Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced that private funds attorney Matthew Block has joined the Firm as a partner in the Asset Management Department. Matt is based in Willkie’s New York office. His practice is focused on private equity fund formation with a particular emphasis on secondaries and other liquidity solutions focused transactions.
“Matt is a talented advisor with a comprehensive set of skills in the private fund formation sector and we are delighted to welcome him to our team,” said Phil Isom, Chair of Willkie’s Global Private Funds Practice. “Our activity in the secondaries sector has been growing rapidly, representing both sponsors and investors in GP-led secondaries transactions, as well as buyers and sellers of portfolio interests in traditional portfolio sales. Matt’s significant fund formation and transactional experience in the liquidity solutions space further enhances the scale of our practice group and reflects our commitment to meeting our clients’ expanding needs.”
Matt regularly advises fund sponsors on the formation and operation of private equity funds, real estate funds, credit funds, distressed funds and seed capital funds. He has advised on fund raises ranging from under $100 million to over $30 billion. In addition to his fund formation practice and work on GP-led secondaries, recapitalizations and investments, he has also advised clients in GP-stakes transactions and seeding arrangements. Matt was previously a partner at Kirkland & Ellis. A certified public accountant, he is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Matt commented: “Willkie is known for its world-class asset management practice and I’m excited to join the Firm’s talented team of practitioners, adding to the depth of its global funds practice. The demand from sponsors and investors for liquidity solutions is experiencing exponential growth and the chance to continue the growth of my practice on the Willkie platform is a fantastic opportunity.”
Matt’s addition follows several other significant additions to Willkie’s Private Funds practice in the past two years. In 2022, partners Gabriel Acri and Larissa Marcellino joined in New York, and David Hong in Los Angeles. In addition, last month, partner Brian Baltz joined Willkie’s Asset Management Department in Washington.
Willkie’s preeminent Asset Management Department leverages comprehensive subject matter experience and capabilities across all asset classes to advise virtually all types of participants in the asset management industry, including privately owned sponsors and investment managers, publicly-traded asset management firms, broker-dealers, insurance companies, wealth management platforms, and banks, among others. With more than 110 attorneys across seven offices in the U.S. and Europe, we advise on the full spectrum of investment management matters, including fund formations, investments, restructurings, fund financings, GP stake sales and purchases, liquidity and capital solutions transactions and operational, compliance and regulatory issues. The Department’s 250+ clients include some of the world’s most prominent asset management firms.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 13 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 40 practice areas.
