Ropes & Gray Names Six New Counsel

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Jan 15, 2020, 09:00 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global law firm Ropes & Gray announced today the promotion of six attorneys to counsel. Their experience spans private equity, finance, asset management, real estate, tax and estate planning. The promotions recognize these attorneys' expert guidance of clients through complex business challenges across industries in which Ropes & Gray is a market leader.

"These are best-in-class advisors who know their industries inside out," said chair Julie Jones. "Our newly elevated counsel each have the experience and know-how to strategically tackle challenging client issues, and they are excellent collaborators and colleagues."

"In the finest Ropes & Gray tradition, these lawyers are relentlessly focused on our clients," said managing partner David Djaha. "They are in the trenches with them, digging into complex issues and securing the best results."

Meet the firm's new counsel:

Clients navigating the most challenging U.K. tax issues turn to Chris Agnoli (London) for his deep experience distilling U.K. tax law into clear, commercial guidance for clients. His work spans all areas of corporate tax, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and hedge fund structuring, employment tax, financial markets transactions, and real estate. His clients have included institutional investors, investment managers, hedge funds, private equity funds, REITs and public companies.

Prominent investors call on Charles Humphreville (Seattle) for advice on complex issues affecting the asset management industry. He focuses on fund formation, management company structures, trading issues and regulatory compliance. He also advises U.S. and non-U.S. investment managers regarding the U.S. investment adviser regulatory regime, and his experience includes counseling clients on investments in cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Charlie works through Ropes & Gray's offsite program.

Chrystal LaRoche (New York) has built a robust, broad-based real estate practice working with prominent investment firms as well as Fortune 500 and midmarket companies on matters ranging from the purchase and sale of real properties and mortgage portfolios to joint ventures and leasing. Chrystal also has tremendous breadth of capability, frequently working with clients in Ropes & Gray's private equity and finance practices on real estate aspects of mergers, acquisitions and related financings.

With a background that includes in-house hedge fund and SEC experience, Jessica Marlin (New York) brings a practical understanding of client issues and in-depth knowledge of complex fund structures and the overall regulatory landscape to her legal work for asset management clients. She advises private fund sponsors on all aspects of their businesses, including fund launches, seed arrangements, separate accounts, regulatory and compliance issues, and day-to-day business and personnel matters. She counsels these clients on a wide range of product types—including hedge funds, credit funds, private equity funds, hybrid funds, funds of funds, funds of one and CLO-management vehicles—representing a broad cross section of investment strategies.

Eli S. Rosenbaum (Boston), in the firm's asset management practice, focuses on advising institutional investors on their investments in the full range of private funds. He also has experience representing sponsors of private funds with respect to both formation and compliance matters. Eli's experience includes negotiating private fund investments on behalf of university endowments, foundations, pension funds, funds of funds and other large investors; helping form buyout, hedge, real estate, credit, natural resources and venture funds; and advising participants in co-investment deals, both domestic and cross-border.

High-net-worth individuals and families seeking sound judgment and tactful estate planning guidance depend on Kevin Willis (Boston), a probate and trust counsel in the firm's private client group. Kevin has advised clients for nearly 25 years, creating sophisticated estate plans, settling estates and trusts, and advising fiduciaries concerning their responsibilities. He also advises beneficiaries of their rights in the trust and estate settlement process, and works with both fiduciaries and beneficiaries in connection with fiduciary litigation matters.

About Ropes & Gray
Ropes & Gray is a preeminent global law firm with approximately 1,400 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has offices in New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including private equity, M&A, finance, asset management, real estate, tax, antitrust, life sciences, health care, intellectual property, litigation and enforcement, data, and business restructuring.