Key Takeaways
- • Christopher Mendez joins Akerman LLP as Partner in Corporate Practice Group and Chair of Investment Funds Practice in New York, transitioning from another AmLaw 100 firm with extensive alternative investment experience.
- • Deep expertise spans fund formation, structuring, and regulatory compliance across credit, hedge fund, private equity, and real estate strategies, including complex vehicles such as drawdown, evergreen, series, co-investment, and managed account arrangements.
- • Broad transaction experience includes LP- and GP-led secondaries, fund restructurings, continuation vehicles, spinouts, and investment management M&A, positioning Mendez to advise on sophisticated capital markets transactions within the alternatives space.
- • Regulatory and compliance proficiency covers SEC, CFTC/NFA frameworks, the Advisers Act, and Investment Company Act, with demonstrated experience managing legal teams, building compliance programs, and navigating SEC examinations.
- • Mendez brings institutional investor perspective from prior roles as general counsel and chief compliance officer, enhancing Akerman's ability to counsel both investment managers and institutional investors on complex fund-related matters.
Summary
Akerman LLP has expanded its Corporate Practice Group with the addition of Christopher Mendez as a partner in its New York office, effective November 5, 2025. Mendez, who transitions from another AmLaw 100 firm, brings specialized expertise in alternative investment fund formation, structuring, and regulatory compliance. In his new role, he also chairs Akerman's Investment Funds Practice, signaling the firm's strategic emphasis on this sector.
Mendez's background combines in-house and external counsel perspectives. His prior tenure as general counsel and chief compliance officer for institutional investment firms provides direct experience managing legal and compliance operations within the alternative asset management industry. This institutional vantage point complements his transactional and advisory capabilities, positioning him to serve both investment managers and their institutional investors across the alternative landscape.
His substantive practice encompasses the full lifecycle of complex fund platforms. Mendez regularly advises on fund formation and management across credit, hedge fund, private equity, and real estate strategies. His expertise extends to multiple vehicle structures—open- and closed-end funds, drawdown arrangements, evergreen vehicles, series funds, and bespoke co-investment and joint venture structures. On the transaction side, he has significant experience with LP-led and GP-led secondaries, fund restructurings, continuation vehicles, seeding and anchor investments, spinouts, lift-outs, and investment management M&A.
Beyond deal work, Mendez provides strategic counsel on regulatory frameworks governing alternative investment managers, including SEC and CFTC/NFA compliance obligations under the Advisers Act and Investment Company Act. He has led clients through SEC examinations and enforcement matters and has direct experience building and managing compliance infrastructure at investment firms. His background in governance, operational matters, and management company structuring—including ownership and profit-sharing arrangements—rounds out an institutional-grade advisory profile.
The hire reflects Akerman's commitment to deepening capabilities in fund formation and the alternative investment sector at a time when institutional investors and asset managers continue to navigate complex regulatory environments and sophisticated fund structures.
Mendez's background combines in-house and external counsel perspectives. His prior tenure as general counsel and chief compliance officer for institutional investment firms provides direct experience managing legal and compliance operations within the alternative asset management industry. This institutional vantage point complements his transactional and advisory capabilities, positioning him to serve both investment managers and their institutional investors across the alternative landscape.
His substantive practice encompasses the full lifecycle of complex fund platforms. Mendez regularly advises on fund formation and management across credit, hedge fund, private equity, and real estate strategies. His expertise extends to multiple vehicle structures—open- and closed-end funds, drawdown arrangements, evergreen vehicles, series funds, and bespoke co-investment and joint venture structures. On the transaction side, he has significant experience with LP-led and GP-led secondaries, fund restructurings, continuation vehicles, seeding and anchor investments, spinouts, lift-outs, and investment management M&A.
Beyond deal work, Mendez provides strategic counsel on regulatory frameworks governing alternative investment managers, including SEC and CFTC/NFA compliance obligations under the Advisers Act and Investment Company Act. He has led clients through SEC examinations and enforcement matters and has direct experience building and managing compliance infrastructure at investment firms. His background in governance, operational matters, and management company structuring—including ownership and profit-sharing arrangements—rounds out an institutional-grade advisory profile.
The hire reflects Akerman's commitment to deepening capabilities in fund formation and the alternative investment sector at a time when institutional investors and asset managers continue to navigate complex regulatory environments and sophisticated fund structures.
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