We address registration and disclosure obligations of advisers, as well as the marketing of advisory services and performance advertising issues. We also are active in mergers and acquisitions of investment advisers and other financial services companies and have served as both transactional and regulatory counsel on numerous transactions. We assist our clients in preparing for regulatory examinations, responding to inquiries from regulators and obtaining regulatory relief in the form of no-action letters and exemptive orders. Some of our other services include:
- providing advice regarding entity and individual registration requirements under applicable federal and state law and preparing all required filings;
- counseling advisers on the marketing and sale of advised fund shares and the application of Rule 3a4-1 to those efforts, as well as drafting distribution agreements with broker-dealers;
- assisting family offices in structuring their activities to avoid adviser registration;
- preparing and reviewing advisory contracts, contracts with service providers and customer disclosure documents;
- identifying and addressing compliance issues relating to trade allocation practices, soft dollar arrangements and codes of ethics;
- preparing compliance policies and procedures; and
- providing advice on ongoing compliance with the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and other applicable laws and regulations.