Debevoise 2019 Private Equity Funds Guide

Private Equity Funds: Key Business, Legal and Tax Issues
Private Equity Funds

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© Debevoise & Plimpton LLP 2019
This book has been prepared by and is the copyright of the law firm, Debevoise &
Plimpton LLP. All rights are reserved. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part
without their permission. This book provides summary information only and is not
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action with respect to the matters discussed therein.
ABOUT DEBEVOISE & PLIMPTON’S INVESTMENT
MANAGEMENT GROUP
Debevoise’s leading private equity funds practice is one of the largest
and most broadly diversified in the world. Since 1995 we have acted
as counsel for sponsors of, or investors in, over 2,800 private equity
funds worldwide, with committed capital of over $3 trillion. Our
firm, having focused on the private equity industry since the late
1970s, has deep knowledge of the industry and has worked closely
with pre-eminent private equity sponsors to develop much of the
fund “technology” that is now industry standard.
Over the past 35 years, we have advised private equity firms and
investors on the formation of and investment in private equity funds
across every major investment strategy, including buyout, venture
capital, funds of funds, credit, real estate, infrastructure and energy.
We represent the full range of private equity firms, from first-time
funds to the longest established and most pre-eminent firms and
from independent boutiques to institutional sponsors and multi-
strategy alternative asset firms.
Our fund formation practice is an important element in the

comprehensive range of services that Debevoise provides to private
equity firms. With over 100 lawyers dedicated to private equity fund
formation worldwide, we have one of the largest and most
experienced groups of lawyers in the world focusing exclusively on
fund formation. In addition, Debevoise’s world class tax, ERISA,
employment and regulatory specialists devote a substantial portion
of their time to our private equity clients. Debevoise is among a
handful of firms with a truly global private equity practice, with over
200 fund formation, M&A, finance, securities, tax and other deal
lawyers serving private equity firms in the United States, Europe,
Asia, Latin America and Africa.
© 2019 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. All Rights Reserved.

Table of Contents
Page
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1
A. OVERVIEW OF PRIVATE EQUITY FUNDS ..................................................... 3

1. What Is a Fund? ........................................................................................................... 4
2. U.S. Tax Structuring Considerations .................................................................... 7
3. Partnership or Other Form? .................................................................................... 9
4. Jurisdiction of Organization .................................................................................. 11
5. Multiproduct and Multijurisdictional Offerings ................................................ 12
6. Alternative Investment Vehicles.......................................................................... 14
B. FUND PRODUCTS AND STRATEGIES ........................................................ 15

1. Private Equity Funds ................................................................................................ 15
2. Other Types of Fund Products............................................................................. 17
3. Separate Accounts .................................................................................................. 20
4. Co-Investment Vehicles ........................................................................................ 21
C. THE OFFERING ......................................................................................... 23

1. The Fundraising Process ........................................................................................ 23
2. The Private Placement Memorandum............................................................... 26
3. Other Primary Fund Documentation ................................................................. 31
4. Placement Agents .................................................................................................... 33
D. FUND TERMS: CARRIED INTEREST AND DISTRIBUTIONS........................ 37

1. Carried Interest Rate ............................................................................................... 37
2. Distribution Timing................................................................................................... 38
3. Preferred Returns and Cushions ......................................................................... 40
4. Distributions in Kind ................................................................................................. 41
5. Tax Distributions ....................................................................................................... 41
6. General Partner Clawback ..................................................................................... 42
7. Tax Treatment of Carried Interest ...................................................................... 44
E. FUND TERMS: MANAGEMENT FEES, FEE INCOME AND FUND

EXPENSES.............................................................................................. 45
1. Management Fees ................................................................................................... 45
2. Sharing the Benefit of Fee Income: Directors’, Transaction,
Break-Up, Monitoring and Other Similar Fees................................................. 48
3. Fund Expenses .......................................................................................................... 50
F. FUND TERMS: CLOSING THE FUND AND MAKING INVESTMENTS ........... 53

1. Size of the Fund......................................................................................................... 53
2. Sponsor Investment in the Fund ......................................................................... 53
i
3. Investment Period and Fund Term..................................................................... 54
4. Closings ....................................................................................................................... 55
5. Drawdowns of Capital ............................................................................................. 55
6. Subscription Credit Facilities ................................................................................ 55
7. Recycling of Capital Commitments.................................................................... 56
8. Investment Limitations .......................................................................................... 56
9. Excused/Excluded Investors ................................................................................ 58
10. Defaulting Limited Partners .................................................................................. 59
11. Withdrawal .................................................................................................................. 59
12. Amendments............................................................................................................. 60
G. FUND TERMS: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND RELATED ISSUES............ 61

1. Conflicts of Interest................................................................................................. 61
2. Co-Investment Opportunities for Limited Partners..................................... 64
3. Indemnification; Exculpation; Standard of Care ............................................. 65
4. All-Partner Givebacks. ............................................................................................ 65
5. Limited Partner Advisory Committee ............................................................... 66
6. Valuations ................................................................................................................... 67
H. FUND TERMS: LP REMEDIES .................................................................... 69

1. For-Cause Remedies .............................................................................................. 70
2. No-Fault Remedies ................................................................................................. 71
3. What Happens to the Management Fee? ........................................................ 72
4. Removal of the General Partner .......................................................................... 72
I. COMMON PRIVATE EQUITY FUND INVESTORS ......................................... 75

1. U.S. Corporate Pension Plans .............................................................................. 77
2. U.S. Governmental Plans ....................................................................................... 80
3. Sovereign Wealth Funds ........................................................................................ 81
4. Life Insurance Companies ..................................................................................... 83
5. U.S. Insured Depository Institutions, Bank Holding Companies,
Non-U.S. Banks with U.S. Banking Presence and Their Affiliates.............. 83
6. Non-U.S. Regulated Entities ................................................................................. 84
7. Funds of Funds .......................................................................................................... 86
8. Private Foundations and Endowments ............................................................. 86
9. Individual Investors and Family Offices ............................................................. 86
10. Other Regulatory Matters ..................................................................................... 88
J. INVESTOR LEVEL TAX ISSUES .................................................................. 91

1. Taxation of U.S. Taxable Investors ..................................................................... 91
2. Taxation of U.S. Tax-Exempt Investors ............................................................ 93
3. Taxation of Non-U.S. Investors Investing in the United States................. 96
4. Taxation of Non-U.S. Governments ................................................................ 100
ii
Table of Contents (cont’d)
Page
5. Structuring Mechanisms ..................................................................................... 101
K. STRUCTURING THE MANAGER AND THE GENERAL PARTNER AND

CERTAIN STRATEGIC TRANSACTIONS ............................................... 103
1. General ...................................................................................................................... 103
2. General Partner Arrangements ........................................................................ 104
3. Economics ............................................................................................................... 105
4. Restrictive Covenants .......................................................................................... 106
5. Insurance .................................................................................................................. 107
6. Estate Planning ....................................................................................................... 107
7. Advisers .................................................................................................................... 107
8. European Outsourcing Restrictions ................................................................ 108
9. AIFM for Hire............................................................................................................ 108
10. GP and Manager Minority Stake Sales............................................................. 109
11. Strategic Fund Transactions.............................................................................. 110
L. CERTAIN KEY REGULATORY ISSUES ....................................................... 113

1. U.S. Securities Act and Other Private Placement Regulations ............... 113
2. U.S. Investment Company Act .......................................................................... 117
3. U.S. Advisers Act .................................................................................................... 121
4. U.S. Commodity Exchange Act ......................................................................... 133
5. Broker-Dealer Issues ............................................................................................ 134
6. Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism and Sanctions
Regulations .............................................................................................................. 136
7. Merchant Banking and Volcker Rule ................................................................ 139
8. Internal Accounting Control Systems and Cybersecurity ........................ 139
9. Consumer Privacy Regulations ......................................................................... 141
10. GDPR ......................................................................................................................... 141
11. Investments in Regulated Industries ............................................................... 142
12. AIFMD ........................................................................................................................ 142
13. FATCA ....................................................................................................................... 145
14. CRS ............................................................................................................................. 145
15. Blue Sky and Other U.S. State-Level Matters............................................... 146
16. CFIUS ......................................................................................................................... 146
17. Cryptocurrencies ................................................................................................... 148
GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS
iii
Private Equity Funds:
Key Business, Legal and Tax
Issues
INTRODUCTION 1
Private equity is a broad and global industry that has seen

remarkable growth over the past several decades. Today, private
equity firms and the funds that they manage invest in virtually every
geographic region, pursuing investment strategies in almost every
arena of commercial endeavor and accounting for a significant
percentage of M&A activity across the globe. As private equity firms
become larger and more global, investors are committing more
capital than ever. Global assets under management for the private
equity industry now exceed $3 trillion, and the majority of fund
managers predict that this number will continue to increase. 2
Growth in the private equity industry has been fueled on the demand
(limited partner) side by: increased awareness of the asset class and
of the extraordinary investment returns of the leading firms;
demand for higher performing investments to supplement the
performance of large investment portfolios; and demand for
strategic alliances with sponsors who serve as a source of transaction
1
See the Glossary of Key Terms at the end of this guide for definitions of all
capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined.
2
Source: Preqin.

flow to pension plans, banks and other institutions. On the supply
(sponsor) side, growth has been fueled by: new generations of
private equity professionals entering the market; the development of
new fund products; and the extension of private equity skills to new
industries and types of transactions. The dramatic growth on both
the supply and demand side has been accompanied by an increased
complexity in the structuring of funds.
This guide discusses the key business, legal and tax issues to be
considered when forming a private equity fund. The information set
forth in the following chapters is based on our experience over many
years as counsel to sponsors of, and investors in, funds worldwide;
however, this guide does not constitute legal advice and cannot
substitute for the customized advice needed to address the particular
needs of fund sponsors or individual investors.

Investment Management Group
2
A. Overview of Private Equity Funds
A private equity fund is a private pool of capital (a “Fund”)

formed to make privately negotiated investments, which may
include investments in leveraged buyouts, venture capital,
real estate, infrastructure, mezzanine, workouts, distressed
debt or other private equity funds.
Some Funds pursue a broader generalist strategy, while others focus

on investments in one or more particular industries or business
sectors, such as telecom, media and communications, healthcare,
energy, infrastructure, technology, life sciences or financial services.
Certain Funds also focus their investments in particular geographic
regions or specific markets (such as emerging economies). In
contrast to hedge funds, investments made by private equity funds
are generally illiquid in nature. Typical investors in Funds include
corporate pension plans, state and other governmental pension
3
1. What Is a Fund?2F
retirement plans, sovereign wealth funds, university endowments,

charitable foundations, bank holding companies, insurance
companies, family offices, funds of funds and high net worth
individuals, all of which invest in Funds out of assets allocated to
alternative or nontraditional investments.
Proportion of Aggregate Capital Currently Invested in Private Equity

by Investor Type (at January 2019)
Private Equity Fund of Funds Manager

12%
21% Public Pension Fund
1%
Family Office
5%
Private Sector Pension Fund
7% Insurance Company
Wealth Manager
8% 14% Foundation
Endowment Plan
Sovereign Wealth Fund

9%
Other
12%
11%
Source: Preqin Private Equity Online
1. What Is a Fund? 3
a. A typical Fund is structured as a fixed-life limited

partnership (or series of parallel limited partnerships and/or
feeder partnerships) whose partners have agreed
3
Although this discussion focuses on U.S. and European funds, the discussion
below on fund structures and terms for the most part applies equally to funds
investing in Asia.
4
contractually to contribute capital to the Fund as and when

needed in order for the Fund to make investments in
portfolio companies. The investors (the “Limited Partners”)
generally are not involved in the Fund’s investment
decisions or other day-to-day activities. Instead, the Fund is
controlled by its general partner (the “General Partner”),
which generally makes all final decisions concerning the
Fund’s operations and the purchase and sale of the Fund’s
investments. Unlike hedge funds, a private equity fund is
generally structured as a closed-end vehicle, with very
limited redemption rights. A typical Fund is managed and
advised by a private equity firm or a subsidiary of the firm
(the “Manager”); the General Partner and the Manager
usually are separate but affiliated entities run by the same
people.
b. The Manager administers and advises the Fund, seeks out

and structures investments to be made by the Fund and
recommends strategies for realizing and exiting those
investments. Frequently the arrangements between the
Manager and the Fund are set forth in a management
agreement or investment advisory agreement between the
Manager and the Fund. Where the Fund invests in multiple
jurisdictions, the Manager may have subadvisory contracts
with subadvisors in the various jurisdictions where the firm’s
investment teams are based. The Manager, directly or
through affiliates, typically employs and pays the salaries of
its investment personnel, including those of the key
individual investment professionals (the “Investment
Professionals”). In most cases, the Manager receives a
management fee paid by the Fund (or, occasionally, directly
5
by its investors), although in the case of UK and EU funds,

the management fee is typically structured as a special
profits allocation to the General Partner (such management
fee or special profits allocation is referred to herein as the
“Management Fee”). See Figure 1 below, which presents a
typical but simplified U.S. fund structure utilizing a Delaware
limited partnership.
Figure 1: Simplified U.S. Fund Structure
c. The General Partner controls the Fund and, subject to

regulatory considerations, generally makes final decisions
concerning the purchase and sale of the Fund’s investments.
The General Partner or, in some cases, a special purpose
vehicle admitted as a special Limited Partner of the Fund, is
6
2. U.S. Tax Structuring Considerations
the entity through which the sponsor and the Investment

Professionals share in the Fund’s investment profits, with
such share being frequently referred to as the “incentive fee,”
“performance fee,” “promote,” “carry” or, most often,
“carried interest” (the “Carried Interest”). As investors, the
Investment Professionals typically invest their own capital
on the same basis as the Limited Partners (but without
paying Management Fees or bearing Carried Interest),
usually through the General Partner and often through co-
investment vehicles as well.
Sponsors typically want structures that will not result in any U.S.
federal income tax being incurred at the Fund level. A number
of structures can accomplish this result; the most common
approach is to structure the Fund as a partnership for U.S. federal
income tax purposes.
a. Structure the Fund as a Partnership. The Fund can be

organized as an entity classified as a partnership by default
for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such as a Delaware
limited partnership or a Delaware limited liability company.
In addition, under the U.S. entity classification rules, many
types of non-U.S. entities can elect to be classified as
partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes by filing a
“check-the-box” election form with the U.S. Internal
Revenue Service. See Topic A.3, below. Classification as a
partnership allows the Fund to generally not be subject to
U.S. federal income tax, and instead each Partner that is
7
subject to U.S. tax will be required to include its share of the

Fund’s income in its own tax return.
b. Avoid the Use of a Fund Entirely. Some sponsors choose to

enter into separate investment management agreements
with each investor. This approach achieves fiscal
transparency by eliminating the Fund, but at the cost of
losing the potential for capital gains treatment (and raising
deferred compensation issues) for U.S. taxpayers in respect
of the Carried Interest.
c. Organize the Fund as a Private Real Estate Investment Trust

