Macfarlanes has announced the appointment of alternative fund lawyer Simon Thomas as a partner in its investment funds group.
Simon specialises in hedge fund formation work, joining the firm from Akin Gump, where he was a partner in the funds team. This expertise complements the work of the Macfarlanes investment funds group, which offers a broad range of fund formation and fund structuring services to fund managers operating in a wide range of asset classes including private equity, debt, mezzanine, real estate and infrastructure as well as the regulated funds area.
The appointment also supports the activities of the alternative asset practice at the firm and the derivatives and trading group in particular. This group expanded in 2012 with the addition of Dan Harris and his team (formerly Dan Harris & Co International). The addition of Simon Thomas allows the firm to provide a complete range of services to hedge fund clients, including tax, regulatory and employment and benefits advice.
Charles Martin, senior partner, said: “There is clear market demand for us to expand our expertise in the hedge fund formation area. It is a natural adjunct to our other work for hedge funds. Increasing regulatory pressure globally means that this is an area that has strategic importance for the alternative asset area and the financial services industry more widely. We want to offer our strong client base more depth and breadth, so Simon joining us is a great fit.”
Simon Thomas said: “Increasingly clients are looking for a more sophisticated approach to fund structuring and want something more than the just vanilla hedge fund or private equity structures. The Macfarlanes funds team is ideally placed to meet this need, advising managers on many different types of structures, I’m very much looking forward to helping to develop the offering further.”
