Paulita A. Pike

Publications

• Profiled, “Ropes & Gray Chicago Managing Partner on How to Mentor,” Law360 (March 8, 2023)
• Quoted, “Boards Blast ‘Disastrous’ Swing Pricing Proposal in Force,” BoardIQ (February 21, 2023)
• Quoted, “SEC Exam Priorities: Fund Boards Remain in Regulators’ Focus,” Fund Board Views (February 14, 2023)
• Profiled, “Latina Leadership in Mutual Funds,” Hispanic Executive (November 14, 2022)
• Profiled, “Top attorney from Central America now helps others immigrate,” Negocios Now (October 22, 2022)
• Profiled, “Crain’s Notable Women in Law,” Crain’s Chicago Business (September 7, 2022)
• Quoted, “Shops Prep Systems, Boards for Fair Value Rule,” Financial Times Ignites (September 7, 2022)
• Quoted, “Birdthistle Discusses Merits of Swing Pricing for Money Market Funds,” BoardIQ (August 9, 2022)
• Quoted, “SEC Sweep Targets Fund Fees – and How Boards Approve Them,” BoardIQ (August 4, 2022)
• Profiled, “How I Made Office Managing Partner: ‘My Understanding of the City and Ongoing Commitment to Local Charitable and Civic Organizations,’ Says Paulita Pike of Ropes & Gray,” Law.com (June 2, 2022)
• Quoted, “SEC defines ESG, classifies funds to clarify ESG quash greenwashing,” Fund Directions (May 25, 2022)
• Quoted, “SEC to Pitch Long-Awaited ESG Rule May 25,” Fund Directions (May 23, 2022)
• Quoted, “IM Director Birdthistle: Are funds’ fiduciary duties ‘truly being honored’?” Fund Board Views (March 29, 2022)
• Featured, “10 Women… Leading the ’40 Act Legal Space,” Fund Board Views (March 8, 2022)
• Profiled, “Notable Gen X Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law,” Crain’s Chicago Business (November 21, 2021) 
• Quoted, “Asset management sector is rife for further M&A after two sizable deals in a week,” MarketWatch (November 2, 2021)
• Quoted, “Wells Fargo fund proxy troubles delay $2.1 bn M&A, despite board endorsement,” Fund Directions (October 26, 2021)
• Co-author, “Fund Directors’ Oversight of Investments in Cryptocurrencies and Other Digital Assets,” The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation (October 2021 issue)
• Quoted, “Top Legal Industry News for August 2021: Law Firm Pro Bono, Hiring & Innovation,” The National Law Review (August 30, 2021)
• Quoted, “Fund boards explore hybrid meeting formats for returning to boardroom,” Fund Directions (June 25, 2021)
• Quoted, “Q&A: Boulder letter, closed-end funds, and activist investors (part 2),” Fund Board Views (June 16, 2021)
• Featured, “As Clients Search for Alternatives, AFAs Are Growing in Prominence,” The American Lawyer (May 18, 2021)
• Featured, “People on the Move: Paulita Pike, Ropes & Gray LLP, Crain’s Chicago Business (May 3, 2021)
• Featured, “Fund Lawyer to Lead Ropes & Gray’s Chicago Office,” Ignites (April 26, 2021)
• Quoted, “Special Bonuses Can Help to Retain Associates, But Not for the Long Run,” The American Lawyer (April 23, 2021)
• Featured, “CDLB People,” The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (April 21, 2021)
• Featured, “People on the Move,” The Chicago Business Journal (April 20, 2021)
• Quoted, “New, Complex Rules Add CCO Headaches,” Ignites (April 9, 2021)
• Quoted, “ESG ETFs Begin to Blur Boundaries,” ESG Investor (March 17, 2021)
• Quoted, “Directors discuss valuation rule implementation at first board meetings of 2021,” Fund Directions (March 12, 2021)
• Quoted, “New SEC exam priorities can 'direct directors',” Fund Board Views (March 4, 2021)
• Quoted, “Reddit GameStop frenzy should spur board talks with adviser, PMs,” Fund Board Views (January 28, 2021)
• Quoted, “Fund boards explore hybrid meeting formats for returning to boardroom,” Fund Directions (January 25, 2021)
• Quoted, “Fidelity Used SEC’s Director Outreach to Voice Concerns,” BoardIQ (January 12, 2021)
• Quoted, “Blass's time at SEC marked by 'listening, getting things done',” Fund Board Views (January 7, 2021)
• Quoted, “What Morgan Stanley’s Eaton Vance deal spells for the fund boards,” Fund Directions (December 17, 2020)
