Leigh Fraser > Ropes & Gray LLP > Boston, United States > Lawyer Profile

Ropes & Gray LLP counts a broad range of asset managers, from institutional managers to start-ups, institutional investors and corporations, as well as private fund sponsors, mutual funds, financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds, among its key roster of clients. The practice advises on investment transactions involving commodities, futures and a range of derivatives, in addition to product structuring and regulatory matters. In the firm’s Boston office, practice leader Leigh Fraser acts for buy-side clients in negotiations concerning ISDA master agreements, master derivatives confirmations and repurchase agreements, and advises on derivatives regulatory reforms under the Dodd-Frank Act. Other key contacts in the group include New York-based Isabel Dische and Chicago-based Jeremy Liabo, who acts for asset managers on commodities mandates.

Ropes & Gray LLP’s diversified asset management practice is noted for its advising of sponsors of registered funds as well as private funds, with particular focus on the US Investment Advisers Act, the AIFMD and commodities and derivatives regulation and compliance. The leadership team is made of multiple key figures; Jason Brown and James Thomas work out of the Boston office; Melissa Bender is based in San Francisco; Brynn Rail, Mike Doherty, and Bryan Chegwidden are based in New York and; Joel Wattenbarger and Leigh Fraser divide their time between Boston and New York. The firm’s broker-dealer offering, considered a key area of work for the group, is co-led by Rail and management partner Eva Carman in New York.

Ropes & Gray LLP fields a ‘very thorough and engaging team‘ for private equity and venture capital fund matters, advising on precedent-setting fund formations, drawing on dovetailing expertise in investments and regulatory issues. It represents both sponsor and investor clients in the gamut of fund matters, and has lawyers on the ground in offices across the country, as well as working with the firm’s international offices to be able to assist with multi-jurisdictional mandates. The team’s new engagements in 2022 often focused on innovative sectors, and the venture capital side of the practice has continued to grow, where clients include B Capital Group, Cayuga Venture Fund, and Cowen Investment Management. The highly-regarded ‘very experienced campaigner‘ Morri Weinberg in New York co-leads the department alongside Boston-based Leigh Fraser and Peter Laybourn in Boston. Marc Biamonte in New York is another key name for fund formation and operation, and also represents investment advisers to private equity funds on Advisers Act matters. In Boston, John Ayer is a senior practitioner with great experience in private equity fundraising and related matters.

With a ‘very deep bench‘ and investment fund lawyers that can ‘handle myriad topics‘, Ropes & Gray LLP is equipped to assist with the full spectrum of hedge fund matters. Fund formation, operational and regulatory matters at the highest level are all routinely covered, and the client base includes all types of hedge fund sponsors, from large institutional managers to start-ups. The practice is represented at the firm’s offices across the country and work often has cross-border components too. Leigh Fraser has been an instrumental figure in building the practice over the past decade and is a renowned figure across the broader asset management market. She divides her time between the New York and Boston offices and co-leads the broader funds department with Peter Laybourn in Boston and Morri Weinberg in New York. ‘Thoughtful, seasoned and very commercial‘ lawyer Laurel FitzPatrick in New York is the go-to figure for hedge fund work specifically and a pioneer in the space, having founded the practice group at the firm. Sarah Davidoff is another respected senior figure that acts for some of the largest hedge funds in the world, and Katie Waite in Boston is a more recent partner that comes with client recommendation. On the west coast, Melissa Bender in Silicon Valley is the name to note, along with October 2022 hire from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP Eric Requenez, who focuses on the real estate sector from New York.