Mayer Brown has an extensive global private investment funds practice involving more than 100 lawyers from across the firm’s worldwide practice areas. Our lawyers’ broad market experience enables fund sponsor, adviser and investor clients to structure funds and investments creatively and efficiently to maximize fund-raising flexibility and opportunities.

Our lawyers advise fund sponsors in connection with the structuring, marketing, regulation and operation of public and private investment funds in a range of jurisdictions worldwide, including emerging markets such as China, India, Central Asia and Africa.

The funds we have structured include limited partnerships, authorized and unauthorized unit trusts, and closed-ended and open-ended investment companies with a wide range of investment styles and objectives, including private equity, infrastructure, real estate, mezzanine and venture funds. Fund clients of the practice include major and boutique fund management companies, investment banks and insurance companies.

A core strength of the global investment funds practice is the provision of transactional and regulatory support for established funds, including advising on investments, secondary market transactions, leveraged financing, admission of new investors and recent and impending regulatory developments. Our lawyers also advise institutions seeking to invest in a wide range of established funds and funds in formation on the potential tax, regulatory and other legal implications of those investments.

The practice includes Mayer Brown lawyers from a variety of practices who work closely together to ensure readily available corporate and securities, finance, real estate, investment management, financial services regulatory and enforcement, ERISA and tax capabilities. We have offices in many of the jurisdictions in which our clients invest, and have established alliances with leading law firms in many other jurisdictions, thus enabling us to provide informed, comprehensive tax and other legal advice in connection with fund formation, structures, acquisitions and dispositions. Our broad market experience enables us to assist fund clients to plan and implement creative and flexible fund structures.

Practice at a Glance

• Ranked 7th in the list of the “most active law firms by number of funds” in the 2009 Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst survey

• Named “Law Firm of the Year” in 2009 by Private Equity Magazine in France, an award honoring the most proactive capital investment professionals operating in Europe during the preceding 12 months. Mayer Brown's Paris office also received this award in 2007.

• “Mayer Brown enjoys particular expertise in fund formation and advises investment banks, pensions funds, and corporates on international transactions.” - UK Legal 500 2007

• “This is a ‘smartly run and capable’ outfit packed with ‘sensible, down-to-earth lawyers.’” - Chambers Global 2007