Matthew Block

New York, NY, August 1, 2023 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that private funds attorney Matthew Block has joined the Firm as a partner in the Asset Management Department. Matt is based in Willkie’s New York office. His practice is focused on private equity fund formation with a particular emphasis on secondaries and other liquidity solutions focused transactions. “Matt is a talented advisor with a comprehensive set of skills in the private fund formation sector and we are delighted to welcome him to our team,” said Phil Isom, Chair of Willkie’s Global Private Funds Practice. “Our activity in the secondaries sector has been growing rapidly, representing both sponsors and investors in GP-led secondaries transactions, as well as buyers and sellers of portfolio interests in traditional portfolio sales. Matt’s significant fund formation and transactional experience in the liquidity solutions space further enhances the scale of our practice group and reflects our commitment to meeting our clients’ expanding needs.” Matt regularly advises fund sponsors on the formation and operation of private equity funds, real estate funds, credit funds, distressed funds and seed capital funds. He has advised on fund raises ranging from under $100 million to over $30 billion. In addition to his fund formation practice and work on GP-led secondaries, recapitalizations and investments, he has also advised clients in GP-stakes transactions and seeding arrangements. Matt was previously a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. A certified public accountant, he is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Matt commented: “Willkie is known for its world-class asset management practice and I’m excited to join the Firm’s talented team of practitioners, adding to the depth of its global funds practice. The demand from sponsors and investors for liquidity solutions is experiencing exponential growth and the chance to continue the growth of my practice on the Willkie platform is a fantastic opportunity.” Matt’s addition follows several other significant additions to Willkie’s Private Funds practice in the past two years. In 2022, partners Gabriel Acri and Larissa Marcellino joined in New York, and David Hong in Los Angeles. In addition, last month, partner Brian Baltz joined Willkie’s Asset Management Department in Washington. Willkie’s preeminent Asset Management Department leverages comprehensive subject matter experience and capabilities across all asset classes to advise virtually all types of participants in the asset management industry, including privately owned sponsors and investment managers, publicly-traded asset management firms, broker-dealers, insurance companies, wealth management platforms, and banks, among others. With more than 110 attorneys across seven offices in the U.S. and Europe, we advise on the full spectrum of investment management matters, including fund formations, investments, restructurings, fund financings, GP stake sales and purchases, liquidity and capital solutions transactions and operational, compliance and regulatory issues. The Department’s 250+ clients include some of the world’s most prominent asset management firms. Willkie is ranked as a leading firm for Private Equity: Fund Formation and Hedge Funds by the 2023 editions of Chambers USA and Chambers Europe, with 12 individually ranked private equity fund and hedge fund attorneys in our Private Funds practice group. In 2022, Law360 recognized Willkie as a Fund Formation Practice Group of the Year for our notable private funds work. In addition, Willkie has one of the most experienced and multidisciplinary asset management teams in the market, as one of only three firms ranked by Chambers USA 2023 for each of Registered Funds; Private Equity: Fund Formation; Hedge Funds; and Investment Funds: Regulatory & Compliance. ***************************************************** Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 13 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.

Aug 1

3 min

Willkie advised Council Ring Capital as lead investor in DevCo Partners Ltd’s €616 million investment vehicle to support the continued growth of Medix Biochemica. On September 3, DevCo announced that it raised €616 million from an investor group led by Council Ring Capital for its long-term single asset investment vehicle for Medix Biochemica, a leading independent supplier of critical biological raw material products to the in vitro diagnostics industry worldwide. Based in Chicago, Council Ring Capital is a single-family office investing in growing businesses across the healthcare, technology, and consumer sectors. The Willkie team was led by partners Matthew Block, Amanda M. Burke and Adam Turteltaub.

Sep 3

1 min

Willkie advised Aquiline Capital Partners LP in the close of its Continuation Fund, Aquiline Financial Services Continuation Fund L.P., which raised approximately $1.1 billion of capital commitments. On June 6, Aquiline announced that it closed on approximately $1.1 billion of capital commitments in its Continuation Fund. The Continuation Fund, established to acquire select portfolio companies in Aquiline Financial Services Fund II L.P. (AFS II) and Aquiline Financial Services Fund III L.P. (AFS III), received a lead investment from HarbourVest Partners, with participation from other new investors. Aquiline Capital Partners LP is a private investment firm dedicated to financial services and related technologies, with approximately $10.4 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. Read more about the matter here. The Willkie team was led by partners Jeffrey Poss, Larissa Marcellino and Matthew Block.

Jun 7

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised General Catalyst Group Management, LLC (“General Catalyst”), a leading venture capital firm, on the closing of its eleventh flagship fund group (“Fund XI”), which raised $4.6 billion, consisting of a “Creation Fund” ($800 million), “Ignition Fund” ($1.1 billion) and “Endurance Fund” ($2.7 billion).  Fund XI represents General Catalyst’s largest fundraise to date. Read the General Catalyst press release The Kirkland team was led by investment funds partners Daniel Lavon-Krein, Matthew Smith, Jonathan Lipnick and Matthew Block, with involvement from investment funds regulatory solutions partner Alpa Patel, tax partner Lee Morlock, financial services regulatory partner Prem Mohan, investment funds associates Charles Chen, Mat Eapen, Sarah Anischik, John Kostelnak, Soo Young Hong, Ben Turin, Daniel Sylvia and Thomas Kelley, investment funds regulatory solutions associate Chris Pristouris, tax associates Steven Cantor and Natalie Kannan and law clerk Afsha Lakdawala.

Mar 10

1 min

Willkie’s recent webinar on GP-led secondary transactions involving multiple funds and multiple assets has been covered in depth in a two-article series in Private Equity Law Report. The articles encapsulate the discussion and analysis provided by partner Arash Farhadieh, who moderated the event, and a panel that included partners Adam Aderton, Matthew Block and Larissa Marcellino. The attorneys offer extensive insight into emerging market trends and the key commercial, legal and regulatory issues involved in GP-led secondary transactions. The first article focuses on their discussion of the structures and timing of GP-led transactions, conflicts of interest and other emerging regulatory concerns, and the implications of structuring status quo and rollover options for existing LPs. The second article addresses the tax considerations for GP-led transactions, initial priorities for sponsors undertaking such transactions, and the latest guidance from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other industry groups. Read “Traversing Potential Conflicts and LP Election Options in Multi Asset, Multi Fund GP Led Transactions (Part One of Two)” here (subscription may be required). Read “Ancillary Considerations in Multi Asset, Multi Fund GP Led Transactions and Regulatory Requirements to Weigh (Part Two of Two)” here (subscription may be required).

Feb 29

1 min