Investment Management

Our clients, with trillions of dollars in assets under management, receive unparalleled counsel on all aspects of their business from one of the most sophisticated, respected, and diverse legal teams in the world.

Overview

More than 100 lawyers at Ropes & Gray focus on serving clients in the investment management industry with every issue they might face—including fund formation and management, regulatory and compliance issues, fund distribution arrangements, mergers and restructurings, tax matters, securities enforcement and litigation.

Leading Firm for Leading Clients

Our clients include the advisers and independent directors of many of the largest and best-known funds in the world. We represent more than 2,000 registered funds of all types including ETFs, business development companies and funds investing in hedge funds, private capital investments, derivatives, commodities and other alternative investment asset classes.

Experience with such a large cross-section of the industry—as well as with hedge funds and private equity funds—gives us a depth of knowledge to provide the most authoritative and current advice in an ever-changing investment and regulatory environment.

Our leadership role in the industry has been recognized with the highest accolades awarded, including:

  • Band 1 national ranking in Chambers USA
  • Band 1 national ranking in Legal 500
  • Tier 1 national ranking in IFLR 1000
  • "Best ETF Law Firm” by ETF Express (Express US ETF Awards, 2023) 
  • Top tier rankings in U.S. News & World Report - Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” report
  • Two-time winner of the Award for Excellence presented by Chambers to the pre-eminent U.S. investment funds practice (2009, 2012)

Integrated, Full-Service Team

Clients benefit from attorneys well-versed in the investment management industry, as well as our lawyers across the firm, who possess deep knowledge and vast experience in every critical discipline of the law.

In addition to our work on matters related to fund formation and management, regulatory and compliance issues, distribution arrangements, mergers and restructurings, and tax matters, we have an active practice representing buyers and sellers of asset management businesses and their service providers. Our attorneys have worked with several of the nation's leading asset management consolidators as well as medium-to-smaller-sized advisory firms in connection with M&A activities.

Our seasoned litigators, many of whom have served as federal prosecutors or enforcement attorneys, have extensive experience handling the most significant matters facing the fund industry, including subprime-related losses, excessive fee claims, prospectus liability, and activist shareholders. We also frequently advise investment managers in dealings with state and federal regulators.

Experience & Clients

In terms of sheer scope, we serve as regular counsel for over 2,000 registered funds of all types (or their independent directors), which collectively have over US$3.5 trillion in assets under management. 

Sources praise the attorneys for their ability to handle the full spectrum of matters affecting mutual funds, from advising on formation and regulation to representing independent trustees and directors.
Chambers USA