(“REIT”). A Fund that qualifies as a REIT under section 856
of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) may eliminate
U.S. federal income tax liability at the Fund level to the
extent it satisfies certain organizational, asset and income
tests and distributes its taxable income within applicable
time periods.
d. Alternative Structures. Certain investors (e.g., non-U.S. and

certain tax-exempt investors) may prefer to avoid investing
directly in entities treated as partnerships for U.S. tax
purposes. To accommodate such investors, the Fund may
organize one or more feeder or parallel vehicles treated as
partnerships under non-U.S. laws that will elect to be
classified as corporations for U.S. federal income tax
purposes. These structures may be particularly useful for
tax-exempt investors investing in Funds that invest
primarily outside of the United States to avoid “unrelated
business taxable income” from debt-financing. These
alternative structures may also be useful for investors
8
3. Partnership or Other Form?
concerned with U.S. tax filing obligations arising from the

Fund’s “effectively connected income” because qualifying
non-U.S. investors could continue to apply their treaties to
U.S. dividends and other U.S.-sourced income.
e. State and Local Taxes. In addition to U.S. federal income tax

considerations, U.S. state and local tax aspects should be
considered in structuring a Fund.
Assuming that the sponsor wants a Fund that is classified as a

partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the sponsor
may choose among the forms described below. Generally, the
choice among them will depend on the specific tax and/or
business goals of the sponsor.
a. Limited Partnerships. This is the traditional (and still by far

the most common) vehicle for establishing a Fund. Limited
partnerships have the most developed statutory and case law
in the jurisdictions where Funds usually are organized, and
investors are most familiar with them. Limited partnerships
can be more flexible in some jurisdictions than other forms
(e.g., companies) in terms of their ability to alter profit-
sharing ratios, return capital to investors and distribute
profits. Limited partnerships are most commonly formed in
Delaware, the Cayman Islands, and most recently
Luxembourg.
b. Limited Liability Companies. Limited liability company

statutes have the advantages of being available in all U.S.
9
states and, recently, the Cayman Islands, permitting great

flexibility in structuring the Fund, offering familiar
“corporate governance” forms (e.g., board of directors) and
allowing “managing members” to manage the Fund (i.e.,
functioning like a General Partner) but without unlimited
liability for investors in respect of the Fund’s losses. Limited
liability companies, however, may present issues for Funds
operating, investing and/or marketing outside of the United
States because it is unclear the extent to which some non-
U.S. jurisdictions will recognize their limited liability status,
treat them as flow-through entities for tax purposes or allow
their members to claim treaty benefits. In addition, the
limited liability company statutes remain relatively new
compared to limited partnership statutes, and there is still
comparatively little case law under them.
c. Business Trusts. U.S. business trust laws are extremely

flexible; investors can tailor the entity precisely to the terms
of their deal. In particular, there is no requirement that any
party function as a General Partner with agency powers.
Despite a long history of investment companies organized as
trusts, most business trust statutes are relatively new and
there is not extensive case law on business trusts structured
to function like private partnerships.
d. Qualifying Non-U.S. Entities. Under the U.S. entity

classification rules, many kinds of non-U.S. vehicles can
“check the box” to be classified as partnerships for U.S.
federal income tax purposes, including Cayman Islands
exempted limited partnerships, Cayman Islands limited
liability companies, Luxembourg limited partnerships,
10
4. Jurisdiction of Organization
Channel Islands limited partnerships and UK limited

partnerships. Use of such a non-U.S. vehicle is sometimes
dictated by specific tax or business objectives.
4. Jurisdiction of Organization
a. The Delaware limited partnership is the Fund vehicle of

choice among U.S.-based Fund sponsors where the Fund will
principally invest in the United States. Of the more than
1,270 U.S. funds listed in Debevoise’s proprietary database,
70% are Delaware limited partnerships. Investors and their
counsel are comfortable with, and are used to seeing, Funds
organized in Delaware. Furthermore, Delaware’s Revised
Uniform Limited Partnership Act (“RULPA”) strongly
supports limited liability for Limited Partners (e.g., limited
statutory clawbacks of distributions and safe harbor
activities in which a Limited Partner may engage without
jeopardizing its limited liability) and significant flexibility to
modify many core partnership terms by contract. Delaware
also has favorable limited liability company and business
trust statutes, as well as a sophisticated bar, well-developed
case law and an efficient Secretary of State’s office.
b. If the Fund is investing outside of the United States, many

sponsors choose to form non-U.S. entities as their Fund
vehicles, usually limited partnerships organized in the
Cayman Islands, Luxembourg or Guernsey. The Cayman
Islands exempted limited partnership is a popular
investment fund vehicle among U.S.-based sponsors, but is
less commonly used than the Delaware limited partnership.
The English limited partnership was historically a
11
5. Multiproduct and Multijurisdictional Offerings
commonly chosen fund vehicle in the United Kingdom’s

(and to some extent Europe’s) private equity industry. The
choice of jurisdiction is generally driven by an analysis of tax,
corporate and partnership laws, as well as operating factors.
c. A primary reason sponsors that invest outside of the United

States choose non-US entities for the Fund vehicles is to
avoid the adverse tax consequences that would otherwise
apply with a US entity to the US team members of the
sponsor and US taxable investors under the CFC rules. See
Topic J.1.e, below. Recent IRS regulations may allow more
sponsors to use US entities for non-US investments without
triggering many of the adverse tax consequences of the CFC
rules.
d. Certain classes of potential investors in certain countries

may require special structuring considerations, including
listing interests in the Fund or a Feeder Fund on an exchange.
Where a listing is desired, one of the Dublin, London,
Amsterdam, Luxembourg or Hong Kong exchanges is
typically used.
a. Parallel Funds. In some cases it may be advisable to respond

to the concerns of different types of investors by structuring
a fund program using one or more Parallel Funds that would
be co-managed by the sponsor. For example, a fund program
might consist of a Delaware-organized Main Fund and a
Cayman Islands-organized Parallel Fund. Generally, Parallel
Funds co-invest and divest alongside the Main Fund at the
12
same time and on the same terms, pro rata based on their
respective committed capital. Typically, the Fund
Agreement of a Parallel Fund will also be substantially the
same as the Fund Agreement for the Main Fund, subject to
modifications for regulatory, tax, structuring or other
reasons. In most cases, the size of the Fund and any Parallel
Funds will be aggregated for purposes of any overall Fund
size cap, and investors in the Fund and any Parallel Funds
generally will be aggregated for purposes of voting under the
Fund Agreements.
b. Feeder Funds. As discussed above, a sponsor may in some

cases form a Feeder Fund for certain investors. For example,
sometimes Feeder Funds are created for certain investors or
to accommodate tax preferences. The Feeder Fund would
then invest in the Fund as a Limited Partner, and investors
in the Feeder Fund would hold an indirect interest in the
Main Fund. The Feeder Fund and Main Fund partnership
agreements would include provisions addressing the indirect
nature of the feeder Limited Partner’s investment, including
look-through voting, default, excuse and reporting rights,
among others.
c. Tax Issues. Careful tax analysis at both the investor and

Fund levels is always critical to structuring and offering
interests in a Fund successfully. This can be complex when
interests in the Fund are being offered in multiple
jurisdictions. See Topic J, below.
13
6. Alternative Investment Vehicles.
d. Securities Law Issues. See Topics L.1 and L.2, below, for a
discussion of Securities Act and Investment Company Act
issues relating to marketing to U.S. and non-U.S. persons.
6. Alternative Investment Vehicles.
In some cases, a Fund Agreement may give the General Partner

flexibility to form an alternative investment vehicle (“AIV”) if a
direct investment by the Fund might not be the optimal
structure for the particular investment (e.g., for tax, regulatory,
legal or other reasons). Unlike a Parallel Fund, which generally
would co-invest side-by-side with the Main Fund in all
investments, an AIV is typically formed as an alternative vehicle
for the Limited Partners to make a particular investment or
subset of investments. In such cases, any investment made
through the AIV reduces the Limited Partners’ remaining capital
commitments to the Main Fund and, typically, the investment
results of the AIV are aggregated with those of the Main Fund
for purposes of the economic “waterfall.” See Topic D, below.
14
B. Fund Products and Strategies
There are many types of Funds and investors, and business

and legal considerations may vary considerably depending on
the strategy being pursued.
Debevoise has extensive experience representing both sponsors of

and investors in all types of fund strategies and products, including:
1. Private Equity Funds
a. Buyout Funds. Buyout funds make investments (often

controlling investments) in established companies, with
deals that usually involve a debt financing component.
Buyout funds could also include growth equity funds that
provide “expansion capital,” so that more mature businesses
can scale their business operations and enter new markets.
15
1. Private Equity Funds
Funds focused on buyout transactions are frequently the

largest and best known Funds. Accordingly, the discussion
in this guide focuses on buyout funds, although this guide is
broadly relevant to all funds.
b. Venture Capital Funds. Venture capital funds invest primarily

in early and growth-stage companies, usually in rounds of
funding called “series” with alphabetical labels that
correspond to how early in the company’s existence the
investment is made. The first round is called a seed round,
and subsequent rounds are called Series A, Series B, etc.
These funds typically make a significant number of smaller
high-risk, minority investments compared to buyout Funds.
Many venture capital sponsors offer more than one Fund
product, e.g., a Fund that makes seed and/or early stage
investments and another Fund that makes investments in
later rounds in companies considered to be more mature.
Venture funds also tend to be smaller (in terms of aggregate
investment commitments), and thus are less accessible to
investors (other than known active venture fund investors).
c. Real Estate Funds. Real estate funds primarily make equity

or debt investments in commercial and residential property,
often utilizing leverage and generating current income.
Strategies include “core,” “core-plus,” “value added” and
“opportunistic,” with core strategies being the most low-risk
(with a corresponding lower target return) focusing on
traditional property investments with stable cash flows, and
opportunistic strategies being the most high-risk (with a
corresponding higher target return) and often involving
niche sectors and development projects.
16
2. Other Types of Fund Products
d. Infrastructure Funds. These Funds invest in projects in

infrastructure sectors such as transport (e.g., toll roads,
bridges, tunnels, airports, ports), water and waste, energy
and other public sector services, often utilizing leverage. As
with real estate funds, the risk-return profiles within
infrastructure funds can be quite diverse, and strategies
range from “brownfield” projects (mature assets with stable
current cash flows) to “greenfield” projects (early-
stage/opportunistic projects, typically with higher
risk/return profiles).
e. Debt and Special Situations Funds. These Funds, which may

include distressed debt, mezzanine and credit opportunities
funds, focus on “later stage” investments in distressed,
mezzanine, senior or subordinate debt at a large discount.
Debt strategies can include the purchase of existing debt
and/or making direct loans.
f. Funds of Funds. These Funds invest primarily or exclusively

in other private equity funds (which may include venture or
hedge funds), providing investors with a diversified portfolio
and access to Funds to which they otherwise might not have
had access. Funds of funds may make primary investments
in other Funds, “secondary” investments (by purchasing and
selling commitments made by other investors to existing
Funds) and/or co-investments in companies.
A detailed description of private investment funds outside the

private equity fund “realm” is beyond the scope of this guide;
17
however, some of these products include those listed below. We

can provide our clients with separate, detailed materials on these
and other private investment fund products.
a. Hedge Funds. Hedge funds pursue a wide variety of complex

strategies, but generally focus on investments in listed
equities. Unlike private equity funds, hedge funds are
usually open-ended and typically draw down 100% of
investor capital at the time of subscription instead of on an
“as needed” basis, invest in marketable securities or
derivative instruments, provide for periodic redemptions
after an initial lockup period, pay a Management Fee based
on net asset value and pay a Carried Interest (or annual
incentive allocation) calculated on increases in net asset
value, often using a “high water mark” methodology.
b. Pledge Funds. In contrast to a typical private equity fund,

which is normally a “blind pool” and in which investors are
generally not permitted to opt in or out of specific
investments (subject to certain limited excuse rights), pledge
funds are pools of “soft” commitments from investors, and
participants are able to choose whether to participate in
investments on a transaction-by-transaction basis. Often
these pools of capital are structured as contractual
arrangements, with a separate Fund formed for each
portfolio investment. Generally, Management Fees are
charged on invested capital only, and Carried Interest is
calculated separately for each investment. See Topic D,
below. This approach may be appropriate if the sponsor
does not yet have a sufficient track record to raise a blind-
pool fund.
18
c. Permanent Capital Vehicles. Like hedge funds, evergreen

fund products do not have a fixed life. Structuring varies
from product to product, but generally the vehicle is
structured so that the sponsor can raise additional capital
from time to time, e.g., by issuing further classes of interests
during fixed buy-in periods or by having investors “roll over”
their capital commitments (either in tranches or on a
staggered/individualized basis). Other products may be
structured as open-ended vehicles that continually reinvest
investment returns, rather than distributing proceeds from
each investment to Limited Partners. Evergreen and other
permanent capital vehicles may be publicly listed or private.
d. Registered Investment Companies. RICs are traditional

investment companies, registered under the Investment
Company Act. These products may be closed-end or open-
end, and often focus on credit investments. RICs are subject
to significant investment/economic structuring restrictions
and regulatory oversight. See also Topic L.2.f, below.
e. Business Development Companies. BDCs are typically publicly

traded, closed-end funds that, upon election, are subject to a
special set of regulations (and regulatory oversight) under
the Investment Company Act, which are designed to be
more flexible than those applicable to RICs. The relevant act
governing BDCs was passed by Congress primarily to
increase the capital available to small and medium-sized
businesses, and includes a number of investment restrictions
with which BDCs must comply. Like RICs, BDCs typically
do not have set term limits and therefore may offer
permanent capital available for investment and reinvestment.
19
3. Separate Accounts
f. Small Business Investment Companies. SBICs are licensed by

the U.S. Small Business Administration and regulated under
the U.S. Small Business Investment Act of 1958. SBICs
primarily provide equity capital, long-term loans and
management assistance to qualifying small businesses and
are eligible for relatively inexpensive government loans
(which can allow for both a larger fund size and the ability to
make less frequent calls for capital). SBICs are subject to a
number of investment restrictions and requirements
including prohibitions on certain types of investments and
diversification requirements.
3. Separate Accounts
Separate accounts have received increasing attention in recent

years and involve a custom management or advisory
arrangement for a specific investor. Separate accounts can be
documented using a fund structure (with the investor as the sole
Limited Partner) or via an investment management agreement,
which tends to be a more simple contractual arrangement. The
determination is often driven by tax and economic
considerations, particularly where Carried Interest will be paid.
Separate accounts are appealing to certain institutional investors
(such as, for example, government pension plans and sovereign
wealth funds) because they facilitate bespoke structuring,
pursuit of an investment strategy addressing particular
limitations and goals, tailor-made economics and reporting, and
other individualized terms. Separate account arrangements can
require extensive negotiations and require careful consideration
of a sponsor’s obligations with respect to its other fund products.
20
4. Co-Investment Vehicles
4. Co-Investment Vehicles
a. Single Investment. While blind-pool funds are the most

common type of Fund, sponsors are increasingly offering
investors the opportunity to “co-invest” side-by-side with
their “Main Funds” in specific investment opportunities,
often as they arise. Participation is often by invitation only
and may be on a reduced or no Management Fee/Carried
Interest basis. Conflicts may arise between co-investors’
interests and the interests of the Limited Partners in the
Main Fund. For example, in recent years, the SEC has
focused on the allocation of expenses (particularly broken
deal expenses) between the Main Fund and co-investors in a
specific transaction.
b. Overflow. Some sponsors form a multi-investment co-

investment vehicle that participates alongside a Main Fund
in investments that are too large for the Main Fund to make
alone.
21
C. The Offering
1. The Fundraising Process
a. Generally. The process of structuring, organizing, marketing

and closing a Fund can take a year or longer. A typical
offering process begins with preliminary meetings and
indications of interest. The sponsor then prepares an
offering memorandum and goes “on the road” to market the
Fund. A fundraising period then begins, which can last for a
number of months leading up to the Fund’s initial closing.
In many cases, one or more subsequent closings are held for
a total fundraising period of 12-18 months.
23
C. The Offering
The Fundraising Process – an Overview

