Clifford Chance

The investment management industry currently faces unprecedented regulatory change on a global basis. Clifford Chance is well-placed to address these challenges for investment management clients.

The industry includes a wide range of participants, from corporates, financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds to individuals, each managing very different and often diverse assets in accordance with very different strategies. The needs of a global private equity fund, for instance, are very different from those of a start-up hedge fund manager.

However, both face the same demands for superior performance from their investors. Coupled with the new world of increased regulation with its extra-territorial application, and the increasing requirements of investors for a more institutional approach, an investment manager's job is harder than ever.

Our understanding of each part of the investment management industry, coupled with our global network of expertise, allows us to tailor our advice to a client's exact needs while accessing the very latest market thinking and advice from around the world, whether under Dodd-Frank or in relation to AIFMD or EMIR.

We advise on fund formation, licensing, tax, transactional and M&A, as well as on contentious matters. We also advise on regulation affecting the investment management industry across the financial markets, including on all the up-to-the-minute developments. With experienced lawyers from our international network, we can offer a global or local solution as you require, including advice on the impact of extra-territorial rules in each jurisdiction.

We work in tandem with our debt finance team to provide a complete fund financing platform for our clients. Our Fund Finance practice advises lenders and borrowers across the full spectrum of fund-level finance solutions as well as facilities for general partners. Our experience spans capital call (subscription) bridge finance, leveraged NAV facilities and hybrid financing including transactions featuring preference interests, securitisation treatment or other specialist solutions.

Our clients include the world's leading asset management companies, alternative investment funds, private equity funds, insurance companies and private banking businesses. They range in size from household names with a five-continent footprint to start-up or spin-off funds.

With more change on the horizon for the investment management industry, it is essential that industry players select advice from those experienced in their sector and who understand their business and its drivers. Our lawyers focus only on investment management law, and have the industry knowledge to address your immediate needs – and to help predict your next challenge. We provide the legal innovation you can't live without.