NEW YORK – February 19, 2013 – Alston & Bird has been invited to be the first and only law firm to participate among 68 global financial services firms in the CFA Institute’s inaugural Claritas Investment Certificate (“Claritas”) program. The CFA Institute, which awards the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation—the most prestigious and widely respected certification in the financial services industry—developed the Claritas program in an effort to raise the standard of knowledge, education and ethics for industry professionals who work alongside investment decision-makers.
More than 50 attorneys at Alston & Bird are participating in the Claritas pilot program and will be taking the certification exam in the spring. They represent 12 distinct practice areas within the firm, are based in seven of our offices across the country and comprise a mix of partners, counsel, senior associates and associates. The Claritas program will open for public registrations after completion of the pilot in May 2013.
Like the CFA designation, the Claritas program is a comprehensive global education program designed to provide clarity and understanding on the essentials of the financial services industry. It is geared towards industry participants who work in association with investment decision-makers and who desire a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of the financial services industry.
“I am excited about the opportunities that the Claritas program presents to our financial services attorneys, and we are honored to have been invited to join the inaugural class,” said Tim Selby, partner at Alston & Bird and head of its Investment Management Practice Group. “The Claritas program will allow us to further distinguish ourselves and set a standard in our industry for comprehending our clients’ structure and the issues they face on a daily basis. It also demonstrates a commitment by Alston & Bird lawyers to invest in understanding the business of our clients.”
About Alston & Bird
Alston & Bird LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 800 attorneys providing a full range of services to domestic and international clients. Our alternative investment group advises institutional and independent fund managers with respect to structuring hedge funds, funds of funds, commodity pools and private equity funds. We also advise family offices, pension plans, endowments and foundations regarding investments into alternative investment products. In addition, we counsel clients with respect to applicable SEC and CFTC rules and regulations. The firm has built a reputation as one of the country’s best employers, appearing on FORTUNE’s ranking of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” 14 consecutive years, an unprecedented accomplishment among law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Research Triangle, Silicon Valley, Ventura County and Washington, D.C.
For more information on Alston & Bird, please visit www.alston.com.
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. Our broader mission begins with the gold-standard Chartered Financial Analyst designation. More than 100,000 CFA charterholders lead the investment industry in analytical rigor and ethical behavior. This graduate-level credential demands CFA charterholders do right by their clients and demonstrate the highest level of professional integrity and expertise. CFA Institute has more than 113,500 members in 137 countries and territories, including 106,000 CFA charterholders, and 138 member societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org.
About Claritas
Open to all. The Claritas Investment Certificate is for all professional disciplines in the financial services industry outside of investment roles. From client services to compliance; from human resources to IT and operations; from marketing and sales to legal. It is ideal for the many different people in the financial services industry who are not directly involved in analyzing or making investment decisions. Participants do not need to meet any education or experience requirements to study for Claritas.
Clear and cost-effective. With Claritas, learners can study online in their own time. In around 100 hours of study over an expected three-to-six month period, they should gain a clear understanding of all the essentials, including ethics and regulation, structure of the industry, the various asset classes and client needs. Registration will be easy and cost-effective for organizations to offer Claritas to their employees around the world. As the name suggests, everything about Claritas—from online support to the look and feel—has been designed to be as clear as possible for participants.
More than 50 attorneys at Alston & Bird are participating in the Claritas pilot program and will be taking the certification exam in the spring. They represent 12 distinct practice areas within the firm, are based in seven of our offices across the country and comprise a mix of partners, counsel, senior associates and associates. The Claritas program will open for public registrations after completion of the pilot in May 2013.
Like the CFA designation, the Claritas program is a comprehensive global education program designed to provide clarity and understanding on the essentials of the financial services industry. It is geared towards industry participants who work in association with investment decision-makers and who desire a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of the financial services industry.
“I am excited about the opportunities that the Claritas program presents to our financial services attorneys, and we are honored to have been invited to join the inaugural class,” said Tim Selby, partner at Alston & Bird and head of its Investment Management Practice Group. “The Claritas program will allow us to further distinguish ourselves and set a standard in our industry for comprehending our clients’ structure and the issues they face on a daily basis. It also demonstrates a commitment by Alston & Bird lawyers to invest in understanding the business of our clients.”
About Alston & Bird
Alston & Bird LLP is a full-service law firm with more than 800 attorneys providing a full range of services to domestic and international clients. Our alternative investment group advises institutional and independent fund managers with respect to structuring hedge funds, funds of funds, commodity pools and private equity funds. We also advise family offices, pension plans, endowments and foundations regarding investments into alternative investment products. In addition, we counsel clients with respect to applicable SEC and CFTC rules and regulations. The firm has built a reputation as one of the country’s best employers, appearing on FORTUNE’s ranking of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” 14 consecutive years, an unprecedented accomplishment among law firms in the United States. The firm has offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Charlotte, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Research Triangle, Silicon Valley, Ventura County and Washington, D.C.
For more information on Alston & Bird, please visit www.alston.com.
About CFA Institute
CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow. Our broader mission begins with the gold-standard Chartered Financial Analyst designation. More than 100,000 CFA charterholders lead the investment industry in analytical rigor and ethical behavior. This graduate-level credential demands CFA charterholders do right by their clients and demonstrate the highest level of professional integrity and expertise. CFA Institute has more than 113,500 members in 137 countries and territories, including 106,000 CFA charterholders, and 138 member societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org.
About Claritas
Open to all. The Claritas Investment Certificate is for all professional disciplines in the financial services industry outside of investment roles. From client services to compliance; from human resources to IT and operations; from marketing and sales to legal. It is ideal for the many different people in the financial services industry who are not directly involved in analyzing or making investment decisions. Participants do not need to meet any education or experience requirements to study for Claritas.
Clear and cost-effective. With Claritas, learners can study online in their own time. In around 100 hours of study over an expected three-to-six month period, they should gain a clear understanding of all the essentials, including ethics and regulation, structure of the industry, the various asset classes and client needs. Registration will be easy and cost-effective for organizations to offer Claritas to their employees around the world. As the name suggests, everything about Claritas—from online support to the look and feel—has been designed to be as clear as possible for participants.