Dechert just expanded its financial services group with two experienced, mutual fund-focused lawyers. On Tuesday the New York-based international law firm revealed that Richard Horowitz and Stuart Strauss, former partners at Clifford Chance, joined up as partners in Dechert's New York office.

"They will further enhance our New York-based funds practice," stated Joseph Fleming, co-chair of Dechert's financial services group.

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Company Press Release

NEW YORK, NY - Dechert LLP announced today that Stuart Strauss and Richard Horowitz have joined the firm as partners in the financial services group. Horowitz and Strauss, who will be resident in the firm's New York office, were both previously partners at Clifford Chance LLP.

"With their broad experience, Stuart and Richard are terrific additions to our top-ranked financial services practice. They enjoy high industry profiles and will further enhance our brand as an industry leader in the representation of financial services firms," said Dechert Chairman Barton J. Winokur.

“Stuart and Richard are highly talented, creative, and client-focused lawyers with a wide range of experience counseling investment advisers, private funds, REITs, registered funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). They will further enhance our New York-based funds practice," said Joseph R. Fleming, co-chair of Dechert’s financial services group.

Strauss has more than 25 years of corporate and securities legal experience, including three years with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He represents investment companies, independent directors of investment companies, banks, and other financial institutions. Strauss has particular expertise in exchange-traded funds and represents a significant number of ETF sponsors and ETF fund complexes.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business (B.A., 1975), Strauss is also a graduate of St. John's University School of Law (J.D., 1978) and Georgetown University (LL.M., 1981). He is licensed to practice in New York.

For more than 15 years, Horowitz has represented both registered investment companies, including open-end and closed-end funds, and private funds such as hedge funds and private equity funds. He has extensive experience in structuring hybrid funds, such as '40 Act registered funds of hedge funds that can be offered to an unlimited number of investors. Horowitz has represented some of the largest mutual fund complexes in the United States, and he regularly advises mutual funds on the full range of Investment Company Act issues. He also has organized and structured both domestic and offshore private funds, and advised publicly traded permanent capital vehicles, such as REITS.

Horowitz is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business (B.S.,1985) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D., 1988). He is licensed to practice in New York.

"We are very excited to join such a well-respected financial services group as the one here at Dechert," Horowitz and Strauss said in a joint statement. "The firm's depth of talent in the mutual funds and private funds areas is second to none. We are looking forward to working with such a talented team."

International law firm Dechert LLP has top-ranked practices in corporate and securities, complex litigation, finance and real estate, and financial services and asset management. The firm has approximately 130 financial services lawyers in the United States, Europe, and Asia who advise on a full spectrum of legal services, including fund formation and offerings; investment company and investment adviser regulation; broker-dealer regulation; bank regulation (including common and collective trust funds); insurance product regulation; derivatives regulation; tax structuring; and securities enforcement and litigation. The Legal 500 has praised Dechert for its "superior overall service and expertise for funds, investment advisors and independent directors," while Chambers Global notes that "few firms can match this outfit when it comes to offering a ‘sophisticated and all-inclusive’ hedge fund practice." Chambers USA ranked Dechert #1 for registered investment funds in 2009, placing it in the top tier for investment management for the sixth year in a row. 

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