Sidley Austin add two partners to investment funds practice

Sidley Austin scoops up Nathan Greene and Jay Baris from Shearman & Sterling to add to its investment funds practice.

Sidley Austin has added two former Shearman & Sterling partners, Nathan Greene and Jay Baris, to its investment funds practice. Both partners will be based in the firm’s New York office.

Sidley Austin’s registered fund practice focuses broadly on both registered and private funds, said William Kerr, global leader of Sidley’s Investment Funds practice and member of the firm’s executive committee.

Greene has a reputation for his work in the registered alternatives M&A market, but also represents US and foreign clients on complex fund formation and matters pertaining to the Investment Company Act of 1940, among other operational and regulatory matters.

His experience also includes SEC registration, associated distribution and marketing matters around fund formation, as well as governance and fund board-related issues. He is also active in advising funds and financial institutions in regulatory matters relating to emerging technology such as big data, blockchain and AI.

Baris joins the firm with 35 years of experience in the asset management industry, with a track record of advising clients on financial services regulation, transaction and governance matters, and is known for his work advising registered funds on the regulatory aspects of fund and investment advisory operations. He also advises on cryptocurrency issues and serves as the chair of an investment management task force on blockchain and cryptocurrencies as part of the American Bar Association.