Financial Services Mergers and Acquisitions

The Morgan Lewis Financial Services Mergers and Acquisitions Practice reflects the strength, diversity and sophistication of the firm. Our lawyers have years of experience in providing practical, thoughtful advice on the most complex transactions. Our service is responsive, our lawyers are accessible, and our approach focuses on the relentless pursuit of excellence.

For decades Morgan Lewis lawyers have provided sophisticated and cost-effective representation to the nation’s leading banks, broker-dealers, investment banks, mutual funds, hedge funds and other financial institutions. Our lawyers offer a diverse mix of sophisticated financial services savvy as it applies to M&A in the sector and are among the most respected across the industry.

Morgan Lewis ranks among the Top 5 in every category for mergers and acquisitions for the Financial Services industry according to rankings published by SNL Financial.

The Morgan Lewis Difference

The Morgan Lewis Financial Services Mergers and Acquisitions practice brings a unique and powerful combination of regulatory and advisory skills, transactional experience, industry knowledge, contacts and credibility to the process of structuring, managing and closing transactions within the financial services space.

Morgan Lewis is able to provide its clients with leading:

• Industry experience – our interdisciplinary team of lawyers brings decades of experience, acute knowledge of the ever changing securities industry environment and a resume of hundreds of deals involving financial institutions transactions.
   
• Breadth of Mergers and Acquisitions Practice – our overall M&A Practice’s industry experience is exceptionally broad, covering virtually every significant regulated and unregulated industry in the country. We have handled transactions valued from a few million dollars to more than $70 billion, including negotiated purchases and divestitures by public and private companies, tender offers, restructurings, spin-offs, leveraged buy-outs, and “going private” transactions.
   
• Regulatory depth – our Investment Management and Securities Industry Practice is widely recognized as one of the deepest and most experienced practices in the U.S. Our lawyers are uniquely qualified to advise clients in all areas relating to the application of federal and state securities laws.
   
• Extensive contacts and credibility within the regulatory environment – we know not only whom to call but how the process works, which enables our team to define the regulatory process. Many of our lawyers have joined our team after distinguished careers at the SEC and other regulatory bodies. Our long-standing working relationships with the regulatory agencies (SEC, NYSE, NASD and others) and our recognized expertise has established a high degree of credibility in our interaction with the regulatory bodies.

Investment Management

The lawyers in our Investment Management Practice focus on matters related to the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Morgan Lewis is counsel to several of the largest investment management companies in the world. We serve as regular fund counsel to iShares, Schwab Funds and SEI Funds. In addition, we advise Fidelity, Vanguard, Deutsche Bank, and Morgan Stanley, on various investment management issues.

Fund Formation

Morgan Lewis handles both domestic and offshore fund formation for clients involved in a wide variety of investment mandates utilizing a wide variety of strategies and structures. We help clients develop and organize their management structures and play a key role in all phases of the fund formation process - commencing with a comprehensive review of the latest fund structures and market terms followed by drafting of partnership agreements, preparation and review of marketing materials and negotiation with lead limited partners. Our domestic and international securities and tax professionals can create tailored structures to best meet the needs of managers, funds and their investors.