Investment funds

Scope of our investment funds practice

From our offices around the world, the investment funds team regularly advises on retail and institutional funds, onshore, offshore, open and closed ended, investing in equities, bonds, real estate and alternative classes, including private equity. Our investments funds practice also includes specialist funds such Islamic funds and capital protected/guaranteed and structured products.

Our work is wide ranging. We act for a large number of collective investment vehicles from our global offices, on launches, new issues, reorganisations and innovative reconstructions. We also regularly act on the establishment and restructuring of private funds which are established as local or off shore limited partnerships.

We are routinely involved with offshore funds established in a variety of jurisdictions (including Guernsey, Jersey, Luxembourg, the British Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Ireland). Our expertise encompasses launches and reconstructions of PCCs, SICAVs, SICAFs, umbrella funds and other offshore investment vehicles.

Together with the Islamic finance group, we advise on Islamic investment funds investing in a diverse range of asset classes and targeting both institutional and retail investors.

We are increasingly involved in the development of structured products, such as capital protected and guaranteed funds which involve a cross-over of expertise with our capital markets and derivatives groups.

We advise on hedge fund launches, including funds of hedge funds (both listed and unlisted) and wrapper products for accessing target markets. We advise funds on their use of derivatives to hedge risks and have been increasingly involved in designing bespoke and innovative derivatives-based solutions to maximise the use of cash flow within the fund.

We regularly establish private equity funds targeting private and institutional investors and on the distribution structure for such funds. We also act for major banks and pension funds on investments made into limited partnership vehicles.

We are actively involved in property investment funds, including offshore investment company and unit trust structures (for income look through), and local and offshore limited partnerships.

Our funds specialists are based in Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bahrain, Beijing, Calgary, Cape Town, Dubai, Durban, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Montréal, Moscow, Ottawa, Paris, Prague, Québec, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Toronto.

We deliver a full range of services from advising on products (investment funds/structured products) through to serving the needs of a business (outsourcing, acquisitions and disposals) including tax, regulatory, derivatives, employment and pensions expertise.

Our team and market reputation

The team includes specialists in Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Bahrain, Beijing, Calgary, Cape Town, Dubai, Durban, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Milan, Montréal, Moscow, Ottawa, Paris, Prague, Québec, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore and Toronto. The team is recognised as a leading specialist for investment funds work, a status recognised by the legal directories. Chambers & Partners 2008 notes that “an ‘outstanding’ team gains acclaim” and that “Clients identified ‘a strong commercial ethos, technical knowledge and a commitment to the area’”. Legal 500 records that we are considered “very good” and “very good value”.

We were recently shortlisted for “European Legal” team of the year in the Funds Europe Awards 2008

Clients and experience

Our clients include leading players in the industry, such as Abraaj Capital, AMP Capital, BlackRock, F&C Asset Management, Henderson Global Investors, ING Real Estate, Invesco Perpetual, Macquarie and JPMorgan Asset Management.