2021-2025) for Registered Funds
- Named in Legal 500 US for Mutual/Registered Funds
- Member, New York City Bar Association (NYCBA)
- Member, NYCBA Investment Management Regulation Committee
- Member, American Bar Association
- Board Member, Trail Blazers
- Co-Author, “Annual Review of Federal Securities Regulation,” The Business Lawyer, Vol. 78, 2023
- Co-Author, “USA Law and Practice,” Chambers Global Practice Guide: Investment Funds, February 2020
- Co Author, “USA Law and Practice,” Chambers Global Practice Guide: Investment Funds, March 2019
Credentials
Education
Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2008 Georgetown University, B.S., 2000