Edward D. Sopher is a partner in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the Corporate Transactions and Securities Group and Chair of the Investment Funds Practice Group.
Mr. Sopher's practice focuses on the establishment and operation of private investment funds, including private equity funds, funds of funds, hedge funds, distressed investment funds and real estate funds. He has extensive experience representing the investment managers and sponsors of these funds, as well as institutional investors, seed investors, placement agents and joint venture partners. His clients include AIG Alternative Investments, Credit Suisse Alternative Investments, Gulf Capital, Hamilton Lane, InterMedia Partners, Investcorp, Neuberger Berman, Marsh & McLennan, New York Life Capital Partners, Och-Ziff and Sheridan Production Partners, among others.
Representing his investment fund clients in their investment activities, he has been involved in a wide variety of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mezzanine financing and venture investing, as well as recapitalizations, restructurings, and public and private financings. His experience extends to transactions involving investment management firms, including spin-outs, acquisitions, financings and joint ventures. He also regularly represents secondary investment funds in their investment activities.
Mr. Sopher also represents financial institutions, including investment banks and investment managers, in connection with their partnership and employee profit participation arrangements. In addition to fund servicing and transactional work, he also advises his clients on SEC regulatory compliance and other general corporate matters.
Mr. Sopher is an officer of the New York Private Investment Funds Forum and a past member of the Corporation Law Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is consistently featured in various publications as a leading lawyer in the area of private fund formation, including The International Who's Who of Private Funds Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, The International Financial Law Review, The Legal 500 US, Chambers USA and Chambers Global: Guides to the World's Best Lawyers, the Guide to the World's Leading Private Equity Lawyers, the Guide to the World's Leading Investment Funds Lawyers, and the PLC Cross-border Private Equity Handbook. He is also a frequent speaker on matters relating to private investment funds.
Mr. Sopher was born in London, England, and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1982 and his Master of Arts in 1985 from Cambridge University. He is a member of the New York Bar and is also a solicitor in England & Wales