Marco V. Masotti is the Deputy Chair of the Corporate Department. He focuses on the organization and operation of a wide variety of private investment funds, including buyout funds, hedge funds, hybrid funds, distressed funds, mezzanine funds, seed capital funds, venture capital funds, structured products funds, real estate funds and funds of funds.

Mr. Masotti is regarded as one of the country's leading fund formation lawyers by Chambers, Legal 500 and The Who's Who of Business Lawyers. He has been selected by Institutional Investor as a "Rising Star" who is expected to shape the legal field in the years to come, by Crain’s New York Business for its annual "40 Under 40" list and by New York Observer as one of New York's top corporate lawyers.

Mr. Masotti has significant experience with multiple types of private investment funds organized by alternative investment managers and represents a diverse group of sponsors, including:

• Apollo;
• Avenue Capital;
• Bass/Oak Hill;
• BlackRock;
• Blackstone/GSO;
• Fortress Group;
• General Atlantic;
• LNK Partners;
• Quadrangle Group;
• Reservoir Capital;
• Rock Creek;
• Sageview;
• ValueAct;
• Värde; and
• Wellspring Capital. 

Importantly, Mr. Masotti has assisted with a number of recent investment management M&A transactions, including:

• R3/Lehman/BlackRock;
• Avenue Capital/Morgan Stanley;
• Nomura/Fortress;
• Oak Hill Advisors/iStar Financial Inc.;
• Ore Hill/Man Group; and
• Quellos Group/BlackRock.

Mr. Masotti has developed strong working relationships with the investors in investment funds, including corporate pension plans, state and local pension plans, university endowments, private foundations, funds of funds, high net worth individuals and various classes of offshore investors.

Mr. Masotti has been quoted extensively in the print media and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences. His recent presentations include the Wharton's "Private Equity and Venture Capital Conference," International Bar Association's "Annual Conference on Private Investment Funds," Practising Law Institute's "Hedge Funds 2009" conference and "10th Annual Private Equity Forum," the American Lawyer Media "General Counsel Hedge Fund Summit," Argyle Executive Forum's "Leadership in the Private Capital Markets" conference and the "Dow Jones/Private Equity Analyst" conference.

Mr. Masotti is the former chair of the Committee on Private Investment Funds of the New York City Bar and serves as a member of the Private Investment Funds Forum, the Managed Funds Association, the American Bar Association and the International Bar Association.

Mr. Masotti was awarded a Fulbright Placement Award upon graduating from the University of Natal Faculty of Law.