• Quoted, “SEC Issues First Fair Valuation Rule in Half a Century,” BoardIQ (December 15, 2020)
• Quoted, “Board ownership requirements useful tool but need structure,” Fund Directions (September 16, 2020)
• Featured, “Paulita Pike - Crain’s 2020 Notable Women in Law,” Crain’s Chicago Business (September 8, 2020)
• Quoted, “Giving it the old college try,” Fund Directions (September 1, 2020)
• Quoted, “Industry to Blass: No limits on virtual board meetings required,” Fund Directions (August 20, 2020) 
• Quoted, “SEC issues rule proposal allowing boards to assign valuation duties to advisers,” Fund Directions (April 23, 2020)
• Quoted, “SEC unveils first update to fund valuation rules in 50 years,” Compliance Reporter (April 22, 2020)
• Quoted, “Board oversight of valuation tested by coronavirus-driven market turmoil,” Fund Directions (April 3, 2020)
• Quoted, “New Tasks for Boards Under Proposed Valuation Rule,” BoardIQ (May 5, 2020)
• Quoted, “SEC issues interfund lending relief,” Fund Board Views (March 31, 2020)
• Quoted, “SEC Expands In-Person Voting Exceptions for Coronavirus,” BoardIQ (March 10, 2020)
• Featured, “Getting your ESG overnight right,” Fund Directions (January 30, 2020) 
• Quoted, “ICI’s CEO to Retire at Year End; Search for Successor Under Way,” Ignites (January 28, 2020)
• Quoted, “SEC on Board Oversight,” BoardIQ (December 31, 2019) 
• Quoted, “OCIE flags 15(c) deficiencies; should spur boards to ‘gut check’,” Fund Board Views (November 22, 2019)
• Featured, “Dissecting the SEC’s Recent Guidance on Investment Adviser Proxy Voting Responsibilities,” The Hedge Fund Law Report (October 24, 2019)
• Quoted, “PwC Case Gives Boards, Auditors Something to Talk About,” BoardIQ (October 8, 2019) 
• Quoted, “Invesco files for its own nontransparent ETF structure,” Fund Action (September 25, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC Lays Out How to Use Proxy Advisors, Protect Fiduciary Role,” Ignites (August 22, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC on Board Oversight: ‘We’ll Beat This One to Death’,” BoardIQ (July 16, 2019)
• Featured, “Shops Reassess Who 'Owns' Cyber Security,” Ignites (July 3, 2019)
• Featured, “How Shops Handle the 'Rabbit Hole' of Third-Party Cyber Risks,” Ignites (May 28, 2019) 
• Quoted, “Shops Face Bigger Regulatory Burdens on Leaner Budgets,” Ignites (May 6, 2019)
• Quoted, “What fund leaders need to know about the SEC's new cyber sweep,” Compliance Reporter (May 1, 2019)
• Featured, “Pinpointing Potential SEC Proxy-Voting Reforms,” Ignites (May 1, 2019)
• Quoted, “Do fund directors need board-dedicated email, devices?,” Fund Board Views (April 10, 2019) 
• Quoted, “Mutual fund boards have opportunity to redefine their CCO relationship,” Fund Directions (March 25, 2019) 
• Quoted, “Fund boards, industry welcome in-person voting relief,” Fund Board Views (March 7, 2019)
• Quoted, “How fund boards are grappling with liquidity rule oversight,” Fund Directions (February 28, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC modifies Form N-PORT filings due to cybersecurity concerns,” Compliance Reporter (February 28, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC charges hackers for 2016 breach of auto-filing system,” Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence (January 17, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC considers nixing controversial FoFs disclosure | SEC halts admin proceedings | New regulator data leak,” Compliance Reporter (January 17, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC's Response To Breach Scare Clarifies Wider Approach,” Law360 (January 16, 2019)
• Quoted, “SEC charges Ukrainian hacker in EDGAR breach,” Compliance Reporter (January 16, 2019)
• Quoted, “Funds Bracing for SEC Delays as Government Reopens,” BoardIQ (January 29, 2019)
• Quoted, “Index funds: Has Bogle IDed solution in search of problem?,” Fund Board Views (December 14, 2018)
