Key Takeaways
- • K&L Gates hired Edward Baer as a partner in its San Francisco office, strengthening its Asset Management and Investment Funds practice with deep ETF and digital assets expertise.
- • Baer previously served as chief legal officer of the largest U.S. ETF platform, where he oversaw legal and compliance for more than 300 ETFs representing approximately $800 billion in assets under management.
- • His practice encompasses the full lifecycle of fund operations—product structuring, compliance, board governance, ETF creation/redemption mechanics, and digital asset structures—positioning K&L Gates to serve complex asset management clients.
- • K&L Gates' AMIF practice now comprises more than 150 lawyers across six geographic regions, following four additional partner hires over the past year (Thoreau Bartmann, Huberta Chow, Marianna Tothova, and Robert Leonard).
- • Baer's appointment reflects institutional demand for specialized legal counsel in cryptocurrency and emerging fund structures, addressing regulatory complexity in digital asset investing.
Summary
K&L Gates announced the addition of Edward Baer as a partner in its Asset Management and Investment Funds practice in San Francisco, expanding the firm's capabilities in exchange-traded fund regulation and digital asset law. Baer joins from Ropes & Gray, where he served as counsel in the asset management group, and brings a rare combination of front-office and legal expertise developed through roles at leading financial institutions.
Baer's career spans both the industry and legal sides of asset management. He previously served as managing director and senior counsel at the world's largest asset manager and held the position of chief legal officer at the largest U.S. ETF platform. In that capacity, he oversaw legal and compliance infrastructure for more than 300 ETFs representing approximately $800 billion in assets under management, gaining operational knowledge of ETF registration, exemptive relief, exchange listing and trading mechanics, and innovative fund structure development.
His practice at K&L Gates will cover the complete fund lifecycle, including product structuring, compliance framework development, board governance, and ETF creation and redemption operations. He will also counsel clients on digital assets and cryptocurrency matters, advising on fund structures, regulatory considerations, token investments, and emerging market products—areas where institutional asset managers face substantial legal and regulatory uncertainty.
The Baer hire continues K&L Gates' deliberate expansion of its AMIF practice. Over the past twelve months, the firm has added four additional partners: Thoreau Bartmann in Washington, D.C.; Huberta Chow in Hong Kong; Marianna Tothova in London; and Robert Leonard in New York. The practice now encompasses more than 150 lawyers across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America, positioning the firm to serve multinational asset managers navigating complex cross-border regulatory environments.
For institutional investors and asset managers, the hire signals K&L Gates' commitment to deepening expertise in ETF operations and cryptocurrency-adjacent legal matters at a time when regulatory frameworks for digital assets remain in flux and institutional adoption accelerates.
Baer's career spans both the industry and legal sides of asset management. He previously served as managing director and senior counsel at the world's largest asset manager and held the position of chief legal officer at the largest U.S. ETF platform. In that capacity, he oversaw legal and compliance infrastructure for more than 300 ETFs representing approximately $800 billion in assets under management, gaining operational knowledge of ETF registration, exemptive relief, exchange listing and trading mechanics, and innovative fund structure development.
His practice at K&L Gates will cover the complete fund lifecycle, including product structuring, compliance framework development, board governance, and ETF creation and redemption operations. He will also counsel clients on digital assets and cryptocurrency matters, advising on fund structures, regulatory considerations, token investments, and emerging market products—areas where institutional asset managers face substantial legal and regulatory uncertainty.
The Baer hire continues K&L Gates' deliberate expansion of its AMIF practice. Over the past twelve months, the firm has added four additional partners: Thoreau Bartmann in Washington, D.C.; Huberta Chow in Hong Kong; Marianna Tothova in London; and Robert Leonard in New York. The practice now encompasses more than 150 lawyers across Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America, positioning the firm to serve multinational asset managers navigating complex cross-border regulatory environments.
For institutional investors and asset managers, the hire signals K&L Gates' commitment to deepening expertise in ETF operations and cryptocurrency-adjacent legal matters at a time when regulatory frameworks for digital assets remain in flux and institutional adoption accelerates.
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