David W. Blass - Partner

Co-Managing Partner of the Firm’s Boston office, David Blass is a leading regulatory lawyer in the funds industry and has advised on matters involving innovative registered funds products, Investment Advisers Act compliance, SEC examination and enforcement matters, and broker-dealer regulatory compliance. He is uniquely qualified to provide strategic and regulatory advice on matters involving asset management firms and broker-dealers. 

David has extensive knowledge of the regulatory requirements of the asset management industry having  served as General Counsel of the Investment Company Institute, the trade association for registered investment funds.  He also held senior roles for over a decade at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, most recently as Chief Counsel and Associate Director in the Division of Trading and Markets, where he oversaw broker-dealer regulation and large aspects of FINRA’s regulatory program.  David was the Associate General Counsel for the SEC where he was responsible for Dodd-Frank Act implementation, among many other programmatic areas.  He also held a senior role in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, leading the office regulating registered investment advisers, including advisers to private funds.

Chambers Global reports that clients say he is an “excellent regulatory lawyer” who is both “very knowledgeable and easy to work with.” David was notably named “Independent Counsel of the Year” by Fund Intelligence’s Mutual Fund Industry & ETF Awards in 2021.

Joshua Ford Bonnie - Partner Co-Head of the Firm’s Global Capital Markets Practice, Co-Managing Partner of the Firm’s Boston and Washington, D.C. offices, and a member of the Executive Committee, Josh Bonnie is one of the nation's preeminent IPO lawyers and regularly counsels public companies on significant strategic transactions, capital markets offerings and general corporate and securities law matters. Josh’s transactional experience also includes business combinations involving special purpose acquisition companies. Josh has been featured in The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year,” is recognized in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and is endorsed by PLC Which Lawyer?. Josh was recently added to The Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” for Capital Markets: Equity Offerings in recognition of his role as one of the leading capital markets practitioners in the United States.

Kenneth E. Burdon - Partner

Recognized by Chambers and others as being among the nation’s leading registered funds attorneys, Ken Burdon advises registered investment funds, BDCs, investment advisers and other financial services companies and financial institutions on the full spectrum of product development and distribution and related regulatory, compliance and governance issues, as well as M&A, divestitures and split-offs, among other matters. He works with fund sponsors on the development of innovative products and counsels BDCs and closed-end funds on IPOs and other capital raising offerings. Ken also guides fund sponsors and distributors, BDCs and closed-end funds, mutual funds and others in routine and non-routine activities, such as seeking exemptive or no-action relief from the SEC and FINRA. Ken is also a leading voice in the closed-end fund industry on the topics of corporate governance and addressing shareholder activism.

Matthew Fisher - Partner

Matthew Fisher counsels private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as corporate clients, on complex transactional matters. His practice focuses on leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, minority investments, joint ventures and recapitalizations, in addition to other corporate matters. He has advised numerous private equity sponsors, including Abry Partners, American Securities, Audax Group, Bain Capital Private Equity, L Catterton Partners, Partners Group, Silversmith Capital Partners, Summit Partners, TA Associates, Thomas H. Lee Partners and TPG Growth on transactions that span across multiple industries, including consumer, financial services, healthcare, industrials, insurance and technology, among many others.

Nathan D. Somogie - Partner

A Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Registered Funds practice, Nathan Somogie represents a broad range of asset management firms in the formation and ongoing operation of their retail investment funds. He has deep experience advising on the design and structuring of some of the most innovative and first-of-their-kind investment products across the asset management industry, including retail products that provide public access to private markets and alternative asset classes. Nathan is a trusted counselor to asset management firms in strategic transactions, co-investments and fund reorganizations, and regularly advises on industry developments.

George M. Gerstein - Senior Counsel

Senior Counsel in Simpson Thacher’s Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Practice, George Gerstein concentrates on the fiduciary and prohibited transaction provisions of ERISA as they apply to the investment and management of plan assets. George has extensive experience advising clients in connection with a wide variety of services and asset classes, including foreign exchange.