Widely regarded as one the country’s most prominent alternative asset management practitioners, Udi Grofman is Global Co-Head of the firm’s Investment Funds Group. The highest ranked lawyer in the country by Chambers (and the only lawyer to have the “Star Individual” ranking in the hedge fund category), Udi is called a “leading light in the fund formation area” by that publication. A strategic adviser to many of the top alternative asset managers in the world and their management teams, Udi’s practice focuses on fund formation, strategic advice and crisis management, with his clients praising him as a “walking wealth of market knowledge. He gives business-minded, practical and highly sophisticated advice” and is “nothing short of brilliant.” According to market commentators, Udi is a “legend in our field for many reasons. His knowledge and sophistication is unparalleled, and he’s entirely devoted to providing excellent customer service” who “possesses nonpareil legal expertise that crushes that of his counterparts at other firms.”
Udi focuses on fund formation along the liquidity spectrum, including credit funds, hybrid funds, hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds, venture funds, long-dated funds, permanent capital vehicles and family offices. He also provides strategic advice, including on seed capital transactions, minority and majority asset manager acquisitions and dispositions, and “upper-tier” arrangements. Additionally, he advises clients on crisis management, including internal investigations, regulatory examinations, investigations and litigation, in the course of which he appears frequently in front of regulators; partner and employee disputes; and investor litigation.
Udi has been consistently recognized as a leading practitioner in the investment funds industry. He is ranked as a “Star Individual” in Chambers USA, as a “Hall of Fame” lawyer in The Legal 500, as one of only a handful of recognized lawyers in IFLR1000, and as one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Dealmakers.” Who’s Who Legal named Udi among its “Global Elite Thought Leaders” for private fund formation—one of only six lawyers in the U.S.— describing him as having “second-to-none funds expertise.” In 2016, he received the Burton “Distinguished Legal Writing Award” for excellence in legal writing.
Udi’s representative clients include Apollo Global Management, The Blackstone Group, Blackstone Credit, BXMA, HPS Investment Partners, Centerbridge Partners, KKR Credit, 3G Capital, Angel Island Capital, AQR Capital Management, Autonomy Capital, Avenue Capital, Bain Credit, BayPine, Bridgewater, Charlesbank, Citadel, D1 Capital, Davidson Kempner, Declaration Partners, Foresite Capital Management, Glenview Capital, GoldenTree Asset Management, Hudson Bay Capital, J.P.Morgan Asset Management, Key Square Capital Management, LuminArx, New York Life Investments, Nokota Management, Paloma Partners, Pinnacle Asset Management, PointState Capital, Pretium Partners, Sequoia Heritage, Strategic Value Partners, Tiger Global Management, Tilden Park, Two Sigma, Wafra Inc., XN LP, Omega Advisors and some of the country’s largest family offices, among others.
Udi writes and speaks frequently on the challenges facing hedge funds in today’s market. He has co-authored articles for The Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation and Private Equity Law Report, among others, and is often asked to speak at major industry conferences, including those hosted by the International Bar Association, Practising Law Institute and Maples Investment Funds Forum. In 2020, Udi developed and chaired a new annual PLI program, “Advanced Issues in Private Funds,” which features in-depth discussions about fundraising dynamics and strategies, co-investment vehicles and upper-tier structures and tax considerations, among other topics. Udi also hosts an Annual Hedge Fund General Counsel Forum, which brings together the most prominent legal practitioners in the market to discuss recent trends and developments.
Udi maintains an active pro bono practice, representing not-for-profit interests and individuals. He currently serves on the board of directors of the International Rescue Committee, a global humanitarian aid organization, and on the board of directors of Hapoel Tel Aviv F.C., an Israeli soccer club. Udi served as a lecturer for The Interdisciplinary Center at Harry Radzyner Law School, Herzliya, Israel and is a captain (ret.) in the Israel Defense Forces.
