Our edge for private fund managers

“Deep legal & executive (in-house & law firm) private fund manager expertise”

Separate from the private fund pack

“pragmatic solutions to private fund problems to make change happen”

Strategic benefit to private fund managers

“real world private fund manager legal & business matter know how sets us apart”
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About us

Alternative fund pllc is a legal and business matter law firm alternative for private funds and their private fund managers. Trusted advisors to private fund start-ups, pioneer portfolio managers, hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital and leading alternative asset management organizations. More than 25 years of both executive level experienced fund manager attorneys to leading alternative asset management organizations and public sector experienced securities law attorneys advising the spectrum of private fund clients as former in-house general counsels, chief legal, chief operations officers and corporate-securities lawyers from cutting edge NYC securities law firms makes us uniquely positioned to offer the pragmatic legal and business matter solutions to today's private fund managers across start-ups to well established private fund manager organizations.
Breadth of enterprise wide private fund manager know-how: start-ups, fund formation, investment adviser formation, partner, governing structures and spectrum of structures, asset classes and strategies across: hedge funds, private equity funds, venture capital, segregated series funds, ICAVs, fund of funds, (onshore-offshore) master-feeders, sub-advisers, manager of managers, managed accounts, sub-adviser, hybrid funds, reinsurance, catastrophic bonds, insurance linked securities, long-short equities, managed futures, loan origination, real estate funds, fixed income, swaps, index funds, closed end funds, to name a few. Trading adviser front, middle and back office structures and operations, private fund manager build-out, counter-party set up, regulatory and compliance framework, enterprise risk management process and controls, investors: high net worth, family offices, institutions, seed partners marketing and solicitation strategy and operations.
  • Bespoke & viable solutions to problems
  • Scalable, pragmatic & strategic
  • Partner level no matter scope of need
  • Knowledge, experience & relationships to facilitate asset growth

Our private fund clients

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private fund start ups to established
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onshore-offshore private firms
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private equity funds
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hedge funds

Our scope of private fund expertise

Private fund formation
“private fund formation solutions at every phase of a firm’s life cycle”
Private fund manager compliance & operations
“viable & scalable front-back office compliance-operations across AUM, teams, people”
Private fund focused attorneys
“deep (in house & public sector) private fund focused attorneys sets us apart”
Private fund investor ready support
“spectrum of private fund strategies, fund investors, offering structures, fund managers”
Private fund manager risk management build out
“investor, regulatory or risk management ready, gap analysis & solutions”
Private fund partner business transactional & governance
“in-house & public sector private fund experienced attorneys sets us apart”
Private fund c-suite fractional support to better manage risk
“c-suite executive level experienced attorneys from leading private funds”
Private fund marketing do’s and don’ts
“strategic & tailored support to match portfolio edge, target investors and aum”

For answers to your particular scope of need, either contact us directly or submit a question

FAQs
  • Scope of fund formation experience and expertise?
    Our team has extensive experience across the spectrum of strategies and structures advising conventional to complex across pioneer portfolio managers, emerging managers and leading US and global alternative asset management firms. We have extensive expertise forming onshore and offshore structures and jurisdictions across U.S., BVI, Bermuda or Cayman Islands. Choice of structure and jurisdiction dependent on variables such as investor type, jurisdiction, marketing strategy, assets under management, infrastructure, etc.
  • Does an investment adviser have to register?
    Fact sensitive depending on the structure set-up, strategy, amount of assets under management, domicile, to name a few. A pragmatic business approach seeks to ensure a viable and sustainable private fund manager organization to take advantage of a each client's particular facts and circumstances. Properly managing state or federal adviser registration or firm build out as needed with our expert guidance and support can materially mitigate the fixed costs and create more viable economics.
  • How do you offer multiple strategies and asset classes within one fund offering structure?
    Delaware, and a limited number of others states as well as certain offshore jurisdictions offer a structure similar to a segregated portfolio company or independent collective investment vehicle allowing for multiple strategies under one structure with the legal segregation of assets (ringfenced) to avoid cross-collateral exposure. Trading organizations with multiple strategies may find this structure appealing as well as private equity organizations; especially, if investing in multiple silo investments for a group of investors. This structure has its operational pros and cons and your strategy, short and long terms goals determine its viability for a particular strategy and offering.
  • Scope of a typical stand alone private fund offering?
    A conventional offering consist of (i) a robust offering memorandum describing teams, people, strategy, asset class, liquidity, etc. about 60-80 pages; (ii) a governing document for investors detailing, among other things, valuation, liquidity, fees, alignment of interests, lock-up if applicable, gate language if applicable, timing of investment and redemptions, class of investors, if applicable, etc. This is typically about 50 pages long and tailored to investor documents, strategy, firm framework; (iii) a detailed subscription agreement tailored to the material terms above and containing certain representations and warranties to protect both parties to evidence ownership interests typically 60-80 pages; (iv) governing documents for partners; and (v) the formation of entities across investment adviser and pooled investment vehicle(s), to name a few. See our private fund formation video above for examples of some typical offering structures
  • How to offset cost of full offering structure to generate interest prior to raising outside assets?
    A pre-solicitation offering structure (Incubator Fund) may be created to test a trading strategy and build a track record using "proprietary" assets before offering the pooled investment vehicle securities to outside investors. This structure is typically known as an Incubator Fund and a fraction of the legal cost of forming a conventional private fund offering structure for outside investors. This may be used to first test a strategy and build a track record before offering and raising assets from outside investors. A typical incubator offering framework will not include, among other things: (i) a detailed offering memorandum, (ii) governing agreement for investors; and (iii) a conventional subscription agreement to evidence ownership by outside investors in the private fund securities; and (iv) certain additional counter-party set-up.
  • Form of business support to start-up fund to well established private funds and their advisors?
    Our team is uniquely positioned with the legal and business experience of both working in-house for leading and global alternative asset management organizations as well as publicly as securities lawyers to established law firms to private fund managers, which means a deep legal and business skill set to provide pragmatic legal and business solutions across all phases of operating a successful private fund manager organization from inception, build out and growth during its life cycle.
  • How can a fund manager augment its edge to separate from the pack to investors?
    A gap analysis can be specific to an area of stress or a firm wide diagnostic review across the enterprise. We review existing processes and controls for investor red flags, potential gaps, regulatory risk, business risk. Then make tailored recommendations, close gaps upon request, and offer a final report which may be used as a marketing tool to project safety of assets and a better risk managed firm to investors and proactively avoid regulatory issues before they happen.
  • Scope of strategic marketing support?
    We have relationships with third-parties that seek to raise assets for private fund managers across broker-dealers, placement agents and investors. Depending on strategy, track record and pedigree, we seek to place a client in the best position to succeed.
  • Marketing considerations for high net worth, family offices or institutional investors?
    The opportunity at an initial meeting with a potential sophisticated investor to place yourself in the best position to succeed. Unless a pre-existing relationship with a seed investor, friends or family, a typical start-up fund will seek to raise initial assets with pre-existing trusted relationships such as friends and family. After year one, a manager may use it established track record to communicate its edge to outside investors. Depending on strategy, return profile of risk adjusted returns, market demand, firm framework in place (skin in the game) viable operations, assets under management, among other things,, determines the target market investor across high-net worth, family offices and/or institutional investors. To increase the likely-hood of marketing success, managers may seek to have the forgoing in place relative to AUM, teams and people before marketing.

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