Pre-Marketing • Pitch book
• Marketing plan
• Placement agent
Structure and Terms • Structure

• Detailed term sheet
• Legal and tax advisors
Launch • Private placement memorandum

• Diligence materials
• Fund documents
• Regulatory marketing filings
Investor Negotiations • Fund documents

• Side letters
Initial Closing • “Dry” signing

• Disclosure update
Subsequent Closings
Post-Final Closing • Side letter elections
b. Securities Law Compliance. The marketing of interests in a

Fund almost always constitutes an offering of securities
under applicable securities laws (e.g., in the case of a Fund
structured as a limited partnership, the securities are the
Limited Partner interests), and therefore the offering must
comply with the securities laws of the jurisdictions where
the sponsor, any placement agents and the potential
investors are located. The marketing of, and offering of
interests in, a U.S. Fund is typically conducted as a private
placement under the Securities Act. Note also that many
non-U.S. jurisdictions and most European jurisdictions also
have regulations applicable to the offering of securities,
which often include marketing notifications requirements as
well as government approvals or permissions before
24
C. The Offering
marketing of Fund interests may begin in the relevant

jurisdiction. See Topics L.1 and L.12, below.
25
C. The Offering
2. The Private Placement Memorandum
The offering memorandum (or Private Placement

Memorandum) is generally the primary information and
disclosure document that is made available to prospective
investors when raising a Fund.
a. Contents. Matters typically covered in the Private Placement

Memorandum include:
(i) Business Description. These sections typically discuss

the Fund’s investment strategy and process, market
commentary and a description of the sponsor
(including relevant team biographies).
(ii) Legal Description. These sections typically summarize

the terms in the Fund’s principal governing documents
and include a description of relevant conflict of interest
considerations, risk factors and other legal disclosures
(including, as applicable, regulatory, tax and ERISA) as
well as relevant U.S. and non-U.S. securities legends.
(iii) Track Record. It is common (and often essential if an

offering is to succeed) to illustrate the sponsor’s
investment policies and strategy with a “track record.”
Issues to be considered when preparing track records
and other performance information include:
(A) Methodology. Performance disclosure must be

balanced, including a description of the valuation
methods applied. The valuation methods that are
26
C. The Offering
used should be documented, consistently applied

and designed to ensure that all performance
information on which any valuation is based is not
misleading. Among other things, Registered
Investment Advisors (“RIAs”) are prohibited from
publishing or distributing an advertisement that
uses testimonials, “cherry picks” prior investment
recommendations, without disclosure of the entire
track record for the relevant period, and, more
generally, contains any untrue statement of
material fact or is otherwise false or misleading. A
number of important no-action letters issued by
the SEC staff interpret this rule, including letters
that generally prohibit the use of gross
performance data, if unaccompanied by net
performance data. While this rule and the related
no-action letters do not technically apply to
unregistered investment advisers, compliance with
its guidance is generally recommended given the
applicability of the general anti-fraud provisions of
the Advisers Act to unregistered advisers.
(B) Attribution of Track Record. Under certain

circumstances, a sponsor may wish to present the
performance information of investment
recommendations made by one or more of its
employees while they were employed by a
different firm. The sponsor should clearly disclose
the role and responsibilities of such individuals
while at their previous firms and any other
relevant information to ensure the disclosure of
27
C. The Offering
the performance is not misleading. If the General

Partner or Manager is an RIA and wishes to
integrate that performance information into its
track record, the portability of a track record
achieved at a previous employer is subject to a
number of conditions, including that the persons
or persons were primarily responsible for the
investment recommendations at the prior firm.
The RIA must also have the books and records
necessary to substantiate the prior performance.
(C) GIPS Standards. Various trade groups have

promulgated standards for their members to
follow when including performance data in
offering materials. One such set of standards is the
Global Investment Performance Standards
(“GIPS”), which is administered by the CFA
Institute. An investment adviser should not
advertise or make representations about GIPS
compliance unless the materials have been
reviewed by someone trained in GIPS compliance.
b. Securities Law Compliance. As the primary document

describing the offering of interests in a Fund, the Private
Placement Memorandum must be drafted carefully to
ensure compliance with relevant securities laws, including:
(i) Exchange Act. Rule 10b-5, promulgated by the SEC

under section 10(b) of the Exchange Act, prohibits
fraudulent conduct (including material misstatements
and omissions of any material facts, and acts and
28
C. The Offering
practices that operate as a fraud or deceit) in

connection with the sale and purchase of securities,
including interests in a Fund. Each offering participant,
including the sponsor, its officers and directors, the
General Partner, and any placement agent, is
potentially liable under this provision.
(ii) Advisers Act. All investment advisers (including both

RIAs and unregistered investment advisers) are
prohibited under the Advisers Act from making any
untrue statement of material fact or omitting to state a
material fact necessary to make the statement not
misleading to any investor or prospective investor in a
pooled investment vehicle (e.g., a Fund). In addition,
the Advisers Act prohibits investment advisers from
using false or misleading advertisements (broadly
defined). See also Topic C.2.a.iii, above, and Topic L.3,
below.
(iii) AIFMD. Under more recent legislation in place in the

European Union since 2013, the so-called Alternative
Investment Fund Managers Directive (“AIFMD”),
Fund managers (i.e., the person making investment
decisions for the Fund and/or assuming risk
management (the “AIFM”)) are subject to certain filing
and authorization requirements which vary depending
on whether the Fund and/or the AIFM has its seat in
the European Union or outside the European Union,
and/or the Fund is marketed to investors in the
European Union or not. To market the Fund in the
European Union, certain disclosures to investors are
29
C. The Offering
required before the investors commit to the Fund.

These disclosures are typically included in the Private
Placement Memorandum or a supplement thereto.
c. Supplements. The Private Placement Memorandum is

typically supplemented (e.g., prior to each closing of the
Fund) to reflect material developments during the course of
the offering.
d. Other Marketing Materials
(i) Pitch Books. In many cases, a sponsor may wish to

“premarket” a Fund or conduct a “roadshow” on the
basis of a very brief description of terms and the
sponsor’s track record in advance of preparing and/or
distributing a Fund’s Private Placement Memorandum.
Even if a pitch book is to be followed by a full Private
Placement Memorandum, it is important that the
pitch book include appropriate legal disclaimers and
disclosures.
(ii) Key Information Document (“KID”). Starting January

2018, the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based
Investment Products (“PRIIPs”) Regulation requires
the issuance of a highly standardized short-form
information leaflet when marketing to non-
professional investors in the European Union. It must
thereafter be regularly updated. Although Funds
generally target professional investors, a KID may be
required if a Fund approaches certain types of
sophisticated retail investors that exist in some
30
C. The Offering
3. Other Primary Fund Documentation
jurisdictions in the European Union (see Topic L.10,

below), including marketing to so called “friends and
families” and even high net worth individuals and
semi-professional investors.
a. Fund Agreement. The Fund Agreement (generally a

partnership agreement) is typically the most comprehensive
(and most negotiated) governing Fund document, as it
contains the majority of the governance and contractual
terms to which the parties agree, discussed in Topics D
through H, below.
b. Subscription Agreement. This is the document pursuant to

which each investor subscribes for its interest in, and makes
its capital commitment to, the Fund. It is the document that
memorializes each investor’s interest in the securities they
are purchasing in the Fund. Investors also typically make
representations concerning, among other things, ERISA, tax,
securities law and anti-money laundering matters in the
Subscription Agreement. For Funds without a separate
Private Placement Memorandum, additional risk factors and
other disclosures may be included in the Subscription
Agreement and it often includes a power of attorney
granting the General Partner the authority to execute the
Fund Agreement on behalf of the investor.
c. Side Letters. As Fund investors have become increasingly

sophisticated, with larger internal resources devoted to Fund
investments, it has become increasingly common to address
31
C. The Offering
the specific issues of an investor via a side letter agreement

between the Limited Partner and the General Partner (or the
Fund). Many institutional investors now have a list of
personalized “standard” side letter requests that they make in
respect of all of their Fund investments. Common issues
addressed in side letters include “most favored nations”
undertakings (if not addressed directly in the Fund
Agreement), transfer and/or redemption rights, information
and/or disclosure rights, additional investment restrictions
(and related excuse rights), investor tax and regulatory
concerns and other matters particular to the specific investor.
Note that a side letter cannot amend the Fund Agreement
with respect to the other investors not a party to the side
letter.
d. Management Agreement. The Management Agreement is

typically a separate agreement between the Fund and the
Manager (most often an affiliate of the General Partner).
The level of information contained in a Management
Agreement differs depending on each sponsor, and can
either be a short form document setting forth the legal
relationship between the parties or a detailed agreement
specifying, among other things, the Management Fee
structure, any fee offsets, the use of any Management Fee
waiver mechanism.
e. Guarantee. Most U.S. funds have a General Partner clawback

guarantee, which is a document in which some (or all) of the
carry recipients (usually, individual members or partners of
the General Partner) agree to be directly liable to the Fund or
Limited Partners for their several and pro rata portion of any
32
C. The Offering
4. Placement Agents
distributed Carried Interest that is required to be returned to

the Fund.
4. Placement Agents
Some sponsors may engage a private placement agent to assist

them in raising capital from investors. Some placement agents
are engaged to target a specific type of investor (for example, the
private placement regulations of certain countries require a local
distributor or placement agent to be used to market to
prospective investors in such countries); in other cases, global
placement agents are engaged to provide more “full service”
advisory and marketing services to the sponsor.
a. Engagement Letter. If a placement agent is being used, then

the Fund or the sponsor will enter into an engagement letter
with the placement agent. Typical issues that are the subject
of negotiation between sponsors and placement agents
include:
(i) Scope of the arrangement (e.g., will a particular

placement agent’s services be exclusive, limited, etc.);
(ii) Responsibility for accuracy of the Fund’s marketing

materials;
(iii) Fees payable to the placement agent (including the

amount of fee, which investors’ commitments will
generate such fees, and the time period over which the
fees are paid to the placement agent);
33
C. The Offering
4. Placement Agents
(iv) Representations and warranties to be made by the

placement agent and the Fund; and
(v) Rights of the placement agent in respect of any

subsequent funds.
b. Representations and Warranties; Compliance with Law.

Because the placement agent is conducting business as an
agent of, or on behalf of, the sponsor, the sponsor could
become exposed to liability due to the actions (or omissions)
of the placement agent. Thus, compliance with applicable
law (including securities laws and anti-money
laundering/anti-terrorism laws) by the placement agent in
the course of its services is of great importance to the
sponsor, and the engagement letter often contains detailed
representations, warranties and covenants by the placement
agent in this regard.
c. Broker-Dealer Registration. Placement agents are considered

to be engaged in the business of effecting transactions in
securities for the account of the Fund and/or investors. To
the extent that these activities take place within the
jurisdiction of the United States or target U.S. investors,
placement agents are generally subject to regulation in the
United States under applicable broker-dealer laws, including
SEC registration requirements. See Topic L.5, below.
d. MiFID Authorization. When using a placement agent to

market fund interest in the EU, registration is typically
34
C. The Offering
4. Placement Agents
required under the European Directive on markets in

financial instruments, also called the “MiFID”. 4 Historically,
this authorization could only be obtained by entities with a
registered office in the EU. As of January 2018, however, the
MiFID 2 rules were amended to permit registration of non-
EU firms (i.e., “third-country firms”) without a branch in an
EU-member state in order to provide investment services to
EU per se professional clients. Registration requires that
third-country firms be subject to and comply with prudential
rules deemed to be just as stringent as those laid down in the
MiFID. This registration of third-country firms is currently
not available as the European Commission has not yet made
any of the necessary equivalence decision.
In addition, as of January 2018, under the amended MiFID 2

rules, placement agents are required to disclose additional
information on the products they offer, including details
about the cost structure and the appropriate “target market.”
The obligation to disclose a Fund’s “target market” will apply
to AIFMs with registered offices in the UK and may
indirectly impact AIFMs in other EU member states and
AIFMs outside the EU if they use EU placement agents who
are required to comply with MiFID 2 rules.
4
Note that the MiFID rules do not apply to an AIFM when it is placing the
interests of a Fund that the AIFM itself manages (as opposed to when the
AIFM engages a placement agent or other third party to assist in the
fundraising process).
35
C. The Offering
4. Placement Agents
e. Solicitation of Government Investors. If a U.S. local or state

government entity (including a pension plan) is being
solicited for investment, then the placement agent generally
must be a registered broker-dealer. The Fund’s sponsor must
ensure that any compensation paid to a placement agent is in
compliance with the SEC’s “pay-to-play” rule and any
relevant local or state rules. See Topic L.3.b.xv, below.
f. Regulation D “Covered Person.” The placement agent will also

need to give sufficient representations to permit the Fund’s
legal counsel to give its private placement opinion, including
additional information regarding the placement agent’s
“covered persons,” if the Fund is relying on Regulation D for
an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. See
Topic L.1.c, below.
g. High Net Worth Feeders. Concerns similar to those that arise

when negotiating a placement agent arrangement also arise
when a bank or similar institution raises a “high net worth
feeder” in connection with a Fund investment. See Topic I.9,
below.
36
D. Fund Terms: Carried Interest and Distributions
In the United States, the Carried Interest is a payment to the

General Partner out of the profits earned by the Fund. Where
a vehicle other than a limited partnership is used, or in certain
types of non-U.S. funds, the sponsor may choose to form a
special class of investor (such as a “special limited partner”) to
receive the Carried Interest on its behalf.
1. Carried Interest Rate
Typically, the General Partner receives a Carried Interest equal to

a specified percentage of a Fund’s cumulative net profits (for a
buyout fund, typically 20%). The Fund’s partners receive the
balance of such profits pro rata in accordance with their
respective invested capital (including the General Partner with
respect to its invested capital), in addition to the return of their
invested capital. In venture capital Funds, Carried Interest can
37
2. Distribution Timing
be anywhere from 20% to 30%; in some other types of Funds, 10%

to 15%.
Unlike in a hedge fund (which generally computes a General

Partner’s incentive allocation as a percentage of net gains over a
particular period), in a typical Fund the General Partner only
receives its Carried Interest when cash or securities are
distributed to the partners, with the two main approaches being
to pay Carried Interest on a “deal-by-deal” basis or on an “all-
capital-first” basis.
Types of Carried Interest Distribution Waterfalls

