A partner in the Corporate Department and head of the Private Funds Group, Robert M. Hirsh focuses on the organization, operation and restructuring of private investment funds, including buyout funds, hybrid funds and venture capital funds.

Mr. Hirsh has handled organizational work for numerous buyout fund sponsors, including:

• Aisling;
• CI Capital;
• General Atlantic;
• Haas Wheat;
• IREO;
• KPS;
• Liberty Partners;
• Perseus;
• Roark;
• Silver Peak;
• Sterling Group;
• TowerBrook;
• Trilantic;
• Unison; and
• Wicks.

Participating in the development of the terms for the individual funds, Mr. Hirsh has acted as advisor with regard to the preparation of the funds’ offering materials and fund raising strategies, and the preparation and negotiation of the definitive organizational documents.

Mr. Hirsh also has handled groundbreaking transactional work involving funds, including employment arrangements and multi-billion dollar private equity fund spin-outs and restructurings, including:

• the spin-outs from JPMorgan of JPMorgan Partners and the Bear Stearns merchant banking businesses;
• the spin-outs from Lehman Brothers of both Lehman merchant banking business and Lehman real estate private equity business; and
• the spin-out of the Citi Private Equity business to Lexington and Stepstone.

He also represented the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in its acquisition of an interest in certain fund sponsors, including Apollo.

Mr. Hirsh is recognized as a leading lawyer in the area of investment funds by Chambers USA and Legal 500, and by The Best Lawyers in America in the area of private funds/hedge funds law.

Mr. Hirsh taught in and administered educational programs in poverty areas and prisons for six years before entering law school, and for three years while attending law school. He graduated first in his class from the New York University School of Law. He began at the firm in the Tax Department in 1977, shifted to the Corporate Department in 1980 and began the Investment Funds Group in 1995.