North America - United States • Investment fund formation and management

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

More informationMore information

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP is regarded as a ‘top-notch firm in the mutual funds space’, advising leading fund companies, where they handle open-end, closed-end and interval funds as well as innovative digital products. The team is jointly led by Bruce Leto and Matthew DiClemente out of the firm's Philadelphia office, with the former specializing in registered funds, and the latter covering open-end and closed-end funds as well as interval fund product development. In Washington DC, Alison Fuller further strengthens the firms offering in novel investment products often advising on board fiduciary duties and oversight techniques in this regard, while Eric Purple advises a plethora of funds on investment company and investment adviser regulation. Exchange traded funds comprise a further area of expertise for the firm, where the team benefits from the expertise of Washington DC-based Michael Mundt, who previous to joining the firm was involved in creating the SEC regulations on ETFs and to this end advises on ETF regulations. Chicago-based Alan Goldberg advises on the creation of registered investment companies and registering new investment advisors and has a strong background in SEC enforcement.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The firm as a whole from partner to assistants are unusually knowledgeable, helpful, responsive and friendly. We have worked with them for many years and view them as a reliable partner and resource.'
  • 'Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young have first-rate experience and industry knowledge.'
  • 'Stradley offers great expertise in the registered fund and investment advisory space.  Multiple experienced partners with solid SEC backgrounds and deep bench of strong associates.  Not overly priced.  Good value.'
  • 'Stradley is a top-notch firm in the mutual funds space.'
  • 'Partners Alan Goldberg and Mark Greer do a great job. They are extremely knowledgeable, helpful and available on short notice.  Our Fund can always count on them to provide helpful insights on complex matters to ensure we remain compliant with the SEC regulations.  I highly recommend them.'
  • 'Alan Goldberg allows me to sleep well at night. He knows the industry as well as anyone I know. He is attentive to the needs of the board. He sees around the corner to anticipate issues that could arise. I could not offer a higher recommendation.'
  • 'Sara Crovitz has exceptional historical knowledge of the SEC's inner workings and thinking based on her experience.  She also is able to translate her regulatory experience to very good practical, real-world advice.  Nicole Simon has developed a broad-based regulatory and transactional background and does a great job communicating with clients.'
  • 'Prufesh Modhera: Very responsive and practical in his guidance.'

Key clients

  • Betterment
  • Independent Trustees of the BlackRock iShares
  • Dimensional Funds
  • Franklin Templeton
  • Natixis Funds
  • Invesco
  • Investment Company Institute
  • Grayscale Investments
  • Macquarie Asset Management
  • Northern Trust

Work highlights

  • Acting as counsel to the independent directors of BlackRock’s iShares ETFs.
  • Advising Dimensional Funds on seeking approval to launch a new ETF share class for its U.S. mutual funds.
  • Advising Institute in connection with updates to and modernization of the 1940 Act, the main U.S. law that governs the investment funds industry.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Bruce Leto

Bruce Leto

Hall of fameStradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP

For almost three decades, Bruce Leto served as both chair and co-chair of the firm’s nationally recognized investment management practice. He provides counsel to investment companies, investment advisers, independent trustees and broker-dealers on securities and corporate law matters relating to pooled investment products, including registered and unregistered, open- and closed-end investment companies. Bruce is a member of Stradley Ronon’s board of directors and management committee. He is also a member of the advisory board of BoardIQ, an industry publication that addresses issues confronting investment company independent directors.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Bruce Leto, Matthew DiClemente