Cooley Expands Global Fund Formation Practice With Industry-Leading Partner in Boston

Boston – May 1, 2023 – Matthew Smith has joined Cooley’s fund formation practice group as a partner in the Boston office. He arrives from Kirkland & Ellis, where he was a leader of their venture capital funds practice, steering some of the industry’s most high-profile and complex venture capital and digital asset fund formations.  

“Matt’s arrival further exemplifies our deep commitment to Cooley’s global fund formation practice and our continued focus on meeting our clients’ evolving needs,” said Sonya Erickson, global chair of Cooley’s business department. “Matt is the perfect fit given his deep experience across industry verticals that play to our platform’s strengths, including technology, healthcare and biotechnology, among others.”

“Matt is recognized as an exceptional next-generation fund formation lawyer, and his addition strengthens our ability to provide the highest-level guidance to some of our most prominent venture capital and other private fund clients, now and for years to come,” said John Dado, partner and chair of Cooley’s fund formation practice. “We are delighted Matt has joined the team.”

Smith regularly advises on the formation and fundraising of venture capital, private equity and other investment funds, as well as on all other aspects of their sponsors’ businesses, including general partner‐led transactions, fund regulatory and compliance matters, complex business transactions, and firm ownership and operational issues. During the past few years, Smith also has worked with investment managers investing in the Web3 and digital asset space – designing new market trends and structures that optimize their funds. He has advised on the formation and fundraising of investment funds with total capital commitments exceeding $60 billion.  

“I’m excited to join Cooley’s innovative and market-leading fund formation practice and collaborate with colleagues across the firm,” said Smith. “I look forward to partnering with clients as they navigate a challenging and fast-changing market for fundraisings.”

With a team of 60+ lawyers focused full time on fund formation, Cooley is primary fund counsel to more than 600 investment fund organizations. In 2022, the team advised 520+ fund clients on closings, with more than $60 billion committed to these funds. The global practice represents venture capital, growth equity, private equity and fund of funds managers with primary operations and/or investments in the US, Asia and Europe. The group also runs Vanilla by Cooley, a proprietary, cloud-based solution for raising and administering private, closed-end investment funds, and TheFundLawyer, a blog with legal and tax insights for venture capital fund managers.

About Cooley LLP

Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, where innovation meets the law.

Cooley has nearly 1,400 lawyers across 18 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe, and a total workforce of almost 3,000.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only, and your access or use of the content does not create an attorney-client relationship between you or your organization and Cooley LLP, Cooley (UK) LLP, or any other affiliated practice or entity (collectively referred to as “Cooley”). By accessing this content, you agree that the information provided does not constitute legal or other professional advice. This content is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction and you should not act or refrain from acting based on this content. This content may be changed without notice. It is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up to date, and it may not reflect the most current legal developments. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Do not send any confidential information to Cooley, as we do not have any duty to keep any information you provide to us confidential. This content may be considered Attorney Advertising and is subject to our legal notices.