Melanie B. Schaschl

MELANIE SCHASCHL’s practice focuses on counseling investment managers in the formation and offering of private equity funds across diverse strategies, including alternative asset, buyout, growth equity, real estate, energy, impact investing, private debt, and infrastructure investment programs.

Melanie has assisted clients in launching a broad array of investment structures. These range from co-investment vehicles, separately managed accounts, and funds-of-one to single asset funds, fund-of-funds, and real estate investment trusts.

She is fluent in Portuguese and has experience in international transactions, particularly in Latin America as a member of Sidley’s Latin America team. She represents both domestic and foreign managers pursuing cross-border investments.

Melanie advises sponsors throughout a fund’s life cycle, providing guidance on matters related to capital raising, investor negotiations, internal structuring, operations, compliance, exits, and windup. Her experience includes representing clients in connection with secondary transactions. 

Melanie has also worked with hedge fund and registered fund managers in fund formations, as well as institutional investors in their investments into private funds.

Sidley’s award-winning Investment Funds group provides top-tier service to all aspects of the private funds industry. Chambers USA has 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® “Best Law Firms” for 2022.

Melanie maintains an active pro bono practice. She has represented women seeking uncontested divorces through Sidley’s partnership with Her Justice and asylum seekers through Sidley’s partnership with Immigration Equality. She has also represented a non-profit in connection with micro-finance lending transactions.