We provide counsel on all matters relating to the investment of employee benefit plan assets. We are routinely involved in the structuring and offering of investment vehicles to benefit plans and other institutional investors, and also frequently counsel plan fiduciaries in connection with the making of plan investments, and on soft-dollar and trading issues.
We represent a wide range of investment management clients helping them to avoid the application of ERISA or to operate under it, as necessary. Our expertise is derived not only from serving as ERISA counsel to investment managers, broker-dealers and investment banks that provide services or investment products to employee benefit plans, but also from representing benefit plan trustees, plan sponsors and other fiduciaries, who need to tread carefully because of potential prohibited transactions, investment requirements and other ERISA-related fiduciary responsibilities.
Our practice encompasses counseling and advising plan asset managers, preparing investment policies and procedures for such managers, and helping design numerous investment products targeted to plans. We have helped structure venture capital operating companies, real estate operating companies, hedge funds, collateralized bond obligation (CBO) and collateralized debt obligation (CDO) funds, and other investment vehicles to attract ERISA investors. We also routinely advise plan fiduciaries in connection with a variety of investment matters, from procuring investment advisors to securing real estate and various other "alternative investment" portfolios and products, and everything in between. Our team has had extensive dealings with the Department of Labor, including successfully obtaining numerous advisory opinions and prohibited transaction exemptions.