Waterfall Type Description Region
Deal-by-Deal Return of capital for U.S. funds

disposed of investments
All Capital First Return of all contributed Europe, Asia
capital
Venture Style Distributions based on Global
allocated gain
a. Deal-by-Deal. In the United States (and particularly in the

case of buyout funds), a Fund’s economic provisions often,
but not always, provide for payment of the Carried Interest
on a “deal-by-deal” basis. In this approach, the General
Partner is not required to wait until the Partners have
received a return of all the capital they have contributed to
the Fund before receiving any Carried Interest (which may
increase the likelihood of a General Partner clawback
obligation). Rather, the General Partner receives Carried
Interest out of the proceeds from the sale of each
38
investment once the capital invested in such disposed of

investment is returned (plus, typically, any (i) capital not yet
returned from investments previously disposed of at a loss,
(ii) additional capital equal to the amount of any
investments and (iii) apportioned expenses).
Deal-by-Deal Waterfall Mechanics

Return of Capital LPs get back their capital contributions for “Realized
Investments”
Preferred Return LPs receive 8% preferred return
Catch-up GP catches up to the 8% preferred return
Carried Interest Split 80% to LPs and 20% to GPs
b. All Capital First. A Fund’s economic provisions may instead

provide for payment of the Carried Interest only after all
contributed capital is returned. This is the most common
approach in Europe and Asia, and is more common in the
United States for first time Funds, Funds with limited track
records or where large investors have the power to require it.
c. Expenses. Carried Interest typically is computed net of

expenses, including Management Fees. In venture capital
funds, Carried Interest is sometimes computed gross of
expenses.
d. Current Income. In strategies that produce current income

(for example, real estate or mezzanine funds), a Fund
Agreement may provide for adjustments to the waterfall for
distributions of current income. For example, such
provisions may be drafted to require a return of capital from
disposition proceeds and not current income, which could
39
3. Preferred Returns and Cushions
permit the General Partner to realize Carried Interest based

on the current income from portfolio investments.
3. Preferred Returns and Cushions
It is very common to require a specified return or yield to be

achieved on the Limited Partners’ capital contributions before
the General Partner is permitted to take Carried Interest.
a. Preferred Return. A hurdle rate is a preferred return to the

Limited Partners in a distribution formula that includes a
“catch-up” provision for the General Partner unless it is a
“hard hurdle” as explained in b. below. Hurdle rates are
almost universal in buyout funds and most other types of
funds (but relatively uncommon in venture capital funds).
The most common hurdle rate is 8% per annum,
compounded (often expressed as an internal rate of return
(“IRR”) of 8%) with 100% “catch-up” thereafter. However,
certain types of fund strategies may provide for higher
hurdle rates, hurdle rates that may be subject to adjustment
for inflation or floating hurdle rates, or may provide for
lower “catch-up” rates.
If the hurdle rate is met and the “catch-up” is fully made up, the
Preferred Return and “catch-up” do not ultimately impact the overall
sharing of profits between the Limited Partners and the General
Partner.
b. “True” Preferred Return. A “true” preferred return or “hard

hurdle” is a specified yield that comes off the top and is
40
4. Distributions in Kind
retained by Limited Partners before calculation of Carried

Interest. In Funds with true preferred returns, Carried
Interest is calculated as a percentage of profits remaining
after the preferred return is deducted with no “catch-up” for
the General Partner. True preferred returns are far less
common than hurdle rates.
c. Cushion. In venture capital Funds, rather than providing for

a preferred return or hurdle rate, a “cushion” is typically
required, e.g., that the value of the Fund’s portfolio be equal
to, for example, 120% of unreturned capital, before Carried
Interest distributions may be made.
4. Distributions in Kind
Generally, investors will prefer to have distributions made in

cash, rather than in kind. Some Fund Agreements explicitly
provide that in-kind distributions (at least those made prior to
the Fund’s dissolution) be limited to “marketable” securities only.
For now, most investors are requesting, and most General
Partners agree, that distributions of digital assets, whether or not
“marketable,” be prohibited. A notable exception is venture
capital funds, which frequently distribute securities in kind
following IPOs of portfolio companies.
5. Tax Distributions
Under U.S. tax principles, the partners in a partnership generally

are taxed on the partnership’s income or loss in accordance with
their economic interests therein, regardless of whether and in
what proportion current distributions are made to the Partners.
41
6. General Partner Clawback
As a result, if the General Partner is entitled to a 20% Carried

Interest, the U.S. members of the General Partner may be
currently taxable on 20% of the Fund’s net profits, even if current
distributions would otherwise be made entirely to the Limited
Partners (e.g., because the Fund has a return-all-capital waterfall
or has not met the preferred return). This is often referred to as
“phantom income.” Tax distributions to the General Partner
help to ensure that the Investment Professionals have sufficient
funds to pay their taxes in circumstances where they are
allocated phantom income and are not otherwise entitled to a
cash distribution from the Fund. Amounts distributed to the
General Partner as tax distributions are treated as an advance
against subsequent Carried Interest distributions to the General
Partner and are not intended to alter the ultimate economic
arrangement between the General Partner and the Limited
Partners.
To protect the basic deal on Carried Interest, Fund Agreements

typically provide that any overdistribution to the General
Partner is “clawed back” to the Fund from the General Partner,
and then distributed to the Limited Partners. An
overdistribution may occur, for example, where the General
Partner has received Carried Interest, but the Limited Partners
ultimately do not achieve their preferred return/hurdle.
a. Clawback Timing. Traditionally, the most common

approach has been to have a single clawback calculation at
the time of the Fund’s liquidation. However, interim
clawbacks occurring at least once during a Fund’s term have
42
become increasingly common in recent years (e.g., at the end

of the Fund’s investment period or 10-year term, or even
more often).
b. Netting of Taxes. The General Partner typically provides a

clawback that is “net of taxes,” that is, the amount of the
clawback obligation never exceeds (i) total Carried Interest
distributions received by the General Partner less (ii) total
taxes (including state and local, usually at an assumed rate of
tax) paid or payable thereon.
c. Securing the Clawback Obligation.
(i) Guarantee by the Investment Professionals. As most

General Partners are special purpose vehicles, the
“owners” of the General Partner (i.e., the ultimate
recipients of Carried Interest distributions) often
personally guarantee the General Partner’s clawback
obligation (typically on a several, not joint, basis).
Without this “guarantee,” Limited Partners could only
make claims against the General Partner, which has no
capital because it was all distributed out to its members.
(ii) Segregated Reserve Account or “Holdbacks.” A Fund

Agreement might provide for a holdback of all or some
specified portion of Carried Interest distributions (e.g.,
20-30%, net of taxes) in a segregated reserve account or
“escrow” account. Such escrowed amounts can then be
used to satisfy any clawback obligation of the General
Partner. Holdbacks are more common in European
funds than in U.S. funds.
43
7. Tax Treatment of Carried Interest
7. Tax Treatment of Carried Interest
The General Partner’s entitlement to Carried Interest is typically

structured as a partnership allocation of profits rather than as a
fee, in order to preserve the underlying tax characteristics of the
Fund’s income and gain. This benefits U.S. Investment
Professionals, as they can generally use the lower U.S. long-term
capital gains tax rate on their share of certain of the Fund’s long-
term capital gain, rather than the higher ordinary income tax
rate that would be applicable to a fee. In order for U.S.
Investment Professionals to be entitled to such lower long-term
capital gain tax rates on gain from the sale of portfolio
investments, the Fund must generally hold the portfolio
investment for at least three years.
44
E. Fund Terms: Management Fees, Fee Income
and Fund Expenses
1. Management Fees
As noted at Topic A.1.b, above, in most cases the Manager, or in

some cases the General Partner, receives a Management Fee paid
by the Fund (or, occasionally, directly by its investors). In the
case of U.K. funds, the Management Fee is typically structured as
a special profits allocation to the General Partner (although in
Guernsey and Luxembourg funds, a Management Fee is
common). The Management Fee is used to, among other things,
pay for overhead, salaries and other Manager expenses that are
not charged to the Fund.
45
E. Fund Terms: Management Fees, Fee Income and Fund Expenses
1. Management Fees
a. Management Fee Rates. The spectrum of “market”

Management Fee rates can vary depending on a Fund’s size
and strategy. A flat Management Fee rate is still the most
common; however, some sponsors might offer alternative
Management Fee options, such as differing rates depending
on the size of an investor’s commitment or lower rates for
early closers. Some Funds may also have a Management Fee
that ratchets down once the Fund reaches certain size
thresholds, or, in the case of venture capital funds, after a
certain amount of time has elapsed.
b. Management Fee Base During Investment Period. In most

cases, during a Fund’s investment period (the time frame
during which the Fund is making new investments, usually
three to seven years), the Management Fee is based on a
percentage of committed capital, whether or not contributed.
However, for some Funds (for example, debt funds), the
Management Fee during the investment period may be
calculated on invested capital.
c. Management Fee After Investment Period. In the majority of

today’s Funds, the post-investment period (the time during
which the Fund is only making follow-on investments in
portfolio companies it already owns and disposing of its
investments) Management Fees are based on contributed
capital for investments, less the cost of investments that
have been disposed of. The majority of venture funds,
however, may continue to calculate the Management Fee on
committed capital and certain other types of Funds may
calculate the Management Fee on the net asset value of the
Fund’s investments (for example, funds focusing on public
46
1. Management Fees
securities or debt). When the post-investment period rate

switches to remaining invested capital, realized losses and
fully written off investments are typically deducted from the
Management Fee “base.” Write-downs (i.e., unrealized losses)
may also be deducted, but many sponsors argue that this
should not be the case since the Manager needs resources to
manage troubled investments.
d. Early Step-Downs. For many Funds, Management Fees step

down (either the percentage or the base, or both) at the end
of the investment period or earlier, if the sponsor begins
raising, or receiving Management Fees for, a successor Fund.
e. Duration of Management Fee. The Management Fee may be

paid through the end of the Fund’s stated “term” (including
extensions), or may continue through the Fund’s final
liquidation; however, there has been increasing pressure for
Funds recently to stop Management Fees from accruing
after the end of the Fund’s term (usually 10-13 years,
including possible extensions).
f. Timing of Payments. Management Fees may be paid semi-

annually, quarterly or on another time frame, and may be
paid in advance or in arrears. Quarterly advance payments
are most common.
47
2. Sharing the Benefit of Fee Income: Directors’, Transaction, Break-Up,
Monitoring and Other Similar Fees
Management Fee Trends

Buyout Venture
Fee During IP Based on committed capital Based on committed capital

but higher percentages given
smaller fund sizes
Fee After IP Based on invested capital Continues on committed
capital, but percentages step
down
Negotiation Points Increasingly removing Increasingly shifting fee base to
successor fund step-down invested capital after 5-6 years
Including more in post-IP fee
base (e.g., write downs,
expenses and fees,
borrowings)
2. Sharing the Benefit of Fee Income: Directors’, Transaction,

Break-Up, Monitoring and Other Similar Fees
a. Types of Fee Income. “Directors’ fees” are earned by

Investment Professionals or other employees of the sponsor
for service on a portfolio company board. “Transaction fees”
are received by the sponsor for playing a role in structuring a
portfolio company transaction (buying and selling). “Break-
up fees” are paid if the proposed acquisition of a portfolio
company is not consummated. “Monitoring fees” and
“advisory fees” are earned by the sponsor for monitoring
and/or advising portfolio companies.
b. Sharing of Fee Income. The Fund documents should clearly

disclose how fee income will be shared between the sponsor,
the investors and any third parties (e.g., co-investors).
Typically, any fee income earned by the Manager is offset
48
2. Sharing the Benefit of Fee Income: Directors’, Transaction, Break-Up,
Monitoring and Other Similar Fees
against the Management Fee. Sharing of fee income has

become the subject of SEC scrutiny in recent years, see Topic
L.3.b.vii.
c. Broker-Dealer Considerations. The SEC has historically

advised that acting for others to market a securities
transaction, identify buyers or sellers, negotiate the terms of
a transaction or otherwise participate in key stages of
execution are hallmarks of acting as a “broker” for purposes
of the Exchange Act, and may necessitate registration as a
broker-dealer if compensated. In particular, taking
compensation in connection with such activities (dependent
on the size and/or success of a transaction) is generally
viewed by the SEC as acting as a broker. In a 2003 speech by
David Blass, the Chief Counsel of the SEC Division of
Trading and Markets at the time, he cautioned that advisers
to private equity funds were seemingly acting as brokers if
they take commissions for putting together investment
banking transactions involving the securities of portfolio
companies. Mr. Blass also noted that backing commissions
out of advisory fees otherwise charged to a Fund could be a
way to sanitize the activity.
49
3. Fund Expenses
3. Fund Expenses
The Fund documents should Fund Expenses Trends

clearly disclose how all expenses • GPs overhauling disclosure of
are allocated (between the Fund expenses and charging more to
the fund
and the Manager, and between
• Increased SEC scrutiny
the Fund and any co-investors). • Strategic Response: LPAC
The SEC has focused on expense disclosure, annual caps and
targeted comments
sharing between the Fund and
other Sponsor vehicles and co-investors in recent years. See
Topic L.3.b.vii below. Types of expenses arising in connection
with a Fund’s activities are:
a. Salaries and Other Similar Overhead Expenses. Salaries of the

Manger’s employees, rent and other expenses incurred in
maintaining the Manager’s place of business are typically
borne by the Manager.
b. Regulatory Costs. While Sponsors differ in their treatment of

regulatory costs, many initial expenses relating to a
Manager’s Advisers Act registration are borne by the
Manager, with certain reporting expenses relating to a Fund
(including Form PF and AIFMD) are apportioned to each of
the Sponsor’s Fund platforms.
c. Organizational Expenses. These are often borne by the Fund

but subject to a cap, which may be a fixed dollar amount or
percentage of the Fund’s size. In such cases, the excess above
the cap is borne by the sponsor, typically through a
corresponding reduction of the Management Fee.
50
3. Fund Expenses
d. Placement Fees. As with excess organizational expenses,

these are typically borne by the sponsor through a
corresponding reduction of the Management Fee.
e. Out-of-Pocket Expenses of Completed Portfolio Transactions.

