Private fund formation · U.S. and offshore
A Chambers-recognized boutique law firm focused on fund formation and sponsor-level structuring across U.S. and offshore platforms. We take a data-driven approach to fund formation.
Recognized by Chambers and Partners, Spotlight Edition 2027 – Investment Funds
About
AnchorPoint is a boutique law firm focused on private investment funds. We advise fund sponsors, including emerging managers and independent sponsors, and we represent investors, on fund formation, sponsor-level structuring and investor arrangements across U.S. and offshore platforms.
We take a fundamentally different approach to fund formation. Conventional structuring is artisanal: one structure at a time, from precedent, with drafting under way before the design is settled. We optimize the structure first, then build it. The structure is where the value is created, for sponsors and investors alike. We are a technology-forward firm, and we aim to bring generative AI, proprietary deterministic engines and data from thousands of private funds to every structuring decision, testing a proposed structure against the alternatives, the rules, the costs and the economics. We believe those decisions should rest on facts, not opinions or instinct.
We try to keep our advice practical and grounded in how funds actually work, and to match what we do to what each client is trying to accomplish.
Services
We work with emerging managers, independent sponsors and investors on fund formation, sponsor economics, secondary transactions and ongoing GP and regulatory matters, across U.S. and offshore jurisdictions.
We help sponsors structure, launch and operate open- and closed-end investment vehicles, including hedge funds and private equity funds. We have advised sponsors, including emerging managers, across a range of industries and asset classes: real estate, credit, insurance, fintech, growth capital, digital, buyout and venture.
We also work with managers on separately managed accounts (SMAs), funds-of-one, co-investment vehicles, SPVs, AIVs and independent sponsor and search fund structures.
We help investors review and negotiate fund and side letter terms. This work typically includes:
We advise on secondary fund transactions, whether GP-led or investor-led. For GP-led secondaries, we help structure and execute liquidity solutions such as fund restructurings, continuation vehicles and buy-back offers.
For investor-led transactions, we advise on the sale or acquisition of fund interests, including the negotiations, due diligence and transfer agreements involved, whether you are a GP looking to extend a fund's life or an investor looking to unlock liquidity.
We advise on establishing and structuring general partners, including carried interest arrangements, corporate governance and key person provisions.
We also advise general partners and investors on GP stakes, revenue sharing and other seed arrangements.
We advise on below-the-fund transactions, including TopCo and HoldCo structures. These arrangements affect investment performance, risk and the alignment of interests among the various stakeholders: the fund, co-investors, third-party investors and the portfolio company's management team. We help clients structure and negotiate them.
Structural alpha
Fund structures involve tradeoffs: tax, cost, friction and time. Structural alpha is the value sponsors and investors preserve by getting those decisions right and keeping the flexibility to adapt as the investor base or strategy evolves. We pursue it with data.
Our affiliate, AnchorPoint Labs LLC, built Structura, a private fund architecture platform. Propose a structure and Structura stress-tests it, iterates, proposes alternatives and checks the rules, solved by deterministic rule code rather than a language model. Labs also maintains proprietary datasets covering thousands of private funds, so we can show a client how comparable funds are actually organized. We put both to work in our structuring engagements, before the documents are drafted.
Team
Clients work directly with the partner handling their matter, and we bring in specialist and offshore counsel when a deal calls for it.
Partner, Mayer Brown LLP
Counsel / Associate, Sidley Austin LLP
Associate, Goodwin Procter LLP
Northwestern University School of Law, JD
Kellogg School of Management, MBA
UCLA, BS in Chemical Engineering
Illinois · New York
Beyond core fund formation, we work with a long-standing network of attorneys focused on tax, regulatory and ERISA matters, so we can bring in specialist help when a matter calls for it.
The network also includes counsel in established offshore fund jurisdictions, for managers raising capital from outside the U.S.:
Cayman Islands British Virgin Islands Bermuda Luxembourg
Recognition
Chambers and Partners, Spotlight Edition 2027 recognizes AnchorPoint for Investment Funds work in Illinois, two years in a row in the Spotlight guide, reflecting the counsel we provide to fund sponsors and investors.
Insights
Plain-spoken takes on fund structuring, terms and the market, written for managers and investors. For informational purposes only; not legal or tax advice.
The fraternal twins of fund structuring: how ECI and UBTI differ, why they drive blockers, feeders and parallel vehicles, and where the blocker has to sit.
SMAs · EM Fundraising Pro TipsSeparately managed accounts as a practical entry point for emerging managers to secure initial capital and build a live track record without launching a commingled fund.
SPVs · EM Fundraising Pro TipsStructuring single-asset and deal-by-deal SPVs efficiently, with clarity on economics, tax and compliance.
Independent SponsorsHow sponsors can approach closing fees and seed arrangements with clarity, efficiency and compliance in mind.
Independent Sponsors · TaxIndependent sponsors rely on closing fees as meaningful compensation, but poor structuring can create avoidable tax and regulatory issues.
Contact
Tell us in general terms what kind of help you are looking for. Please do not send confidential information until we have checked for conflicts and confirmed that we can act for you. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. You can also email or call us to set up an appointment. We will respond promptly.