George B. Raine
Partner
George is a partner in the asset management group. George is well-versed on the complex regulatory and transactional issues faced by participants in the investment management industry. His practice includes the representation of U.S. and non-U.S. investment advisers; open- and closed-end investment companies and their trustees; hedge funds and other private investment pools, including real estate investment trusts; and broker-dealers.
George joined the firm in 2005, having begun his career in the New York and Frankfurt offices of an international law firm based in New York.
Experience
- Organization and initial offering of a new registered investment company for Allianz Global Investors, with the launch of over 20 new funds in a two year span, followed by several fund mergers, redomicilings and liquidations.
- Several protracted proxy contests on behalf of closed-end funds managed by Putnam Investments and Deutsche Asset Management, including the negotiation of settlement arrangements with insurgent shareholders.
- Ongoing regulatory advice and compliance reviews with regard to investment management operations, as well as ongoing representation of privately placed registered investment companies, for Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited and Martin Currie Investment Management.
- Organization and on-going advice with regard to the launch and offering of onshore and offshore hedge funds for asset managers that include Martin Currie and Standard Life Investments.
- Advice with regard to investment adviser registration, related Dodd-Frank Act requirements, and global distribution questions (including broker-dealer registration) for non-U.S. asset managers, including several Natixis affiliates and Standard Life Investments.
- Independent trustee counsel to the Green Century Funds, a complex of environmentally responsible mutual funds.
Publications
- Quoted, “Money Managers Offer More ESG Funds Even as GOP Bashes Strategy,” Bloomberg Law (March 8, 2023)
- Co-author, “Climate Disclosure and ERISA Rules Put Companies on Notice,” Bloomberg Law (December 27, 2022)
- Quoted, “Adviser Sanctioned for Disclosures Issues and Inadequate Proxy Voting Policies,” Hedge Fund Law Report (December 8, 2022)
- Quoted, “Watchdogs Call for Funds to Come Clean on Green Finance Claims” Financial Times (November 7, 2022)
- Quoted, “Deceptive Fund Name Crackdown Puts Investment Managers on Edge,” Financial Times (October 26, 2022)
- Quoted, “Analysis: Texas ‘anti-woke’ fossil fuel law to be tested by BlackRock funds,” Reuters (October 7, 2022)
- Quoted, “SEC climate disclosure rule certain to be challenged,” Pensions & Investments (October 3, 2022)
- Quoted, “ESG Insider: Unpacking the SEC’s proposed ESG fund rules,” S&P Global (July 1, 2022)
- Quoted, “Parts Per Billion,” Bloomberg Law (June 8, 2022)
- Quoted, “ESG Funds Provision Hinges on Another (Controversial) Proposal,” Financial Times Ignites (June 1, 2022)
- Quoted, “SEC eyes securities lending, short selling in exam priorities,” International Financial Law Review (March 11, 2021)
- Quoted, “Moral Money,” Financial Times (March 5, 2021)
- Quoted, “SEC to Hunt for Climate-Friendly Marketing That Misleads Investors,” The Wall Street Journal (March 4, 2021)
- Author, “The Intersection of Private and Registered Funds: Interval Fund Investments in Private Open-End Real Estate Funds,” The Investment Lawyer (August 2020)
- Quoted, “SEC fund lending relief comes with leverage; operational worries,” Compliance Reporter (March 26, 2020)
- Quoted, “Asset managers empty emergency supplies to support health workers,” Fund Intelligence (March 25, 2020)
- Co-author, “Regulatory Pitfalls and Practicalities in Side-by-Side Management of Registered and Private Funds,” The Investment Lawyer (August 2019)
- Quoted, “New Year Greets CCOs With Tall Tasks Around Liquidity, Reporting, Model Oversight,” Ignites (January 4, 2019)
- Quoted, “Proxy advisers’ new guidelines on board diversity hold lessons for fund directors,” Fund Directions (December 7, 2018)
- Quoted, “The path to digital: Boards prep for e-delivery discussions,” Fund Directions (August 17, 2018)
- Co-author, “SEC Releases Proposed Adviser Conduct Standard and Request for Comment on Enhancing Adviser Regulations,” Wolters Kluwer’s Securities Regulation Daily (July 11, 2018)
- Quoted, “Shops in Thick of Vetting Vendors’ Liquidity Bucketing,” Ignites (May 17, 2018)
- Featured, “Shops 'Pushing Hard' to Finalize Liquidity Programs Over Summer,” Ignites (May 14, 2018)
- Quoted, “'Awkward' Timing: SEC Liquidity Rule Delay Raises Questions for Shops,” Ignites (February 27, 2018)
- Co-author, “Information Update for Advisers Relying on the Unibanco No-Action Letters,” The Investment Lawyer (June 2017)
- Co-author, “Best Execution and Customer Order Handling,” Broker-Dealer Regulation, ed. by Clifford E. Kirsch (Practicing Law Institute, 2004-2016)
- Quoted, “Biz continuity guidance responds to Aug. 2015 outage,” Fund Directions (July 12, 2016)
- Quoted, “White Eyes Changes To Fund Disclosure, ETFs,” Compliance Reporter (June 7, 2016)
- Quoted, “Attorney Sees SEC Shift to Prudential Regulation,” Compliance Reporter (April 22, 2016)
- Quoted, “Under closer scrutiny,” Private Equity Manager (February 27, 2014)
- Quoted, “AIFMD prohibits use of Reg D exemption,” Private Equity Manager (September 13, 2013)
- Quoted, “To Pass This Test, SEC Wants to Ensure Funds Keep It Real,” Board IQ (July 16, 2013)
- Richard D. Marshall, R. Daniel O'Connor, George B. Raine and Jacob E. Comer, “A Proactive And Analytical Approach To Enforcement,” Law360 (December 2011)
- Co-author, “Proxy Voting: U.S. Issues,” in Investment Management: Law and Practice, ed. by Timothy Spangler (Oxford Univ. Press, 2009)
Presentations
- Podcast Guest, “ESG Funds Are Finding It’s Not Easy Being Green,” Bloomberg Law – Parts Per Billion (June 8, 2022)
- Speaker, “Final SEC Fair Valuation Rulemaking,” SIFMA AMG Webinar (December 16, 2020)
- Speaker, “Final Fund of Funds Rulemaking,” SIFMA AMG Webinar (October 21, 2020)
- Panelist, “Exchange-Traded Funds,” Weil, Gotshal & Manges Roundtable & 12th Annual Investment Fund Roundtable, Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law, New Haven, CT (December 9, 2019)
- Speaker, 2017 IAA Compliance Workshop, Atlanta, GA (November 16, 2017)
- Presenter, “Recent Regulatory Developments on AML and Liquidity Risk Management,” Marsh’s Investment Adviser Risk Management Seminar, held at MFS,
Boston, (December 1, 2015) - Presenter, “Best Execution“ and “Due Diligence of Third Parties,” IAA Compliance Workshop, Boston, (October 22, 2013)
Education
- LLM, magna cum laude, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2000
- JD, Yale Law School, 1999; Editor, Yale Law Journal
- BA (History), summa cum laude , Phi Beta Kappa, Yale University, 1996
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- Massachusetts, 2004
- New York, 2001
Awards
- The National Law Journal “ESG and Community Impact Leaders Award” (2022)
- IFLR 1000 (2014-2023)
- Legal 500 (2018-2019)
- Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star (2013-2014)