These are typically capitalized into transaction costs and
accordingly borne by the Fund.
f. Allocation of Deal Expenses to Multiple Vehicles. A co-

investment or parallel vehicle generally only bears its pro
rata share of deal expenses, but only if the deal is
consummated. Note that in recent years a sponsor’s
allocation of expenses (and in particular broken-deal
expenses) and related conflict-of-interest issues have become
a focus of increased regulatory scrutiny. See immediately
below and Topic G further below.
g. Broken-Deal Out-of-Pocket Expenses. Funds take a variety of

approaches to the issue of how to allocate broken-deal
expenses. These days the Fund often bears all broken-deal
expenses. In the past, the Sponsor sometimes bore 100% of
broken-deal expenses or there may have been a pre-arranged
split (e.g., 80/20) or some other agreed sharing arrangement.
Often, if 100% of all fee income (including break-up fees) is
turned over to the Fund, then the Fund will pay all broken-
deal expenses.
h. Expenses of Senior Advisers and Similar Third-Party

Consultants. The expenses of senior advisers or other similar
third-party consultants may be paid by the Fund or a
portfolio company of the Fund for a variety of different
51
3. Fund Expenses
services. To the extent they are paid by the Fund, they

should be properly disclosed in the Fund Agreement.
Examples of Fund Expenses

• In-house employees (e.g., accountants, administrators, legal, tax,
compliance, etc.)
• 3rd party consulting services provided at sponsor’s office
• Broken deal expenses (not shared with co-investors)
• Co-investment expenses (not shared with co-investors)
• Expenses related to facilities, support/back office services, including
finance, IR, reporting, legal and IT
• Memberships and participation in industry/conferences
• Subscription and data services
52
F. Fund Terms: Closing the Fund and Making
Investments
1. Size of the Fund
Most sponsors include a target Fund size (total aggregate

commitments that the Fund can accept) in their offering
documents when marketing a Fund; often investors will seek an
explicit cap on the Fund size in the Fund Agreement.
2. Sponsor Investment in the Fund
Many General Partners and Fund sponsors invest between 1%

and 5% (or more) of a Fund’s committed capital. The sponsor
53
F. Fund Terms: Closing the Fund and Making Investments
3. Investment Period and Fund Term
investment may be made through the General Partner’s

commitment to the Fund, or in some cases alongside, the Fund.
3. Investment Period and Fund Term
a. For a buyout fund and most venture funds, a five- or six-year

investment period is typical, followed by a four- or five-year
harvest period, for a total basic term of around 10 years.
b. Funds of funds will often have somewhat longer terms

because the Funds in which they will invest may have terms
of up to 12 or 13 years. Infrastructure funds also tend to
have longer terms because of the nature of the asset class.
Some real estate, emerging markets, debt and venture capital
funds have shorter investment periods and/or terms.
c. A Fund’s initial term usually may be extended for two or

three one-year periods at the option of the General Partner
(such extensions often require the consent of the Fund’s
Limited Partner Advisory Committee or some percentage in
interest of the Limited Partners) to allow for an orderly
liquidation of the Fund’s portfolio.
d. Many investors request the option to suspend or terminate

the investment period early (or dissolve the Fund early)
upon a supermajority vote of Limited Partners (i) without
cause or (ii) under specified circumstances in the event
certain Key Investment professionals cease to provide
services to the Fund. See Topic H, below.
54
4. Closings
4. Closings
It is typical to hold the first closing of the sale of interests in a

Fund once a critical mass of capital commitments has been
obtained, and then to admit additional Limited Partners at one
or more subsequent closings. A typical time frame for
subsequent closings is 12 to 18 months after the first closing. If
the Fund makes one or more portfolio investments before the
final closing, subsequent closing investors typically buy in at the
acquisition cost of the previously acquired portfolio securities
plus interest (for example, at the prime rate plus 2%). Some
sponsors may adjust these “true-up” amounts to take into
account interim distributions and/or material changes in the
value of portfolio investments.
5. Drawdowns of Capital
In contrast to hedge funds (which generally provide for an up-

front contribution of an investor’s entire capital commitment),
Funds typically draw down capital on an “as-needed” basis, often
with 10 days’ notice.
Credit Facility Considerations
• May reduce preferred return hurdle
6. Subscription Credit Facilities • Interest expense is borne by Fund
• Lenders requesting more
Many Funds use subscription credit information from LPs
facilities for short-term financing • Administrative convenience

• Strategic investment tool (more
needs in connection with the nimble for GPs)
making of investments (for • Misleading performance data (can
example, to fund an investment artificially boost Fund IRRs)
pending receipt of drawdowns • Systemic risk in event of financial

crisis
from Limited Partners), or in
• Surplus of cash for LPs to manage
55
7. Recycling of Capital Commitments
anticipation of syndicating a portion of an investment to third

parties or Limited Partner co-investors. In the case of real estate
funds or infrastructure funds, a longer term facility may be used
to provide or backstop construction financing or letters of credit
during the development phase of a project before capital is called
from Limited Partners or to purchase an asset outright pending
permanent take-out financing. The use of credit facilities has
increased in popularity and complexity. The practice has been
used more aggressively recently, as credit facilities are structured
to look more like a profit-generating tool, rather than an
administrative tool to cover gaps in commitments. The use of
subscription credit facilities (or other Fund-level borrowings)
may impact the tax consequences to certain U.S. tax-exempt
investors subject to tax on UBTI. See Topic J.2 below.
7. Recycling of Capital Commitments
Many Funds are permitted to “recycle” capital that is returned to

Partners during the investment period, typically by adding the
amount of recyclable capital to an investor’s remaining (callable)
capital commitment. Some Fund Agreements permit full
recycling of proceeds during the investment period, while others
may not permit recycling at all, or may permit only the recycling
of capital contributions for “quick-flip” investments
(investments purchased and disposed of within 12-18 months)
and/or capital contributions used for fees and expenses.
8. Investment Limitations
The Fund Agreement will spell out (in varying degrees of detail)
not only what the Fund is permitted to do, but also what the
56
8. Investment Limitations
Fund is not permitted to do. A Fund Agreement might provide

that certain (or all) of the stated investment restrictions are
waivable by the Limited Partners or the Limited Partner
Advisory Committee. Typical limitations will, of course, vary
depending upon the Fund’s investment strategy, but usually
include the following:
a. Diversification and “Single Issuer” Limitations. A limit of 20%

or 25% of total capital commitments in one portfolio
company is common in buyout funds. Slightly lower
percentages are common in venture capital funds. In some
cases, a higher threshold may be used for “bridge”
investments and/or if portfolio company guarantees are to
be included in the cap.
b. Geographical Limitations. Some Funds have a global strategy,

while others limit investments to a certain region or country
or include percentage limitations with respect to the
percentage of capital commitments the Fund may deploy in
investments outside a specified region (e.g., North America,
Western Europe or “Greater China”).
c. Industry Limitations. Some Funds restrict, or provide for

only a small percentage “basket” for, investments outside of
the Fund’s primary industry or strategy.
d. Pacing. Some Funds have limitations on the amount of

capital that can be drawn down in any given year or over
some specified time period.
57
9. Excused/Excluded Investors
e. Hostile Acquisitions. Hostile acquisitions are most frequently

defined as transactions opposed by the target’s board of
directors. Many buyout funds are not permitted to engage in
such transactions.
f. Publicly Traded Securities. Most Funds have a limitation on

the amount of capital commitments that may be invested in
publicly traded securities. Some Fund Agreements may
exclude going-private transactions, PIPEs and similar
transactions from this limitation.
g. Derivatives and Similar Products. Some Funds include

prohibitions on the use of derivatives and similar products
for speculative purposes. Funds that make use of these
products should be mindful of Commodity Exchange Act
requirements (see Topic L.4, below).
h. Limitations on Investments in Other Funds. Most Funds

include these limitations because many investors are
concerned about pyramiding of fees and Carried Interest (i.e.,
the Fund’s bearing “double fee” and “double carry”) and/or
the General Partner ceding investment control to another
sponsor.
i. Other restrictions. Some Funds also include prohibitions or

baskets on investments in real estate, oil and gas.
9. Excused/Excluded Investors
Many Fund Agreements permit investors to be excused from

funding capital calls to make portfolio investments if such
58
10. Defaulting Limited Partners
funding would violate laws applicable to such investors or ethical

investor policies (e.g., tobacco, alcohol or firearms). See also
Topics I.2.e.ii and I.3.a, below. In some cases, a General Partner
may exclude a particular investor from participating in an
investment, if its participation would have a material adverse
effect on the Fund or the investment.
10. Defaulting Limited Partners
Since Funds draw down capital over time, in installments, it is

important to address the possibility of a Limited Partner failing
to fund a drawdown. Fund Agreements generally include a great
deal of latitude for the General Partner to pursue a number of
potential actions and remedies in such cases, including causing
the total or partial forfeiture of the defaulting Limited Partner’s
interest in the Fund.
11. Withdrawal
In contrast to hedge funds, which typically allow for periodic

redemptions of interests, Funds generally do not permit
withdrawals by Limited Partners except in limited circumstances
(such as, for example, to avoid “plan assets” issues under ERISA
or to avoid violations of law). Some governmental plans also
request that they be permitted to withdraw from the Fund (or be
excused from making further investments) if there is a violation
of their placement agent policy. Withdrawals from a Fund can
be a burden on the valuation process, liquidity and
non-withdrawing partners. Often, it is far preferable (if feasible)
for a Limited Partner to assign its interest in the Fund rather
than to withdraw.
59
12. Amendments
12. Amendments
A majority-in-interest is typical for general amendments to a

Fund Agreement. Certain provisions (such as those pertaining
to the core economic deal) will often require the consent of a
supermajority to amend or the consent of all investors who
would be materially adversely affected. The vote of a particular
class of investors may be required to amend provisions specific
to that class (such as ERISA provisions). Finally, the General
Partner may have a unilateral right to amend the Fund
Agreement in limited circumstances (such as to make ministerial
or technical changes, or to implement amendments required by
law).
60
G. Fund Terms: Conflicts of Interest and Related
Issues
1. Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest provisions, including deal-flow allocation,

expense sharing, co-investment and affiliate transactions, are
receiving close scrutiny from investors and, increasingly, from
regulators, including the SEC. The disclosure and mitigation of
conflicts of interests is a primary area of focus for SEC
examinations with respect to private Fund sponsors and has
been the basis for a number of SEC enforcement actions (see
Topic L.3.b.i.A, below). Issues include:
61
G. Fund Terms: Conflicts of Interest and Related Issues
a. Formation of Successor Funds. Many investors will seek to

limit the ability of the sponsor (and/or the Investment
Professionals) to form other Funds or accounts during the
investment period of the Fund, particularly Funds or
accounts with investment strategies similar to that of the
Fund.
b. Deal Flow Allocation. Many investors will seek explicit

disclosure of how investment opportunities will be allocated
between the Fund and other funds or separately managed
accounts sponsored by the Manager.
(i) Where a sponsor has multiple Funds with overlapping

investment strategies, or where a separately managed
account or successor Fund has been formed,
investments might be allocated on a pro rata basis, or
in the General Partner’s discretion.
(ii) Investments by other Funds, separately managed

accounts, or other clients sponsored or advised by the
Manager may create a different set of conflicts of
interest if the strategies of different Funds could result
in the investment by those Funds in different classes of
an issuer’s securities.
(iii) Managers or General Partners who are RIAs should

develop compliance policies and procedures setting
forth investment allocation policies and disclose this
policy to investors.
62
c. Co-Investments by the Manager, its Affiliates or its Employees.

In order to alleviate potential investor concerns over
“cherry-picking,” co-investments by Manager affiliates are
often permitted only on a lock-step basis, or subject to a
specified annual (or overall) cap.
d. Affiliate Transactions.
(i) Cross transactions between the Fund and other Funds,

separately managed accounts or clients sponsored or
advised by the Manager and its affiliates can raise a
number of conflicts of interest, including with respect
to disclosure, valuations and receipt of transaction fees.
Often, the consent of the Limited Partner Advisory
Committee may be sought prior to such transactions.
(ii) Occasionally, a sponsor may want to warehouse deals

or commit pipeline deals to the Fund during the
fundraising process. The Fund Agreement might
contain specific provisions regarding how such
warehoused deals are to be transferred to the Fund
once it is up and running.
(iii) The Fund and its portfolio companies may engage the
Manager, its affiliates or its employees to provide
certain services (e.g., transaction services,
administrative services, asset management services,
consulting services, etc.). Some investors may request
that such transactions be on an arm’s-length basis
and/or be approved or disclosed periodically to the
Limited Partner Advisory Committee.
63
2. Co-Investment Opportunities for Limited Partners
2. Co-Investment Opportunities for Limited Partners
a. Generally. Many Limited Partners are interested in

participating in co-investment opportunities, to the extent
available. Some General Partners offer co-investment
opportunities only at the General Partner’s discretion; other
Fund Agreements provide that opportunities will be offered
to all Limited Partners on a pro rata basis, offered only to
investors that have committed capital at an early closing, or
offered only to investors that have made a capital
commitment above a certain threshold amount.
b. Co-Investment Funds. Some co-investments may be made

directly by the co-investor; in other cases the sponsor may
create a special co-investment Fund to pool the
commitments of participating co-investors.
c. Other Considerations. Careful disclosure should be made

with respect to how the General Partner intends to allocate
co-investment opportunities, as well as how expenses (in
particular broken-deal expenses) will be shared among the
Fund and any co-investors. Other considerations in
connection with co-investments may include coordination
of timing of exits by the Fund and co-investors, and whether
a Management Fee or Carried Interest will be charged. This
area has become the subject of SEC scrutiny in recent years.
See Topic L.3.b.vii, below.
64
3. Indemnification; Exculpation; Standard of Care
3. Indemnification; Exculpation; Standard of Care
Indemnification by the Fund of the General Partner, the

Manager and their affiliates, subject to certain limited exceptions,
is nearly universal.
The scope of any exceptions to indemnification is a point of

negotiation. Typically, no indemnification is available if the
claim or liability is due to fraud, gross negligence, willful
malfeasance or reckless disregard of duties. Gross negligence
under Delaware law, in the Fund context, implies a level of care
similar to the business judgment rule applicable to a corporate
board of directors’ decisions. Other potential exceptions to the
right to indemnification may include material violation of the
Fund Agreement (which may be subject to a cure right), a
conviction of a felony or a willful violation of law having a
material adverse effect on the Fund. Often, indemnification is
also not available for claims relating to internal disputes within
the Manager or derivative claims brought by a majority-in-
interest of the Limited Partners.
4. All-Partner Givebacks.
a. The General Partner is often permitted to “claw back” from

all of the Partners amounts distributed to them to the extent
needed to satisfy the Fund’s indemnification obligations.
This type of provision is referred to as an “LP payback” or
“all-partner giveback” to contrast it with the General Partner
clawback that protects against over distributions of Carried
Interest (discussed at Topic D.6, above). Similar to the
General Partner clawback, the intention of the all-partner
65
5. Limited Partner Advisory Committee
giveback is to ensure that the fundamental economic deal