• Quoted, “Fund governance pros heartened by SEC no-action letter,” Fund Board Views (October 19, 2018)
• Quoted, “Vendors Still Weak Link in Cyber-Security Programs,” BoardIQ (October 9, 2018)
• Quoted, “Special Issue: Boards, Cyber Threats and Tech Advances,” BoardIQ (October 9, 2018)
• Quoted, “Subadvisors, Sponsors At Work Hashing Out Liquidity Programs,” Ignites (September 10, 2018) 
• Quoted, “GDPR, Calif. regs complicate regional comms, blockchain development,” Fund Operations (August 23, 2018)
• Quoted, “Fidelity’s New No-Fee Funds Bring All Fees Into Sharp Focus,” BoardIQ (August 14, 2018)
• Quoted, “Governance pros applaud SEC's paperless rule,” Fund Board Views (June 5, 2018)
• Co-author, “Increased Enforcement Activity Underscores Need for Firms to Conduct Rigorous Cybersecurity Oversight,” Wolters Kluwer’s Securities Regulation Daily (May 24, 2018)
• Quoted, “Dissecting the SEC’s standard of conduct,” Fund Directions (April 27, 2018)
• Author, “Op-Ed: The Must Know of D&O,” Fund Board Views (April 26, 2018)
• Quoted, “Next steps: Liquidity rule delay shakes up compliance plans,” Fund Directions (February 23, 2018) 
• Quoted, “Cues for fund directors in OCIE 2018 exam priorities,” Funds Board Reviews (February 8, 2018)
• Quoted, “Fee Pressure From Boards Seeping Down to Subadvisers,” BoardIQ (January 30, 2018)
• Quoted, “Despite Guidance, Liquidity Rule Questions Linger for Multi-Managed Funds,” Ignites (January 25, 2018)
• Quoted, “SEC Spotlights Subadvisors, ETFs in Liquidity Rule FAQs,” Ignites (January 12, 2018) 
• Quoted, “Board Self-Assessments Back on SEC Exam Request List,” BoardIQ (November 7, 2017)
• Quoted, “Treasury Sides With Industry in Opposing Liquidity Rule,” BoardIQ (November 7, 2017)
• Quoted, “Industry on edge: EDGAR Breach,” Fund Operations (October 4, 2017) 
• Quoted, “EDGAR breach has managers questioning SEC’s own protections,” Pensions & Investments (September 28, 2017)
• Quoted, “Clayton addresses cyber concerns in Senate testimony,” Fund Action (September 27, 2017)
• Quoted, “SEC data breach reveals fear and loathing in the mainframe,” Compliance Week (September 26, 2017)
• Quoted, “A Cyber Rule for Banks Offers Best Practices for All,” BoardIQ (September 26, 2017)
• Quoted, “SEC hack leaves industry asking tough questions,” Compliance Reporter (September 25, 2017) 
• Quoted, “SEC Data Breach Gives Industry Ammo for Rule Delays,” Ignites (September 22, 2017) 
• Quoted, “Surprise Exams Are Back, and Boards Prepare With CCO,” BoardIQ (September 12, 2017)
• Quoted, “BlackRock Board Blinks in Bid to Get Proxy Proposal Passed,” BoardIQ (August 15, 2017) 
• Quoted, “Now is time to get busy with liquidity risk management rule,” Fund Board Views (April 12, 2017)
• Quoted, “Funds Face New Intermediary Tussle Over Fee Index,” BoardIQ (March 28, 2017)
• Quoted, “Morningstar scraps Stewardship Grades,” Fund Board Views (February 3, 2017)
• Quoted, “Dykstra retires after decades of fund governance work,” Fund Board Views (January 31, 2017)
• Quoted, “In Liquidity Rule, an Investment Decision for Directors,” BoardIQ (December 13, 2016)
• Quoted, “Auditor independence: What boards are doing now,” Fund Directions (November 15, 2016)
• Quoted, “Independent Director Helps Axa Win Excessive Fee Trial,” Ignites (September 6, 2016)
• Author, “Op-Ed: Grading Morningstar's Stewardship Grades,” Fund Board Views (August 10, 2016)
• Quoted, “New 38a-1 Policies Giving Boards Overall View of Intermediaries,” BoardIQ (May 31, 2016)
• Co-author, “Fund Governance: A Successful, Evolving Model,” Virginia Law & Business Review (Volume 10, Spring 2016, Number 3) 
• Quoted, “Claims Monitoring Deal With Affiliate Requires Board Focus,” BoardIQ (May 3, 2016)
• Cited, “All the world’s a gala table,” Crain’s Chicago Business (April 7, 2016)
• Quoted, “Credit Lines Hard to Come By as Bank Rules Tighten,” BoardIQ (January 26, 2016)
• Co-author “Fund Director's Guidebook,” American Bar Association (2015)
