HSBC Securities Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel Joins Wiggin and Dana

By: Wiggin & Dana | 25 Shares 124 Reads

Firm Launches Hedge Fund and Investment Management Practice Group

Wiggin and Dana is pleased to announce that Ted Randolph, an investment funds lawyer, has joined the firm as a Partner to lead the firm's new Hedge Fund and Investment Management Practice Group.

Ted joins Wiggin and Dana from HSBC, after serving seven years as Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel for HSBC Securities (USA), Inc., where he provided U.S. legal advice to HSBC's Securities Services (HSS) division, a prominent global product line specializing in providing services to the funds industry in a large number of jurisdictions across the global market place.

Ted's legal career started in the Investment Management Practice Group at Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his B.S. in Business Administration summa cum laude from West Virginia University.

"I wanted to come back to private practice and knew of Wiggin and Dana's strong reputation," comments Ted. "Combining the firm's reputation with my industry experience presents the firm with an excellent opportunity to strengthen our relationships with more hedge fund managers and private investors on their home turf."

Ted's practice encompasses a broad range of activities focused on providing formation, transactional and continuing legal advice to new and established investment advisers, privately offered funds, administrators, custodians and other service providers to the privately offered funds' industry.

"We are pleased to welcome Ted to the firm," comments Bob Benjamin, Chair of the firm's Executive Committee. "His experience and knowledge will increase the firm's resources devoted to fund formation and investment management services to the funds industry throughout the global marketplace."

With three of the firm's six offices located in New York, Greenwich and Stamford, Wiggin and Dana is situated in the heart of one of the largest concentrations of hedge fund management companies in the world. The firm has long provided legal services to the privately offered funds industry, by representing hedge funds in insider trading matters, private equity funds in their portfolio company investments, pension fund and other institutional investors in becoming limited partners of various types of privately offered funds and managers in joining and leaving those funds.

Recognizing the opportunities in the investment fund and investment management areas, growing this area of practice has been a strategic priority for the firm. In February, 2011, Wiggin and Dana recruited a former senior official in the SEC's Philadelphia office, Richard Levan, adding investment management, broker-dealer regulation and securities regulation services to the firm's range of services. Ted's arrival is a significant addition and aligns with the firm's strategy for growth. The firm will combine existing experience, extensive contacts and comprehensive familiarity with the privately offered funds industry to create the Hedge Fund and Investment Management Practice Group.

"Having Ted join our firm allows us to take advantage of the firm's collective experience and expand services to our clients connected to the funds industry," comments Mike Grundei, Chair of the firm's Corporate Department. "It also emphasizes the firm's commitment to providing clients with comprehensive investment management legal advice; while at the same time strengthening our position in the marketplace."

Drawing upon the firm's experience and complementary practice areas, including tax, employee benefits, broker-dealer, trusts and estates, emerging companies and private equity, employment, finance, intellectual property and securities, the Hedge Fund and Investment Management Practice Group will provide a full range of legal services to assist investment managers from the initial set up of their own operations and the set up and offering of the domestic and offshore funds they advise, through the practical legal support necessary with respect to the day-to-day operational, legal, risk and compliance issues that arise from advising funds and other clients.

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