(e.g., the 80/20 deal) on sharing of gains is protected.
Returnable distributions under an all-partner giveback
provision are often subject to limitations as to timing and/or
amount.
All-Partner Givebacks
Limitations Economics
• Amount: Most commonly, 15-30% • An LP payback can alter the
of commitments economic arrangement between the
• Timing: Most commonly, 2 years Partners if not properly implemented
after the relevant distribution
• Purpose: To cover indemnification
obligations
5. Limited Partner Advisory Committee
Most funds have a Limited Partner Advisory Committee

comprising representatives of certain Limited Partners; often,
Limited Partners with significant commitments to the Fund.
Unlike a corporation’s board of directors, an Advisory
Committee is a contractually created body, and its members
generally do not owe fiduciary duties to the Fund or the Limited
Partners. Common functions of Advisory Committees include
approving conflicts of interest (such as providing consent for
transactions that require the Fund’s consent under the Advisers
Act, including principal transactions and “assignments”), voting
on matters waivable by the Advisory Committee under the Fund
Agreement (such as investment limitations) and, in certain
circumstances, approving (or objecting to) the General Partner’s
valuations or valuation methodology.
66
6. Valuations
a. Limited Liability. An Advisory Committee’s functions

should be limited to ensure that Limited Partners that have
Advisory Committee representation do not lose their limited
liability.
b. Indemnification. Members of Advisory Committees are

typically indemnified against most liability that might arise
from their service. See Topic G.3.a.ii, above.
6. Valuations
a. GAAP. U.S. GAAP for Funds requires portfolio securities to

be marked to market. Most Funds prepare financial
statements according to U.S. GAAP or, for non-U.S. Funds,
the International Financial Reporting Standards.
b. Responsibility. Many Funds require periodic valuations

because their distribution provisions or Management Fee
calculations take account of investments that have been
written-down, or the distribution provisions include a value
“cushion.” Valuations may also be required in connection
with distributions in kind or upon the early withdrawal of a
Limited Partner (see Topic F.11, above). Further, if the
Management Fee base is reduced by write downs, this, too,
would require quarterly valuations.
c. Third-Party Valuations. Some investors request Limited

Partner Advisory Committee approval of (or objection right
with respect to) valuations or third-party valuations,
particularly in connection with distributions in kind of non-
marketable securities.
67
6. Valuations
d. Regulatory Concerns. Valuation issues (particularly in respect

of disclosure of the valuation process) are important from an
SEC perspective (see Topic L.3.b.vii below) and an AIFMD
perspective.
68
H. Fund Terms: LP Remedies
Unlike hedge funds, which typically allow Limited Partners to

redeem their interests periodically, Funds generally do not
permit withdrawals by Limited Partners except in very limited
circumstances. Thus, many investors will seek to ensure that
the Fund Agreement includes protections allowing the
Limited Partners to suspend the Fund’s investment period,
terminate the Fund early or remove the General Partner and
Manager.
A Fund Agreement’s “package” of Limited Partner rights and

remedies may include some (or many) of the following:
69
1. For-Cause Remedies
Remedies At a Glance
• Key Person Suspension
• GP Removal
• Dissolution
• Suspension of Investment Period
1. For-Cause Remedies
a. Key Person Events. A “key person” provision causes a

suspension of the Fund’s investment period (or, less
commonly, the term) if specified key individuals leave the
Manager, or cease to devote a specified portion of their time
to the Fund, the General Partner or the Manager.
(i) The details of the key person trigger (or triggers), and
in particular whether the “key persons” are the top
principals of the sponsor, a larger group of Investment
Professionals or some combination of the foregoing, is
often highly negotiated. If there is a “key person”
event, many Funds go into an automatic suspension
period during which no new investments may be made.
Some Funds require a vote of the Limited Partners to
cause such suspension.
(ii) Many Fund Agreements include a right to designate

qualified replacement Investment Professionals with
Limited Partner Advisory Committee or Limited
Partner approval, and/or the right of Limited Partners
to vote to terminate the suspension mode and reinstate
the investment period.
70
2. No-Fault Remedies
b. Change in Control. Some Fund Agreements give the Limited

Partners the right to terminate the Fund’s investment period
(or term) if there is a change in control of the Manager or
General Partner. In other Fund Agreements, the sponsor
provides a covenant that lasts through the term of the Fund
in respect of the ownership of the General Partner and the
Manager. Where the General Partner and/or the Manager is
an investment adviser registered with the SEC, then the
Fund Agreements will include a provision that prohibits the
“assignment” of the Agreement without consent of the
client (which includes a change of control of the General
Partner and/or the Manager). In order to receive this
consent from the Fund, the General Partner and/or the
Manager may need to seek the consent of the Limited
Partners or a Limited Partner Advisory Committee.
c. Other For-Cause Remedies. Some Fund Agreements give the

Limited Partners the right to either suspend the investment
period or dissolve the Fund if either the General Partner,
Manager or “key persons” violates the applicable standard of
care, breaches the Fund Agreement or engages in other
“disabling” conduct.
2. No-Fault Remedies
a. No-Fault Divorce. A “no-fault” divorce is the right of Limited

Partners to terminate the investment period or the term of
the Fund at any time without cause. No-fault termination
rights typically require investor votes of between 75% and 90%
in interest. From a sponsor’s perspective, it is important to
have the percentage vote high enough to avoid a minority of
71
3. What Happens to the Management Fee?
investors forcing a decision on the majority, or to give a

single large investor a unilateral termination right.
b. Termination by the General Partner. Some Fund Agreements

also give the General Partner the right to terminate the
investment period or liquidate the Fund at any time in its
sole discretion; however, this right is somewhat uncommon,
because Limited Partners generally expect a long-term
commitment, and typically do not want an early liquidation
of the Fund that could result in distributions in kind of non-
marketable securities.
3. What Happens to the Management Fee?
In connection with an early termination of the investment

period (either with or without cause), the Management Fee
generally steps down to its post-investment period base. See
Topic E.1, above.
4. Removal of the General Partner
As an alternative to (or in some cases, in addition to) a for-cause

termination right, some Fund Agreements give the Limited
Partners the right to remove the General Partner and replace it
with another sponsor’s General Partner if the General Partner
violates the applicable standard of care, breaches the Fund
Agreement or engages in other “disabling” conduct. Fund
Agreements may also include (subject to certain regulatory
and/or accounting considerations) that the General Partner may
be removed by a Limited Partner vote on a no-fault basis.
72
a. Voting. The “cause” triggers for a General Partner removal,

as well as the voting thresholds required to cause such
removal, are often heavily negotiated. The “cause” triggers
for General Partner removal often mirror the “for-cause”
triggers described in the Fund Termination and early
suspension of investment period remedies above.
b. What Happens to the Carried Interest? Often, the Fund

interest of the removed General Partner is converted into a
special Limited Partner interest; in this way, the removed
General Partner remains entitled to retain Carried Interest
with respect to investments made prior to removal (in many
cases, subject to a “haircut”; i.e., the General Partner only
receives 75% of the Carried Interest that it would have
received as of the removal date had it not been removed). In
other Funds, the removed General Partner is bought out,
with its interest valued to take into account the agreed
Carried Interest entitlement.
c. What Happens to the Management Fee? Generally, the

Management Fee will terminate upon a removal. Note that
some Funds (especially in Europe) provide for a
Management Fee “tail” as severance (usually 12-18 months’
worth of Management Fee to which it would have been
entitled had it not been removed), particularly in the case of
a no-fault removal.
73
I. Common Private Equity Fund Investors
Below is a discussion of the major categories of investors in

Funds and some of the key legal and tax considerations and
business concerns specific to those types of investors. For a
further discussion of tax and regulatory concerns of investors
generally, see Topics J and L, below.
75
Common Private Equity Fund Investors
• U.S. Corporate Pension Plans
• Sovereign Wealth Funds
• U. S. Insured Depository Institutions

and Bank Holding Companies
• Funds of Funds
• Individual Investors and Family Offices
• U.S. Governmental Plans
• Life Insurance Companies
• Non-U.S. Regulated Entities
• Private Foundations and

Endowments
• Other
76
1. U.S. Corporate Pension Plans
U.S. corporate pension plans (i.e., private pension plans subject

to ERISA, as opposed to governmental plans) have a number of
unique issues, including the following:
a. Exemption from “Plan Assets” Status. Most funds operate

under an exemption from ERISA, which avoids compliance
with burdensome ERISA regulatory requirements. These
exemptions include:
(i) 25% Exemption. One exemption under ERISA is for

Funds in which benefit plan investors as a group
constitute less than 25% of each class of interests in the
Fund (excluding any investment held by the General
Partner, the Manager and their affiliates). For this
purpose, “benefit plan investors” include U.S. private
pension plans or other investors subject to ERISA or
section 4975 of the Code (including funds of funds that
hold plan assets and individual retirement accounts
(“IRAs”)), but do not include U.S. governmental plans
or non-U.S. corporate plans.
(ii) VCOC Exemption. Another exemption under ERISA is

for Funds that qualify as “venture capital operating
companies.” The Department of Labor regulations on
this subject are complex, but in general they require
that the Fund obtain “management rights” with
respect to at least 50% of its portfolio investments
(based on cost basis) and exercise those rights in the
ordinary course of its business with respect to at least
77
one portfolio company at the times specified in the

regulations. In order to qualify, the Fund must obtain
management rights with respect to its first long-term
investment.
Generally, “management rights” are direct

contractual rights between the Fund and the
portfolio company that provide for the Fund to
“participate substantially in, or influence
substantially, the conduct of the management” of
the portfolio company, which may include
contractual rights to appoint one or more directors,
to consult with management, to receive financial
statements, to inspect books and records, etc.
(iii) REOC Exemption. The “real estate operating company”

exemption is similar to the VCOC exemption described
above, and is sometimes used by real estate funds.
(iv) Registering the Fund as an RIC. A Fund that is registered

as an RIC will be exempt from ERISA. See Topic L.2.f,
below.
b. Operating a Fund as “Plan Assets” Under ERISA. The

consequences of plan asset status for a Fund are significant.
In effect, all of the Fund’s investments are treated as the
assets of the plan investor, thereby subjecting the Fund and
its Manager and the General Partner to extensive DOL
regulations and compliance requirements concerning
ERISA-regulated plans, including with respect to
(i) constraints on incentive fee arrangements (which may
78
impact payments of Carried Interest), (ii) fiduciary duties,

(iii) prohibited transactions, (iv) retention of transaction
fees, (v) other fee arrangements, including placement fees
and other fees payable to any affiliated service providers,
(vi) sponsor co-investments and (vii) ERISA’s fidelity and
bonding requirements.
c. Unrelated Business Taxable Income. Many U.S. corporate

pension plans (as well as other U.S. tax-exempt entities, such
as charities and colleges and universities) are sensitive to the
receipt of “unrelated business taxable income” or “UBTI,” on
which even tax-exempt entities pay taxes. For some plan
investors, avoiding UBTI is of great concern; for other tax-
exempt investors, it is simply one factor in considering
whether (or how) to invest in a Fund. See also Topic J.2,
below.
79
2. U.S. Governmental Plans
2. U.S. Governmental Plans
If governmental plans (including U.S. private pension plans

sponsored by states or municipalities) invest in a Fund, the
issues to be considered include the following:
a. ERISA. Governmental plans and non-U.S. corporate plans

are not directly subject to ERISA; however, a number of
states have legislation or regulations that are similar to
ERISA or that make ERISA provisions applicable to state
plans. As a result, some government plans may demand as a
contractual matter to be treated as plans subject to ERISA.
b. Placement Fees and Political Contributions. Sponsors of

Funds with governmental plan investors are often subject to
gift policies, as well as anti-“pay-to-play” restrictions under
the Advisers Act and applicable state laws. These restrictions
include limitations on political contributions and other
political fundraising activities by the sponsor, its affiliates
and certain of its employees, as well as limitations on the use
of placement agents to solicit governmental plan investors.
Some placement agent policies require the ability of the
governmental plan investor to withdraw from the Fund in
certain circumstances. In addition, a number of
governmental plans require completion of detailed
disclosures regarding payment of placement fees and
political contributions.
c. FOIA. Many governmental pension plans are subject to

Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) or other “sunshine”
laws, which may require that they disclose confidential
80
3. Sovereign Wealth Funds
information received in connection with their investment in

the Fund (publicly or pursuant to a request under an
applicable FOIA statute).
d. Other Common Concerns.
(i) A number of governmental plans have questioned

whether they are authorized under applicable law to
make indemnity payments. Certain governmental
plans are not permitted to directly indemnify (but they
can honor their obligation to contribute capital to the
Fund so it can honor its indemnification obligations).
See Topic G.3, above. In addition, certain governmental
plans and instrumentalities refuse to waive sovereign
immunity.
(ii) Many governmental plans have ethical investor policy

restrictions. The effect of these constraints (such as
limitations on investing in businesses producing
alcohol, tobacco products or firearms) can be mitigated
by excusing the relevant Limited Partners from
participation in the investments in question.
Investment entities owned and managed by government

agencies on behalf of a nation or sovereign state, known as
“SWFs,” have become an increasingly large source of capital for
Funds. In many cases SWFs seek to negotiate their own
separately managed accounts (see Topic B.3, above), but they
also invest directly in pooled multi-investor Funds. SWFs often
81
make very large commitments to Funds, and in return often seek

to negotiate fee breaks, priority co-investment opportunities
and/or increased levels of involvement with the Fund’s
investment team (such as periodic meetings and increased
reporting rights).
a. Investment Restrictions. Like many U.S. governmental

pension plans, some SWFs, in particular those from Middle
Eastern and Asian states, are prohibited from making certain
types of investments (such as investments in businesses
producing alcohol, tobacco products or firearms).
b. Confidentiality. Like many U.S. governmental pension plans,

many SWFs are subject to “sunshine” laws, which may
require that they disclose confidential information regarding
the Fund (publicly or pursuant to request under an
applicable statute).
c. Disclosure. Some SWFs are sensitive to disclosure of their

identities in marketing materials, on Schedule 13D, Hart-
Scott-Rodino report forms, other similar filings and, in some
cases, the Fund’s tax return. In addition, anti-money
laundering rules may require additional disclosure. “Use of
name” and other confidentiality provisions for SWFs are
often heavily negotiated in their side letters.
d. Tax Considerations. See Topic J.4, below, for an overview of

special tax considerations applicable to non-U.S.
governments subject to special exemptions under
section 892 of the Code.
82
4. Life Insurance Companies
4. Life Insurance Companies
U.S. life insurers can make an investment in a Fund as either a

general account investment or a separate account investment.
General account assets typically support guaranteed insurance
policy obligations of the insurer, while separate account assets
generally support variable insurance policy obligations of the
insurer. Note that some U.S. and non-U.S. insurance company
investors may want to structure their investments in the Fund
(or shape the Fund’s investment policies) to allow them to treat
their investment in the Fund as falling within certain
appropriate regulatory “baskets.”
5. U.S. Insured Depository Institutions, Bank Holding Companies,

Non-U.S. Banks with U.S. Banking Presence and Their Affiliates
a. Generally. U.S. insured depository institutions, non-U.S.

banks with a U.S. banking presence and any affiliate thereof
(each, a “banking entity”) are generally prohibited from
sponsoring or investing in Funds under section 13 of the
BHC Act (also known as the “Volcker Rule”), subject to
various exemptions.
b. Non-U.S. Banking Entities. Non-U.S. banking entities enjoy

several exemptions from the Volcker Rule’s general
prohibition. A non-U.S. banking entity may invest in certain
“covered” Funds if, among other requirements, (i) the
banking entity satisfies certain criteria to ensure that its
business is principally located outside of the United States,
(ii) the banking entity satisfies certain “risk” criteria to
ensure that the decision making, the accounting treatment
83
6. Non-U.S. Regulated Entities
and the financing of the investment is outside of the United