• Quoted, “Commission Smacks Virtus for Repeating F-Squared’s Lies,” BoardIQ (December 1, 2015)
• Quoted, “How Just One Share of Stock Can Ruin a Director’s Day,” BoardIQ (April 21, 2015)
• Quoted, “'Distribution in Guise' Enforcement Actions in Works: SEC,” Ignites (March 5, 2015)
• Quoted, “SEC’s New Attitude a Chief Concern for Directors in 2015,” BoardIQ (December 16, 2014)
• Quoted, “Transfer Agent Fees Down Slightly, Some See More to Come,” BoardIQ (November 4, 2014)
• Quoted, “Where to Find ‘Current Sale’? In the Eye of the Beholder,” BoardIQ (September 9, 2014)
• Quoted, “New Duties for Directors After Money Fund Reform Vote,” BoardIQ (July 29, 2014 )
• Quoted, “Cheaper Fund Subadvisers Can Save Money, but for Whom?” BoardIQ (June 17, 2014)
• Profiled, “Women, Influence and Power in Law: Paulita Pike,” Inside Counsel (May 20, 2014)
• Quoted, “In Its Sweep of Alt Funds, SEC Will Target Board Oversight,” BoardIQ (March 25, 2014)
• Quoted, “London Calling: Directors, Won’t You Pick Up the Line?” BoardIQ (February 25, 2014)
• Co-author, “Supreme Court Upholds Gartenberg Standard in Jones v. Harris,” Journal of Investment Compliance, Volume 11 Issue 2 (2010)
• Co-author “The Yacktman Battle: Manager Bites Watchdogs,” The Investment Lawyer (1998)

Presentations

Ms. Pike is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, including those sponsored by the Investment Company Institute, the Independent Directors' Council and the Mutual Fund Directors Forum.

• Speaker, “Webinar: Current Board Priorities: Valuation Rule and COVID-19 Considerations,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (May 5, 2020)  
• Speaker, “Navigating the New ESG Landscape: How US and EU Policy Developments Affect Fund Managers,” Investment Company Institute (ICI) (October 23, 2019)
• Speaker, “Insurance for Funds and Fund Directors: Part 1,” Independent Directors Council (January 22, 2019) 
• Moderator, “Liquidity Risk Management,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum, 2018 Policy Conference (March 27, 2018)
• Speaker, “The Regulatory Environment,” and “Client Experience Panel Discussion,” Northern Trust Distribution Summit (April 26, 2017)
• Speaker, “Reporting Results,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum, 2017 Directors’ Institute (January 19, 2017)
• Moderator, “Management Presentation to the First Lights Fund Board,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum, 2017 Directors’ Institute (January 18, 2017)
• Panelist, “Regulation, Litigation, and Enforcement: The Current Landscape,” The Independent Director’s Council’s 2016 Fund Directors Conference (October 26, 2016)
• Speaker, “Webinar on SEC Staff Guidance on Mutual Fund Distribution and Subaccounting Fees: A Summary and Discussion for Fund Directors,” Independent Directors Council (February 18, 2016)
• Moderator, “Management Presentation to the First Lights Fund Board,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (January 27, 2016)
• Moderator, “Management Response to Consultant Report,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (January 27, 2016)
• Presenter, “Working with Management,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum (January 28, 2016)
• Panelist, “Looking over the Shoulders of Distributors: Intermediary Oversight in Today’s Distribution Environment,” ICI’s 2015 Mutual Fund Compliance Programs Conference (May 7, 2015)
• Panelist, “Panel II: Larger Lessons from Fund Governance” 2015 Virginia Law & Business Review and the ICI Symposium: The 1940 Acts at 75 (April 10, 2015)
• Panelist, “SEC and Other Developments: What Directors Should Know,” ICI’s 2014 Fund Directors Conference (November 4, 2014)
• Panelist, “Session 2-A: Current Topics for Fund Boards: Independent Counsel Roundtable,” ICI’s 2014 Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference (March 17, 2014)
• Panelist, “Right Funds, Wrong Time: Ratings, Flows, and Distribution,” Mutual Fund Directors Forum’s Board Oversight of Performance Conference (October 9, 2013)