Zeke Johnson advises alternative investment management clients on fund organization and operation, regulatory and compliance matters, and product offerings. Zeke handles legal matters related to the structuring and managing of the full array of investment structures, including private equity funds, hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, commodity pools and futures funds, hybrid committed capital funds, and managed accounts. He also advises institutional investors in negotiating single investor funds, co-investments, investment management agreements, and other private fund investments.
Zeke’s work crosses various alternative asset classes, including private equity and private credit, venture capital, hedge fund, and other liquid strategies, as well as impact and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. His transactional work includes advising on fund launches and restructurings; formation and registration of investment advisers, commodity trading advisors, and commodity pool operators; negotiation of side letters, single-investor funds, and managed account agreements; general partner- and limited partner-led secondary transactions; co-investment vehicle formation; sales and purchases of investment funds and managers; and US product offerings of non-US managers. Zeke also advises US and non-US investment managers on the Investment Advisers Act, the Commodity Exchange Act, Regulation D and Dodd-Frank compliance issues.
Earlier in his career, Zeke served as general counsel at Black River Asset Management LLC, a large alternative asset manager, where he oversaw legal matters related to more than $7 billion in assets and managed an international team of lawyers.
Recommended, Investment fund formation and management: Alternative/hedge funds, The Legal 500 US (2023, 2024)
Ranked, Hedge Funds, USA, Chambers Global (2023, 2024)
Ranked, Hedge Funds, Nationwide, Chambers USA (2021–2024)