Kirkland & Ellis Adds Former SEC Investment Management Division Director Norm Champ in New York

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Jan 27, 2016, 10:10 ET

Kirkland & Ellis Adds Former SEC Investment Management Division Director Norm Champ in New York

NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Norm Champ will join the Firm's New York office as a partner in the Private Funds Group on Feb. 1. Mr. Champ is the former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Investment Management and a lecturer on investment management law at Harvard Law School.

"Norm has broad and deep experience in today's extraordinarily complex and high-stakes regulatory environment for investment firms, and he will be a tremendous resource for our clients," said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland's Global Management Executive Committee.

As director of the SEC's investment management division, Mr. Champ played a key role in the SEC's completion of landmark reforms in 2014 to strengthen the $3 trillion money market fund industry, and led important structural and policy changes. Prior to becoming director of investment management at the SEC, Mr. Champ was the deputy director of the SEC's examination office that carries out examinations of investment managers, broker dealers, national securities exchanges and other market participants.

Before joining the SEC in 2010, Mr. Champ was executive vice president and general counsel of Chilton Investment Co., an investment adviser to long/short equity hedge funds and managed accounts. Prior to joining Chilton in 1999, Mr. Champ was at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. From 1990 to 1992, he clerked for the Honorable Charles S. Haight, Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Champ holds an A.B., summa cum laude, in history from Princeton University and a J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was a visiting scholar for the spring term 2015. He was a Fulbright Scholar at King's College London where he received his M.A. in war studies.

Mr. Champ is a frequent speaker at industry conferences where he shares his insights on the current regulatory environment and its impact on business. He is currently writing a book on his experiences at the SEC.

"I am thrilled to join the talented lawyers in Kirkland's dynamic funds practice to assist clients in navigating today's challenging regulatory environment," said Mr. Champ.

"Norm will be a fantastic addition to our strong Private Funds Group," said Kirkland New York partner John R. O'Neil. "We are thrilled that our many private equity sponsor clients will have access to his experience and cutting-edge insights."

More than 100 attorneys at Kirkland focus on private funds across the globe, uniquely positioning the Firm to serve its clients in connection with the organization and operation of private equity, real estate and hedge funds, as well as their respective management companies. Kirkland's investment management practice includes a dedicated team of attorneys focusing on hedge funds, mutual funds, investment advisers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, broker-dealers, alternative investment products, financial services M&A and spinouts.

About Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis is a 1,600-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex private funds, corporate, restructuring and tax, litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration, and intellectual property matters. The Firm has offices in New York, Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Munich, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.