William L. Nash III

Bill has an active fund formation practice spanning the UAE and other leading global fund jurisdictions. In the UAE, his practice has grown alongside the rapid development of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) as an international financial center and its emergence as an increasingly important hub for global and regional asset managers. He advises investment managers on establishing and structuring their businesses and the structuring, formation, governance, and regulation of private investment funds. His representations range from global tier-one asset managers establishing operations and launching funds in the UAE to teams spinning out of sovereign and other regional asset management institutions, established regional managers, and emerging and startup managers. Beyond the UAE, Bill regularly leads the formation of private investment funds in other major global fund jurisdictions, advising managers on structures designed for institutional and other sophisticated investors across multiple markets.

Bill has more than 25 years of experience representing institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, corporate groups, family offices, and other sophisticated investors, in their global investment activities. He advises clients on establishing and maintaining customized investment platforms and separately managed arrangements; investments in private equity, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, and other private investment funds; co-investments and other direct and strategic investment arrangements; and investment management, governance, and other commercial agreements. His work frequently involves complex cross-border investment structures, strategic relationships with global asset managers, and investment programs designed to meet the particular governance, regulatory, commercial, and operational requirements of large institutional investors.

Bill is active in organizations supporting economic and commercial ties between the United States and the Gulf. He serves on the board of the Washington, DC–based Arab Gulf States Institute and represents Morgan Lewis on the board of the US-UAE Business Council. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Abu Dhabi and a regular speaker on investment and asset management matters in the Middle East and the United States. Bill formerly taught international investment law and served as a thesis advisor in the International Business Law Master’s Degree Program at Paris-Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. He was also a founding member of UNHCR’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Sustainability Board.

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