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Morgan Lewis
William Nash

William L. Nash III

Partner

william.nash@morganlewis.com

Abu Dhabi Phone +971.2.697.8810 Fax +971.2.697.8801

Abu Dhabi Global Market Square//Al Sila Tower, Level 21//P.O. Box 764620//Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Bill Nash, managing partner of the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, co-leader of the firm’s Middle East practice, and member of the firm’s international leadership team, has been resident in Abu Dhabi since 2008 and previously lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bill advises regional and global clients on a variety of corporate and business law matters, focusing on the formation of and investments in private investment funds, international transactions and joint ventures, and general corporate counseling. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York.

Bill represents institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, corporate groups, and family offices, in connection with their global investment activities, including establishing and maintaining customized investment platforms, reviewing and negotiating investments in private investment funds, and drafting and negotiating investment management and other commercial agreements. Bill also represents investment managers in connection with their formation and regulatory and operational matters and in respect of the structuring, formation, governance, and regulation of private investment funds, with a current particular focus on the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Bill also advises Middle East financial institutions on compliance and regulatory matters including the application of US anti-money laundering, sanctions, and know-your-customer laws and regulations.

Bill is a regular speaker on investing in the Middle East and in the United States and an active member of the US-UAE Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi. Bill formerly taught international investment law and acted as a thesis advisor as part of the International Business Law Master’s Degree Program at the Paris-Sorbonne University in Abu Dhabi and he was a founding member of UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Sustainability Board.

Before joining Morgan Lewis, Bill was the coordinator of the MENA practice and the managing partner of the Abu Dhabi office of another global law firm. He previously practiced law in the asset management group of another global law firm, focusing on advising private investment fund sponsors on the structuring and offering of US and offshore investment funds and fund regulatory, trading, and operational matters.

Before practicing law, Bill served as an emergency management specialist with a US consulting firm, where he was responsible for designing and facilitating training exercises to prepare US federal and state emergency responders for natural disasters and other crisis situations.

Awards and Affiliations

Ranked, Investment Funds, Middle East-wide, Chambers Global (2021, 2022)

Recommended, Investment Fund Formation and Management, United Arab Emirates, The Legal 500 EMEA (2020)

Founding member, UNHCR’s MENA Sustainability Board

Firm Liaison, US-UAE Business Council

Member, American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi

Firm Liaison, Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute

Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • New York

Education

  • The George Washington University Law School, 2000, J.D., with high honors, Order of the Coif
  • George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs, 2000, M.A., National Security Studies
  • Vanderbilt University, 1994, B.A., Political Science

Sectors

  • Sports

Services

  • Investment Management
  • Private Equity
  • Corporate, Finance & Investment Management
  • International Trade & National Security
  • Institutional Investors
  • Climate Change
  • Private Investment Funds

Regions

  • Middle East
  • Türkiye

Events

11/14/2022 - Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2022
4/6/2022 - Secondaries, Coinvestments and GP Stakes
4/5/2022 - 2022 London Private Investment Funds Summit
1/1/2022 - Morgan Lewis Global Sponsor Forum Webinar Series
6/2/2021 - Track 7: International Issues
4/21/2021 - Asia and Middle East Update
4/19/2021 - 2021 Morgan Lewis London Private Investment Funds Summit
10/7/2020 - Global Update: Market Developments in the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Asia
10/6/2020 - 2020 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable – Webinar Series
5/5/2020 -
2020 Advanced Topics in Hedge Fund Practices Conference
3/12/2020 - Morgan Lewis Hedge Fund University™: Marketing of Funds in UAE
10/3/2019 - 2019 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable
6/13/2019 - 2019 Morgan Lewis Advanced Topics in Hedge Fund Practices Conference: Manager and Investor Perspectives – Boston
6/11/2019 - 2019 Morgan Lewis Advanced Topics in Hedge Fund Practices Conference: Manager and Investor Perspectives
10/4/2018 - 2018 Annual Private Fund Investors Roundtable

News

5/9/2022 - Council Talks, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council
February 2022 - UAE Managing Partner Report: Resilience, Growth and Transformation, LexisNexis
1/10/2022 - Intent On Modernizing, UAE and Saudi Arabia Create a Rich Profusion of Opportunities for Law Firms In 2022, Law.com International
12/22/2021 - 2021 In Review: The Year The Middle East Internationalized On a Wave of Investment, Law.com
2020 - UAE Managing Partner Report: Law Firms Turn to Technology To Face the Post COVID-19 Landscape, LexisNexis
9/9/2019 - Morgan Lewis Joins Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute
7/1/2019 - Morgan Lewis Joins US-UAE Business Council
2/11/2019 - Morgan Lewis Enhances Investment Funds, Institutional Investor, and Middle East Capabilities by Launching in Abu Dhabi and Expanding in Washington, DC

Publications

6/1/2022 - Dubai Financial Services Authority Enacts New Regime for Credit Funds
March 2022 - Legislative and Policy Aspects of the Projects of the 50, U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council Report
February 2022 - The UAE in 2022, The Oath
1/10/2022 - Regulatory Classification of Funds, LexisNexis
September 2021 - Doing Business in the United Arab Emirates: Fourth Edition
11/9/2020 - Update to Economic Substance Regulations in the UAE
May 2020 - Doing Business in the United Arab Emirates: Third Edition