States and (iii) the banking entity does not participate in
marketing the ownership interests of the Fund to U.S.
residents. In addition to this so-called “SOTUS Fund”
(“Solely Outside the United States”) exemption, a non-U.S.
banking entity may invest in foreign “non-covered funds”
(i.e., Funds that are domiciled outside of the United States
and that have not made any offering of securities in the
United States). See Topic L.7, below.
c. Bank Holding Companies. A BHC and its affiliates that invest

in a Fund are subject to restrictions under the BHC Act (in
addition to restrictions under the Volcker Rule discussed
above). A BHC that has not elected to be regulated as an
Financial Holding Company is generally restricted from
engaging in non-banking activities and from acquiring or
controlling “voting securities” or assets of a non-banking
company, subject to certain exemptions (including one for
de minimis ownership stakes). To accommodate ownership
limitations applicable to BHC investors, a Fund Agreement
may provide that BHC investors hold non-voting equity
interests as necessary.
6. Non-U.S. Regulated Entities
The regulatory position of non-U.S. investors may impact their

investment in Funds. For example, the European Solvency II
regime came into effect in January 2016. Solvency II introduces
solvency requirements for EU insurance companies on a risk-
based approach. EU insurance companies are subject to rules
determining the risk weightings applicable to the different
84
7. Funds of Funds
categories of assets they hold (including interests in Funds), for

the purpose of calculating their prudential capital. They also
have to ensure that their investments meet certain “prudent
person” quality standards and make regular reports to the
national regulator. To calculate the prudential capital and meet
reporting requirements, EU insurance companies need regular
and detailed information on the Fund and the Fund’s
investments (so-called Solvency II reporting). Investments in
private equity Funds are generally subject to high capital
requirements for such insurance companies. However, closed-
ended Funds established in the European Union not using
leverage will benefit from a special beneficial treatment for
Solvency II purposes.
While EU insurance companies are afforded considerable

flexibility to ensure the quality standards for their investments,
German pension funds and other pension schemes are subject to
very detailed and very formalistic guidelines to be met by the
Fund, the Manager and the structure in order to qualify as an
eligible investment. These guidelines have produced over time
relatively standardized side letter provisions every German
pension fund or scheme will request before subscribing to a Fund.
These guidelines in some cases materially affect the capacity of
these regulated investors to invest in Funds managed by non-EU
Managers and investing in Funds organized in the Cayman and
Channel Islands is difficult and in some cases (depending on the
investment strategy of the fund) not possible.
85
7. Funds of Funds
7. Funds of Funds
A “fund of funds” investor in a Fund may have particular

concerns with respect to the ability to disclose Fund information
to its own investors. In addition, depending on the makeup and
needs of the investors in the fund of funds, a fund of funds
investor could have any number of the concerns and
requirements described above.
8. Private Foundations and Endowments
These types of investors have special tax concerns in addition to

concerns about UBTI. (See Topic J.2, below). For example, a U.S.
“private foundation” may become liable for an excise tax if its
holdings in a “business enterprise”—measured by aggregating its
interest and the interests of its “disqualified persons” (such as
officers, trustees, “substantial contributors” and their families
and affiliates)—exceeds a specified threshold.
9. Individual Investors and Family Offices
High-net-worth individuals and family offices are also frequent

investors in Funds.
a. High-Net-Worth Feeders. Some large Funds restrict investors

to those making large, multi-million dollar investments. In
order to gain access to such Funds, some high-net-worth
individuals and family offices may invest in a “feeder fund”
formed by a bank or other financial institution to aggregate
the commitments of smaller investors. The Feeder Fund
then invests as a Limited Partner of a Fund. Careful
86
9. Individual Investors and Family Offices
consideration must be given to regulatory restrictions

applicable to such “high-net-worth feeders”.
b. Personal Holding Companies. If even a single individual

invests directly in a Fund, potential “personal holding
company” tax issues could arise in relation to investments in
U.S. corporations. One solution is to have the individual
invest in the Fund indirectly through an entity that is not
disregarded for tax purposes such as a partnership, a limited
liability company with at least two members or a trust
(other than a grantor trust). Another solution is to obtain a
covenant from the individual to the effect that he or she will
transfer his or her interest in the Fund, at the General
Partner’s request, if the Fund acquires an interest in a
personal holding company.
c. Privacy and Identity Theft Issues. Funds with natural persons

as investors will face issues under certain laws and
regulations designed to protect investor privacy and detect,
prevent and mitigate identity theft. See Topic L.8, below.
87
10. Other Regulatory Matters
There may be regulatory constraints in certain jurisdictions on

the offering of interests in a Fund to individuals and family
offices (e.g., this is the position in a number of jurisdictions in
the European Union following the implementation of AIFMD).
Offerings to investors not qualifying as so-called “professional
investors” (as defined under AIFMD by reference to MiFID) are
subject to burdensome rules and in some countries are even
impossible. Under AIFMD, professional investors are mainly
institutional investors such as credit institutions, investment
firms, insurance companies, pension funds, collective
investment schemes and management companies of such
schemes and larger companies. Individuals and family offices
may be treated as professionals on request if they meet a test
regarding the size of their portfolio, their expertise, experience
and knowledge, which gives reasonable assurance, in light of the
nature of the transactions or services envisaged, that the
investor is capable of making investment decisions and
understanding the risks involved.
The Manager and/or placement agent will also assess whether

the investor is sufficiently qualified and experienced. Some
jurisdictions in the European Union may permit offerings to
certain high-net-worth investors that would not meet the
professional investor test (often referred to as so-called “semi-
professional” investors). But marketing to any such semi-
professional investors means complying with KID requirements.
Similarly, in non-EU jurisdictions, offerings of interests to
individuals and family offices are often subject to more
88
regulatory restrictions and enforcement than offerings to

institutional investors. See Topic C.2, above.
89
J. Investor Level Tax Issues
1. Taxation of U.S. Taxable Investors
a. Flow-Through Tax Treatment. In a Fund that is treated as a

partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each
investor subject to U.S. tax will be required to take into
account its distributive share of all items of the Fund’s
income, gain, loss, deductions and credits, whether or not
such investor receives a distribution.
b. Restrictions on Deductibility of Expenses for Individual and

Other Non-Corporate Investors. It is generally anticipated
that a Fund’s expenses (e.g., the Management Fee) will be
investment expenses treated as miscellaneous itemized
deductions rather than trade or business expenses for U.S.
91
1. Taxation of U.S. Taxable Investors
tax purposes, with the result that any individual that is a

partner (directly or through a partnership or other pass-
through entity) will not be able to claim a deduction for his
or her pro rata share of such expenses prior to 2026 and
thereafter will be subject to limitations on the deductibility
of such expenses.
c. Phantom Income, etc. Investments in certain types of

securities such as original issue discount instruments and
preferred stock with redemption or repayment premiums
could result in partners realizing income for U.S. tax
purposes, even though the Fund realizes no current cash
income.
d. Operating Partnerships. Certain income from investments in

certain U.S. operating partnerships may be eligible for a 20%
deduction until 2026 (the so-called “qualified business
income deduction”). However, certain losses from such
investments may be limited or disallowed.
e. PFICs and CFCs. Investments in non-U.S. corporations

treated as passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”)
or controlled foreign corporations (“CFCs”) are subject to
special U.S. tax rules. The CFC rules generally require
certain U.S. shareholders to (i) include their share of the
CFC’s passive income and certain other income above a
specified threshold on a current basis and (ii) treat some of
their gain from the sale of the CFC into ordinary or dividend
income.
92
2. Taxation of U.S. Tax-Exempt Investors
f. State and Local Taxes. Investors may be subject to state and

local taxation (and reporting requirements) on their income
from the Fund in jurisdictions in which the Fund and its
portfolio companies are located or do business, especially in
the case of portfolio companies treated as partnerships for
U.S. federal income tax purposes.
g. Non-U.S. Taxes. The Fund (and, perhaps, the partners

directly) may be subject to withholding and other taxes (and
reporting requirements) imposed by countries in which the
Fund operates or makes investments. Tax conventions
between such countries and the United States may reduce or
eliminate certain of such taxes, and taxable partners may be
entitled to claim U.S. foreign tax credits or deductions with
respect to such taxes, subject to applicable limitations.
a. UBTI. Organizations that are generally exempt from U.S.

federal income tax under the Code such as corporate pension
plans, charities and universities are nonetheless subject to
U.S. federal income tax on their “unrelated business taxable
income,” or “UBTI.” UBTI is defined as the gross income
derived by the organization from any unrelated trade or
business, less the deductions directly connected with
carrying on the trade or business, both computed with
certain modifications and subject to certain exclusions.
(i) Sources of UBTI. In Funds, the principal areas of

concern are investments in operating partnerships and
93
unrelated debt-financed income. Special UBTI rules

apply to real estate funds.
(A) Operating Partnerships. If a Fund invests in a

portfolio company that is a flow-through entity (a
partnership, an LLC or other entity treated as a
partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes)
that is engaged in a trade or business (whether
within or without the United States), a U.S. tax-
exempt partner’s share of the entity’s income
would (subject to certain exceptions) be UBTI.
(B) Unrelated Debt-Financed Income. UBTI includes a

percentage of the income derived from property as
to which there is “acquisition indebtedness” during
an applicable period. Accordingly, if a Fund
borrows money to make an investment, a portion
of the income from the investment (both current
income and any gain on the disposition of the
investment) may be treated as UBTI for U.S. tax-
exempt investors. In addition, if a Fund sells its
interest in a flow-through entity that has
acquisition indebtedness outstanding on the date
of the sale or during the 12-month period prior to
sale, the portion of the gain attributable to the debt
would be UBTI.
(C) Fees. If a Fund were to regularly render services for

fees, it would likely be engaged in a trade or
business and the fees would likely be UBTI.
Typically, a Fund does not perform any services; it
94
3. Taxation of Non-U.S. Investors Investing in the United States
merely invests. It is possible, however, that

reductions in the Management Fee resulting from
transaction, monitoring, directors’ and other
similar fees may be treated as UBTI to U.S. tax-
exempt investors.
(D) Certain Insurance Income. Certain insurance

income received from or attributable to CFCs is
includable as UBTI.
(ii) Rate of Tax. Tax-exempt corporations are subject to tax

on UBTI at regular corporate income tax rates. Trusts
such as pension plans are subject to tax on UBTI at
rates applicable to trusts.
b. State and Local Government Pension Plans. In our experience,

most state and local government pension plans take the
position that their income is exempt from U.S. federal
income tax as income derived from an essential
governmental function accruing to a state or a political
subdivision or otherwise as a result of sovereign immunity.
In that case, they would not be subject to tax on UBTI.
However, there is no clear authority that so holds.
c. Private Foundations. In addition to the tax on UBTI, private

foundations are subject to a number of complex excise tax
provisions, a few of which could be triggered by an
investment in a Fund.
95
a. U.S. Trade or Business Income. Non-U.S. persons are subject

to U.S. federal income tax on their “ECI,” defined as income
effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business
within the United States. A non-U.S. person that is a partner
in a partnership is considered as being engaged in a trade or
business within the United States if the partnership is so
engaged.
(i) Sources of ECI. In Funds, the principal areas of concern

are fees and investments in operating partnerships.
(A) Operating Partnerships. If a Fund invests in a flow-

through entity (e.g., a partnership, an LLC or a
non-U.S. entity treated as a partnership for U.S. tax
purposes) that is engaged in a trade or business
within the United States, a non-U.S. partner’s share
of the Fund’s income from the entity would be ECI.
In addition, gain from the sale of the Fund’s
interest in the entity, and the applicable portion of
any gain realized by the investor upon the sale of
its interest in the Fund, would be ECI.
(B) Fees. Typically, a Fund does not perform any

services; it merely invests. It is possible, however,
that reductions in the Management Fee resulting
from transaction, monitoring, directors’ and
similar fees may be treated as ECI to non-U.S.
investors.
96
(ii) United States Real Property Interests. Under the Foreign

Investment in Real Property Tax Act (“FIRPTA”), gain
or loss realized by a non-U.S. person from the
disposition of a “United States real property interest” is
generally taken into account as if it were effectively
connected with a trade or business of the non-U.S.
person within the United States. “United States real
property interests” include not only direct interests in
real property but interests in certain U.S. corporations
(“USRPHCs”) where the value of the corporation’s U.S.
real property interests is at least 50% of the value of the
corporation’s business assets and real property interests.
Because of these rules, funds investing in U.S. real
estate that wish to market to non-U.S. investors will
generally engage in structuring that is specifically
designed to mitigate U.S. tax and filing requirements
for such investors. See Topic J.5, below for an
overview of certain structuring mechanisms. Real
estate funds may also utilize REIT structures to
mitigate the impact of FIRPTA rules on non-U.S.
investors. Under certain circumstances, it may be
possible to avoid FIRPTA treatment by holding
suitable real property investments through a privately
offered REIT, more than half of which is directly and
indirectly owned by U.S. persons. Sale of shares in
such a “domestically controlled” REIT will not be
subject to tax under FIRPTA.
(A) Qualified foreign pension plans (and non-U.S.

entities wholly owned by qualified foreign pension
plans) are not subject to tax under FIRPTA upon
97
the disposition of a “United States real property

interest” and on certain distributions from REITs
attributable to the disposition of a “United States
real property interest.”
(B) Sovereign wealth funds (or “Section 892 investors”)

have a more limited exception on FIRPTA from
the sale of USRPHCs.
(iii) Permanent Establishment. Many U.S. income tax

treaties provide that the United States may not tax the
income of a resident of the other treaty country unless
the income is attributable to a permanent
establishment of the resident in the United States. The
office of a partnership in the United States would likely
be considered a permanent establishment of the non-
U.S. partner for this purpose.
(iv) Filing Requirements. A non-U.S. person engaged in a

U.S. trade or business within the taxable year is
required to file a U.S. federal income tax return,
regardless of whether it has any ECI, has any income
from sources within the United States or whether its
income is exempt from income tax by reason of the
Code or a treaty. Many non-U.S. investors that do not
already file tax returns are reluctant to become subject
to U.S. tax filing obligations as a result of their
investment in the Fund. Qualified foreign pension
plans, however, are not required to file US tax returns
on gain from sale of USRPHCs.
98
(v) Rate of Tax. A non-U.S. person is subject to U.S. federal

income tax on its ECI at the regular graduated rates
applicable to U.S. individuals or corporations. In
addition, a non-U.S. corporation is subject to the
“branch profits tax” at the rate of 30% (or a lower treaty
rate) on its earnings and profits attributable to income
effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or
business within the United States and not reinvested in
the United States. However, gain from the disposition
of a USRPHC is not subject to the branch profits tax.
(vi) Withholding. A U.S. fund is generally required to

withhold tax at the highest applicable marginal rate on
the ECI allocable to each non-U.S. partner. The
amount withheld is available as a credit against the tax
shown on the partner’s return. In addition, if any
portion of a non-U.S. investor’s gain on the disposition
of an interest in the Fund would be treated as ECI, such
sale may be subject to 10% withholding tax on the
gross amount received for such interest.
b. Interest, Dividends and Certain Other Income. The United

