Finn Dixon & Herling LLP (FDH) announced today that partner Claire Stevens has been named Chair of the firm’s Investment Management practice. In her new leadership role, Stevens will guide the continued development of the practice and its work advising investment managers, private fund sponsors, and investors across the full lifecycle of their businesses.
Stevens, who has been with Finn Dixon for 11 years, advises investment advisers on capital raising and regulatory matters, with a particular focus on the formation of private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds. Her practice spans private fund and special purpose vehicle formation, fundraising and investor negotiations, investment adviser registration and ongoing regulatory compliance, regulatory examinations and investigations, and investment management and sub-advisory arrangements. She also represents institutional investors, family offices, and funds-of-funds in connection with investments and other transactional matters.
“Claire brings a combination of technical knowledge, sound judgment, creative problem-solving, and a deep understanding of the businesses and legal needs of our investment management clients,” said Christopher Craig, Managing Partner of FDH. “She has been an integral part of this practice since joining the firm and has developed strong relationships with clients and colleagues. We are confident that under her leadership, the group will continue to thrive and serve our clients’ evolving needs.”
FDH’s Investment Management practice advises sponsors throughout the lifecycle of private funds, from initial structuring and fundraising through ongoing operations, regulatory matters and ultimately exit. The team works with sponsors across a broad range of investment strategies and represents both established managers and emerging firms, including sponsors of funds ranging from first-time vehicles with less than $25 million in assets under management to flagship funds with billions of dollars in net asset value.
The practice advises clients on fund structuring and formation, market terms, offering and organizational documents, investor negotiations and side letters, management company and general partner arrangements, investment adviser registration and compliance, and ongoing governance and regulatory matters. The group works closely with FDH attorneys across the firm, including its Tax, Debt Finance, Employment and Bankruptcy practices, to provide coordinated advice as clients’ businesses and investment platforms grow.
“I am excited to take on this role and to help lead the next chapter of our Investment Management practice,” said Stevens. “Our group has always been focused on understanding our clients’ businesses, not simply the legal issues in front of them. As the private funds market continues to evolve, we see significant opportunities to build on that approach, deepen our existing relationships, and expand the ways in which we support sponsors and investors.”
Looking Ahead
Under Stevens’ leadership, FDH will continue to invest in the growth of its Investment Management capabilities while maintaining the senior-level attention and practical, business-focused counsel that have long characterized the practice. The group will remain focused on supporting clients as they launch new funds and strategies, navigate an evolving regulatory environment, raise and deploy capital, address increasingly complex investor expectations, and build durable investment management businesses.
The Investment Management group at FDH has been at the forefront of helping clients navigate an increasingly dynamic investment landscape. As the secondaries market has continued to evolve and expand—particularly through the growing use of continuation vehicles—the group regularly guides sponsors and investors through these complex transactions. The team also routinely advises clients with respect to co-investment opportunities, which have become more prevalent and structurally sophisticated, demanding careful attention to governance, economics, and alignment of interests.
At the same time, the group supports a growing number of family offices seeking direct and indirect exposure to private investments, counseling them on fund investments, co-investments, and bespoke arrangements that reflect their unique investment mandates. In a sometimes challenging fundraising environment, the team helps fund sponsors develop more creative fund structures with targeted alpha-generation strategies designed to differentiate their offerings and attract institutional and private capital. Across each of these areas, the Investment Management group at FDH remains committed to delivering practical, forward-looking counsel that positions clients for success in a rapidly shifting market.
“We see this as a unique moment in the private funds industry, with the evolution and increase in continuation fund and secondary transactions, creative fund structures to thoughtfully match assets and liabilities in a challenging fundraising environment, a continually evolving regulatory space and both consolidation across and new entrants into the private equity, private credit and venture capital space,” Zachary Moore, a partner in the firm’s Investment Management group, added. “The commercial judgment and complementary expertise that Claire will bring as Chair of the firm’s funds group will meaningfully amplify our practice and allow us to continue our longstanding leadership in representing private investment fund sponsors and institutional investors in connection with fund formation, structuring and negotiation matters and allow the Investment Management group to continue providing the high caliber of client service that Finn Dixon is known for.”
Stevens’ appointment also reflects FDH’s continued focus on developing the next generation of firm leadership and positioning its practices for long-term growth.
“Investment management is an important part of FDH’s broader work with the private capital community,” Craig added. “Looking ahead, we see meaningful opportunities to expand the practice, strengthen the connections among our complementary capabilities, and continue to meet clients wherever their businesses take them. Claire is well positioned to lead that effort.”
About Claire Stevens
Claire Stevens is a partner at Finn Dixon & Herling LLP. She advises investment advisers in connection with capital raising and regulatory matters and focuses on the formation of private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds. She also represents institutional investors, family offices, and funds-of-funds in transactional matters. She is co-chair of the firm’s Women’s Initiative Network. Stevens earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where she was a member of the Fordham Law Review, and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Marist College.
About Finn Dixon & Herling LLP
Founded in 1987, Finn Dixon & Herling delivers pragmatic, solutions-oriented legal counsel, specializing in middle-market private equity and M&A transactions, as well as private funds, complex litigation, and government investigations. Our right-sized, partner-led teams offer agile, sophisticated representation that balances deep knowledge with cost-effective, personalized service. Relationships are at the heart of everything we do. The deep, enduring connections among our partners, counsel, and staff reflect decades of shared commitment to excellence and integrity and drive real value for our clients.