Thomas F. Kopko
Partner
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Tom focuses his practice on the complex legal, economic and strategic needs of private investment fund managers and their principals and management teams. He provides comprehensive counsel to a diverse range of clients, including both large, well-known sponsors and emerging managers, by assisting with all aspects of their business, in the U.S. and abroad, including in connection with their organization, management, governance, operations, capital raise efforts, internal structuring and compliance endeavors, fund formations, fund- and portfolio company-level sales and other strategic transactions.
Key Matters
Some of the experience represented below may have been handled at a previous firm.
- Represented an Illinois-based client in closing over US$1.1 billion in commitments to multiple vintages of buy-out funds investing in lower middle-market manufacturing and value-added distribution companies.
- Represented a Texas-based client in its launch as a global investment firm and initial closing of over US$1 billion in commitments to its inaugural private credit fund and companiion co-investment vehicles that target credit, hybrid and special situation investments across real assets, specialty finance and structured credit.
- Represented a multi-national insurance company in its capacity as a strategic investor in multiple closed-end funds formed by an affiliate sponsor to acquire a portfolio of secondary fund LP investments in private equity, infrastructure, credit and real estate (with commitments totaling over US$1 billion).
- Represented a Texas-based client in closing over US$1 billion in commitments to multiple vintages of private equity funds and companion co-investment vehicles that invest primarily in climate infrastructure opportunities.
- Represented a subsidiary of a global financial institution in its initial formation as a private fund advisory firm and closing over US$300 million in commitments to multiple vintages of venture capital funds and companion co-investment vehicles that invest in companies developing and/or utilizing blockchain-enabled technology and/or building infrastructure to support the blockchain ecosystem.
- Represented a Minnesota-based client in its initial formation as a private fund advisory firm and negotiation of a revenue share agreement with an anchor investor, and closing approximately US$275 million in commitments to multiple vintages of private equity funds and companion co-investment vehicles that invest in the corporate finance, real estate and specialty finance sectors.
- Represented an Illinois-based alternative asset manager in connection with the spin out of its wholly-owned private equity fund management business with over US$1 billion in assets under management.
- Represented a California-based client in its initial formation as a private fund advisory firm and negotiation of a significant revenue share agreement with a global alternative asset management firm, and closing over US$130 million in commitments to its inaugural private equity fund that invest in the education and human capital management sectors.
- Represented a global institutional investor in its capacity as a co-lead investor on the buy-side for a GP-led secondary process that included the formation of a continuation vehicle to acquire a portfolio of U.S. real estate properties (with a total transaction value of over US$800 million).
- Represented a large private investment management firm in closing over US$500 million in commitments to multiple vintages of private credit funds focused on special situation investments in the middle market and hard assets and closing over US$250 million in commitments to a private credit fund and companion co-investment vehicles that invest in late stage, established companies seeking capital prior to an initial public offering or private sale.
- Represented a global private markets firm in the formation and offering of multiple single-investor fund products focused on secondary fund LP investments and opportunities to act as a lead investor on the buy-side for GP-led secondary processes that include single-asset or multi-asset continuation vehicle offerings.
- Represented an international investment management firm in the formation and offering of an inaugural platform providing its non-U.S. clients with conduit vehicle access to third-party private equity fund products and third-party managed platforms.