Overview

Matthew Cohen is a partner in the Investment Funds Regulatory Solutions Group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. His practice focuses on the regulation of private investment funds and investment advisers. Matthew provides regulatory advice on a wide variety of matters, including the formation, offering and operation of private equity funds, venture capital funds, real estate funds and credit funds, as well as on complex fund restructurings and adviser-led secondary transactions. Matthew also regularly advises emerging managers, counseling them through initial fund launches, SEC registration and compliance, and strategy expansion. Matthew also advises on financial services mergers and acquisitions, and strategic liquidity transactions for private fund sponsors. In addition, Matthew also frequently represents clients in complex SEC examinations and investigations. Matthew has been recognized as an IFLR1000 leading lawyer and is a frequent speaker regarding SEC rulemaking and regulatory developments.

Representative Clients

  • Alpine Investors
  • Andreessen Horowitz
  • Arcline Investment Management
  • Aurora Capital Partners
  • Brentwood Associates
  • Center Rock Capital Partners
  • FFL Capital Partners
  • Francisco Partners
  • HGGC
  • Index Ventures
  • Invesco Private Capital
  • K1 Investment Management
  • LightBay Capital
  • Mainsail Partners
  • Oaktree Capital
  • Quiet Capital
  • Riverwood Capital
  • Rockbridge Capital
  • S2G Investments
  • Sapphire Ventures
  • Symphony Technology Group
  • TPG
  • TSG Consumer Partners
  • Vista Equity Partners
  • Windjammer Capital Investors

More

Thought Leadership

Publications

“SEC Adopts Significant Rule Changes for Private Fund Advisers (Part 2 of 2),” Kirkland & Ellis LLP AIM Newsletter, September 11, 2023

“SEC Proposes Significant New Cybersecurity Rules for Investment Advisers,” Kirkland & Ellis LLP AIM Newsletter, March 14, 2022

“SEC Proposes Sweeping Rule Changes for Private Fund Advisers (Part 2 of 2),” Kirkland & Ellis LLP AIM Newsletter, February 18, 2022

“Impact of California Consumer Privacy Act on Private Fund Managers,” Kirkland & Ellis LLP AIM Newsletter, August 6, 2019

“SEC Brings Cybersecurity Enforcement Action Against Registered Adviser,” Kirkland & Ellis LLP AIM Newsletter, September 24, 2015

“ETF Confidential: A Survey of Non-Transparent Actively Managed ETFs,” The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 19, No. 6, June 2012

Seminars 

Matt has presented on several investment management panels including Kirkland & Ellis' annual Registered Investment Adviser Seminar and CCO Summit, and various industry panels including:

ACA Group Program, “Private Fund Adviser Rules: Where We Go From Here,” July 16, 2024

TechGC, VCGC Conference, “Regulatory Update,” October 2023

Kirkland & Ellis Webinar, “SEC’s New Private Fund Adviser Rules,” September 2023

PEI Private Funds CFO Webinar, “Discussion of the SEC’s New Marketing Rule,” April 21, 2023

KPMG Alternative Investments Symposium, November 2022

Kirkland & Ellis Webinar, “Implementing the SEC's New Marketing Rule,” June 2022

Smarsh Webinar, “RIA Update: SEC Exams, Enforcement and a Look Forward,” June 29, 2021

Kirkland & Ellis Liquidity Solutions Academy, “SEC Scrutiny of Secondary Transactions / Fund Restructurings,” November 6, 2019

Kirkland and KPMG Roundtable, September 9, 2019

First Republic NextGen Finance Professionals Conference, “SEC Regulatory Trends,” September 14, 2018

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 2008California
  • 2011Illinois

Courts

  • United States District Court for the Central District of California
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of California

Education

  • Pepperdine University School of LawJ.D.2008

    Pepperdine Law Review

    Fellow, Palmer Center for Entrepreneurship and the Law

    Member, International Law Society

  • University of California, Santa BarbaraB.A., Global Studies2003
    Dean's Honors