Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP today announced that Michael Newell, a leading fund formation partner, has joined the firm in London.
Newell’s arrival strengthens the firm’s growing transatlantic funds group, which includes fund formation partners supported by a market-leading U.S. and UK regulatory team.
Newell, who joins the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he was a partner, focuses on the formation of real estate funds, credit funds, emerging market private equity funds, venture capital funds and hedge funds. He has extensive experience advising the asset management industry and, in particular, on the establishment and reorganization of onshore and offshore collective investment vehicles. He helps both household names and innovative start-ups set up new businesses and products in both the mainstream and alternative sectors and is particularly experienced advising hedge, private equity and real asset funds as well as retail mutual funds, UK-listed investment companies and structured products.
“Mike is such a great addition to our funds team, enabling us to provide top-tier fund formation in London and complementing our U.S.-based fund formation practice,” said Pat Quinn, Cadwalader’s managing partner.
Said Dorothy Mehta, a U.S. funds partner based in New York: “The transfer of capital to investment funds continues at an extraordinary pace. With Mike on board, Cadwalader’s funds practice will continue to track this shift of capital deployment.”
Added London managing partner Gregory Petrick: “Mike comes to us with a skill set and client experiences that set him apart in London. He is a critical component in our efforts to significantly expand our funds offering and capabilities in the UK and in Europe.”
Newell is currently a member of INREV’s Public Affairs Committee and was a member of the FSA’s legal expert group and the technical committees of a number of industry bodies dealing with the implementation of the AIFM Directive.
“Cadwalader has such a great reputation and a highly successful transatlantic practice that is very important to my clients,” Newell said. “There is a lot of activity in the funds space – across a broad spectrum of specialties – and Cadwalader has the team to support me as I advise my clients.”
Added U.S. funds partner Gregg Jubin, “Mike is such a welcome addition to our dedicated teams in New York, Washington and Charlotte, and he broadens our team’s capabilities to provide guidance to funds clients.”
Newell joins an expanding team in Cadwalader’s London office. The firm now has 19 partners in London, an increase of 8 in the last 12 months alone. Recent additions have included white collar partners Mark Beardsworth and Kevin Roberts, fund finance partner Samantha Hutchinson and real estate finance partner Duncan Hubbard, as well as the recently announced election to partner of fund finance lawyer Nathan Parker and corporate lawyer Joanna Valentine.