Heather Wyckoff is the Chair of the Firm’s Fund Formation, Investment Management & Compliance practice group. Ms. Wyckoff serves as the go-to lawyer for dozens of sponsors of private investment funds who have come to value and respect Ms. Wyckoff for her knowledgeable and practical advice, her understanding of what matters to them most, and her tireless dedication to helping them achieve their business goals.
Having previously served as the General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of a New York City-based asset management firm, Ms. Wyckoff truly understands the day-to-day challenges of managing an investment funds business. Clients praise Ms. Wyckoff as efficient and business-friendly, with a real-world understanding of how all of the pieces of a business fit together and a sound grasp of financial principles.
During her career, Ms. Wyckoff has provided comprehensive legal services to institutional and emerging asset managers, proprietary trading firms, family offices, banks and broker-dealers on a wide range of issues including formation and structuring of domestic and offshore real estate funds, private equity funds, hedge funds and managed account platforms; securities, futures and other regulatory matters; marketing and placement agents; due diligence, side letters and seed deals; futures trading issues and documentation; and investment manager M&A transactions. Ms. Wyckoff has represented funds and advisers who employ a wide range of investment strategies across all asset classes. This broad base of private fund clients enables Ms. Wyckoff to provide clients with market-sensitive advice in an increasingly complex global regulatory environment.
Apart from her traditional fund formation and regulatory work, Ms. Wyckoff’s training at a Chicago-based law firm earlier in her career enabled her to develop specific experience in volatility, fundamental, systematic and other trading strategies involving the use of futures, options and other commodity interests. Given her experience, it should come as no surprise that clients regularly turn to Ms. Wyckoff for advice regarding Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and National Futures Association (NFA)-related matters including CFTC registration and NFA membership, the creation of compliance policies and procedures for registered commodity pool operators (CPOs) and commodity trading advisors (CTAs), and responding to NFA audits.
When not working on behalf of her clients, Ms. Wyckoff is frequently asked to speak to financial industry professionals on a wide array of topics, including best practices for private fund due diligence, creating effective and compliant marketing materials, and preparation for regulatory audits. Ms. Wyckoff is recognized for her work in the New York City legal community and was named a SuperLawyers Rising Star in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Ms. Wyckoff is admitted to practice in New York.
