BRAD HOWARD serves as the Chicago office group head of the Investment Funds practice area. He advises alternative asset managers with respect to hedge funds, fund of hedge funds, managed accounts, private equity funds and various related structures. Brad also advises clients on managed account platforms, fund-related derivatives, special opportunity funds, co-investments, and commodity pools. His advice often focuses on structuring, regulatory, and compliance issues for these products.
Brad advises asset manager clients on credit facilities and financing/leverage-related derivative instruments. He also advises on the Investment Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, Regulation D, and Dodd-Frank-related compliance issues. Brad has advised clients on seed deals, joint ventures, manager restructurings, manager M&A transactions, and other manager-related transactions.
Representative Transactions Include:
- Manager and fund startups
- Hybrid funds
- Managed account platforms
- Manager acquisitions buy-outs and joint ventures
- Asset allocator representations
- Fund derivatives
Sidley’s award-winning Investment Funds group provides top-tier service to all aspects of the private funds industry. Chambers USA awarded the group top band rankings in Hedge Funds every year since 2008. Sidley has also been named “Law Firm of the Year” in Private Funds/Hedge Funds Law in U.S. News – Best Lawyers 2022 “Best Law Firms.”
Brad has been highly ranked in Who’s Who Legal in the Private Funds – Formation category since 2017 and was also recognized in The Legal 500 US 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017 for Investment Fund Formation and Management. Brad has also been recognized in Chambers USA (2021) and Chambers Global (2022–2023) for Investment Funds: Hedge Funds. Additionally, Brad has been recognized in the 2014–2016 editions of IFLR1000 as a “Rising Star” for Investment Funds in the U.S.
Brad joined the firm in 1998 out of Stanford Law School. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Chicago.