States imposes a 30% tax on the gross amount of interest,
dividends, rents, royalties and certain other income from U.S.
sources paid to non-U.S. persons, subject to exemption or
reduction by statute or treaty. A U.S. fund is generally
required to withhold tax on these items of income includable
in the distributable share (including amounts that are not
actually distributed) of a non-U.S. partner.
99
4. Taxation of Non-U.S. Governments
4. Taxation of Non-U.S. Governments
a. Section 892 Exemption. Non-U.S. governments, although

generally subject to the same rules as any non-U.S. investor,
enjoy a special exemption under section 892 of the Code,
under which income received from investments in the
United States in stocks (including income derived from a
USRPHC), bonds and certain other income is generally
exempt from tax. The exemption also applies to an integral
part of a non-U.S. government (e.g., an agency or
instrumentality such as a governmental pension plan) and
controlled entities organized under the laws of such non-U.S.
government and wholly owned by such non-U.S.
government.
b. Commercial Activities. The above-referenced exemption does

not apply to income derived by or from the conduct of a
“commercial activity” or received from a “controlled
commercial entity,” which is defined as an entity that is 50%
or more controlled by the government and that is engaged in
commercial activities (whether inside or outside the United
States). Accordingly, if a “controlled entity” engages in any
commercial activities within or without the United States in
a year, it loses its exemption for all of its income in such year.
c. Proposed Regulations. Under proposed U.S. Treasury

regulations, an entity that is not otherwise engaged in
commercial activity will generally not be considered to be so
engaged solely because it holds an interest as a Limited
Partner (with no management participation right) in a Fund
that is itself engaged in commercial activities. Nonetheless,
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5. Structuring Mechanisms
many non-U.S. governments elect to invest in Funds (or

their operating partnership investments) through a “blocker
corporation” to mitigate any risk of “tainting” and being
treated as engaged in commercial activities. See Topic J.5,
below.
In recent years, many Funds have abandoned the traditional

approach to protecting investors from UBTI, ECI and sometimes
“commercial activities” by simply covenanting to avoid such
income. Instead, Funds are moving more and more towards an
“elective blocker” approach, whereby those investors desiring to
avoid UBTI or ECI can choose to invest in a Fund (or in the
investments that produce such income) through an entity taxed
as a corporation for U.S. tax purposes, often called a “blocker” or
“blocker corporation.” Other types of investors typically invest
in the Fund or in such investments directly. Depending on the
structure, blocker corporations can be used to shield U.S. tax-
exempt investors from UBTI from both operating partnerships
and debt-financed income, to shield non-U.S. investors from ECI
(and the resulting filing requirements) from both operating
partnerships and USRPHCs and to shield non-U.S. governments
from commercial activities.
a. Blocker Corporations. We can provide clients with detailed

guidance as to the various ways the blocker corporation can
be structured.
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b. Opt-Out Provisions. Some Funds allow an investor not to

participate economically in a specific portfolio investment
under certain circumstances.
102
K. Structuring the Manager and the General
Partner and Certain Strategic Transactions
1. General
The Manager is typically a separate entity from the General

Partner, although it is usually affiliated with the General Partner.
Separation allows for continuity of the management entity from
fund to fund (while still having a different special purpose
General Partner for each Fund) as well as the buildup of goodwill,
and may simplify estate planning for the Investment
Professionals.
103
K. Structuring the Manager and the General Partner and Certain
Strategic Transactions
2. General Partner Arrangements
Optimizing the structure of the Manager and the General

Partner may involve significant effort and expense. Issues to be
considered include the following:
a. Compensating individual Investment Professionals and

other employees.
b. U.S. federal, state and local taxation and, to the extent

personnel are located outside the United States, taxation in
non-U.S. jurisdictions.
c. Regulatory and business constraints applicable to

institutional sponsors.
d. Governance.
e. Liability issues.
f. Subadvisor and satellite office arrangements.
2. General Partner Arrangements
Because (subject to regulatory considerations) the General

Partner makes all investment decisions for the Fund and (at least
in the case of U.S. funds) typically receives the Carried Interest,
governance issues are critically important in structuring the
General Partner. Each sponsor will have unique concerns with
respect to governance, Carried Interest sharing, admission of
new Investment Professionals and departure planning.
104
3. Economics
3. Economics
a. Economic sharing and vesting arrangements are highly

idiosyncratic and often complex. Issues to consider include:
(i) Fund-wide vs. deal-by-deal sharing.
(ii) Dilution of existing Investment Professionals in

connection with the admission of a new Investment
Professional.
(iii) Vesting (timeline, adjustments due to manner of

departure, etc.).
(iv) Reallocation of unvested Carried Interest in

connection with a departure.
(v) Dilution and allocation of Carried Interest in

connection with the sale of a portion of the General
Partner or Manager to a third party.
(vi) General Partner removal provisions.
(vii) Funding obligations post-departure (including in

respect of existing investments, expenses and any
ongoing clawback obligations).
b. Subject to regulatory considerations, a variety of structures

can be used so that Investment Professionals and other
employees of the sponsor can participate in a Fund’s
investment program.
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4. Restrictive Covenants
(i) Most commonly, Investment Professionals invest

capital in the Fund wholly or partly through the
General Partner.
(ii) Investment Professionals (and, in some cases, “friends

and families” of a sponsor’s Investment Professionals
and other employees) may also invest a significant
portion of their commitments through an affiliated
co-investment vehicle, which may or may not pay
Management Fees or bear Carried Interest.
(iii) It may also be possible to offer to numerous

individuals employed by the sponsor of the Fund
participation in an “employees’ securities company”
under the applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act or in other employee vehicles. Such
vehicles require an application to the SEC.
4. Restrictive Covenants
A General Partner’s governing documents may include

restrictive covenants in the event of an Investment
Professional’s departure, including covenants not to compete,
non-solicitation of employees and investors, non-disparagement
covenants, ongoing confidentiality requirements and restrictions
on use of the Fund’s track record. Such covenants are
particularly important when the Investment Professional does
not have a separate employment agreement with the sponsor.
106
5. Insurance
5. Insurance
General Partners should consider obtaining general partnership

liability insurance that comprises both management liability and
“errors and omissions” insurance coverage. While the costs of
such insurance policies are typically high, the potential
advantage of these policies is that they cover risks that may not
be recognized or be covered by indemnities (and investors may
want assurance that such policies have been obtained).
6. Estate Planning
Careful, early structuring of the General Partner is important,

particularly in the case of U.S. funds, for individual Investment
Professionals wishing to optimize their estate planning. This
area involves the interaction of gift tax, estate tax, income tax
and securities laws.
7. Advisers
If an AIFM (either Manager or General Partner) has its seat in

the European Union and is advised regarding the investment
decisions by an adviser, the adviser may be subject to
authorization requirements for rendering investment advice and
brokerage services in the European Union under MiFID. (See
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8. European Outsourcing Restrictions
Topic C.4.d, above). 5 The same authorization requirements may

apply to Advisers operating from the European Union.
8. European Outsourcing Restrictions
AIFMs in the European Union can delegate management

functions only when complying with regulatory restrictions.
The AIFM must notify the competent regulator. The central
tasks of portfolio and risk management can only be delegated to
regulated entities. The AIFM may enter into a “non-
discretionary advisory agreement” which is not considered a
delegation for such purposes; provided that the ultimate decision
making remains with the AIFM and substance requirements are
met at the level of the AIFM. Management is deemed to have
been delegated if AIFMs base their investment decision on
advice without carrying out their own qualified analysis before
concluding a transaction. The delegation to non-EU delegates is
currently under review by the European Securities and Market
Authority (“ESMA”) and further requirements might be
introduced, for example, substance requirements and/or approval
requirements by the competent regulator authority.
9. AIFM for Hire
a. It is possible to use an external AIFM which has the required

authorization as Manager of the Fund. The option is often
used by sponsors who cannot meet the regulatory
5
In certain cases, an exemption under the so-called “group privilege” may be
available.
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10. GP and Manager Minority Stake Sales
requirements themselves in order to get an authorization as

AIFM or a non-EU sponsor looking to establish a feeder or
Parallel Fund in the European Union.
b. Such external AIFMs could either delegate portfolio

management to the sponsor or hire the sponsor as its adviser.
Delegating portfolio management to the sponsor is subject
to the strict rules described above. The sponsor can
alternatively provide non-discretionary investment advice to
the AIFM. The adviser will not make final investment
decisions but only provides advice. If the adviser assumes
certain investor relation functions and renders marketing
assistance with respect to the Fund (e.g., identifying,
introducing and meeting prospective investors) attention is
required to determine whether the adviser’s activity could
also be subject to regulation and license or authorization
requirements under MiFID or the laws of its home state. See
Topic C.4.d, above.
10. GP and Manager Minority Stake Sales
Fund sponsors are increasingly participating in minority stake

sales, whereby the sponsor agrees to sell a portion of its fee
income, Carried Interest and/or capital interest in the underlying
funds to one or more third parties. Buyers in this market were
historically large institutional investors seeking to solidify
relationships with investment managers or to diversify their
capabilities or portfolios. In recent years, however, a growing
number of alternative asset managers have established
investment platforms focusing specifically on these types of
transactions, which has led to an increase in the number of these
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11. Strategic Fund Transactions
transactions and participation in such transactions by a broader

variety of sponsors. Proceeds of such transactions are often used
to grow a sponsor’s business or to provide liquidity to its
founding members.
Number of global GP stakes by fund strategy*

Open End Multi-Strategy Closed End
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
* Source: PitchBook
a. Fund restructurings are strategic transactions that provide

liquidity to existing investors and offer incentives to
sponsors. The market has seen a significant increase in Fund
restructurings, which can take the form of interest tender
offers, Fund recapitalizations or stapled secondary
transactions.
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(i) LP Tender Offers. An LP tender offer is a Fund-wide

secondary transaction in which the General Partner
presents an offer from a secondary buyer (or a
consortium of buyers) to its existing investors who
have the option to sell their interests to the buyer or
stay in the Fund.
(ii) Fund Recapitalizations. In a Fund recapitalization, new

investors provide capital to a new vehicle to acquire all
or substantially all of the portfolio investments from a
Fund nearing the end of its term. The sponsor
continues to manage the portfolio through the new
vehicle, and investors in the existing Fund are
generally provided the option to either cash out or roll
their interests into the new Fund.
(iii) Stapled Secondary Transactions. Interest tender offers

or Fund recapitalizations may also include a stapled
secondary component in which the buyer commits
additional capital for future investments, either
through the existing Fund or as a stapled commitment
to a new Fund.
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L. Certain Key Regulatory Issues
1. U.S. Securities Act and Other Private Placement Regulations
a. U.S. Private Placement. In general, Section 5 of the Securities

Act requires that every offer and sale of a security, including
an interest in a Fund, be registered by the filing of a
registration statement with the SEC, unless an exemption
from registration is available. Interests in a Fund typically
are offered and sold in the United States in a private
placement in reliance on the exemption from registration in
Rule 506 of Regulation D of the Securities Act, and, under
certain circumstances, Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Interests in a Fund may also be offered and sold outside the
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United States in reliance on Regulation S under the

Securities Act.
b. Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Section 4(a)(2) of the

Securities Act (formerly known as Section 4(2) prior to the
Dodd-Frank Act) exempts from registration a transaction by
an issuer “not involving any public offering.” Whether an
offering qualifies as a private placement under Section 4(a)(2)
is a fact-specific analysis based on multiple factors, including:
(1) the number of offerees and their relationship to each
other and to the issuer; (2) the number of securities offered;
(3) the size of the offering; (4) the manner of the offering;
(5) the sophistication and experience of the offerees; (6) the
nature and kind of information provided to offerees or to
which offerees have ready access and (7) actions taken by
the issuer to prevent the resale of securities. Offerings under
Section 4(a)(2) do not preempt applicable state blue sky laws.
c. Rule 506 of Regulation D.
(i) Rule 506(b). Traditionally, most interests in funds have

been offered in reliance on Rule 506(b) of Regulation D
which, among other things, permits an offering of
interests to an unlimited number of “accredited
investors” (as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D)
and up to 35 non-accredited sophisticated investors but
prohibits the use of a “general solicitation” (such as, for
example, an advertisement, speaking to the press or at
seminars or conferences, communications on a
publicly accessible website, cold-calling, etc.). If there
114
has been a general solicitation, the Fund may be

required to cease the offering for a “cooling off” period.
(ii) Rule 506(c). A smaller group of offerings have been

made under the relatively new Rule 506(c) of
Regulation D, which permits the use of a “general
solicitation” under certain circumstances. The Fund
must have a reasonable belief that all of its investors
satisfy the definition of “accredited investor” in
Rule 501(a) of Regulation D. The Fund is required to
take “reasonable steps” (based on the facts and
circumstances) to verify that all purchasers of interests
are “accredited investors.”
(iii) Form D. A Fund relying on either Rule 506(b) or

Rule 506(c) is required to file a Form D no later than 15
days after the first sale of interests and must amend the
Form D annually if the offering of interests is
continuing. An interim amendment is also required to
be filed when a material change in the information
previously filed occurs (e.g., if, among other things, any
of the following takes place—a change in the principal
place of business, the addition of an executive officer,
director or placement agent, or if the amount of sales
commissions will be more than 10% greater than was
estimated in the Form D that was originally filed).
(iv) Disqualification under Rule 506(d). A Fund is

prohibited from making an offering under Rule 506 if
certain persons affiliated with the issuer (“covered
persons”) are subject to certain disqualifying events
115
(e.g., certain criminal convictions, court judgments and

regulatory orders generally involving fraud or
violations of the securities laws).
d. Regulation S. Regulation S provides that an offering will be

deemed to occur outside of the United States (and thus
outside the registration requirements of the Securities Act) if,
among other things, (i) the offer or sale is made in an
offshore transaction and (ii) there are no “directed selling
efforts” in the United States by the issuer, a distributor, any
of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of
any of the foregoing.
(i) Offshore Transaction. Offerings under Regulation S are

generally limited to non-U.S. persons. As a general
matter, the definition of U.S. person under
Regulation S focuses on whether the person is a U.S.
resident or whether the investing vehicle is organized
under the laws of the United States.
(ii) Directed Selling Efforts. “Directed selling efforts” under

Regulation S means any activity for the purpose of (or
that could reasonably be expected to have the effect of)
conditioning the U.S. market for the Fund interests,
including actions to encourage “flow-back” of the
interests into the United States (i.e., the resale of the
securities back into the United States).
e. Other Private Placement Rules. A sponsor should carefully

consider the securities offering requirements of each non-
U.S. jurisdiction where Fund interests are to be marketed. In
116
2. U.S. Investment Company Act
some cases, the Fund will need to engage a locally licensed

agent. Many jurisdictions have local filing, registration or
ongoing reporting requirements, for one or more of the
General Partner, the Manager or the Fund itself. In
particular, the implementation of the AIFMD requires
careful analysis of marketing, filing and reporting
requirements in the countries comprising the European
Economic Area. See Topic L.12, below. Debevoise maintains
an international survey that tracks securities laws
requirements in over 60 jurisdictions.
In general, any issuer of securities which is engaged or holds

itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage
primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in
securities must register under the Investment Company Act,
unless otherwise excluded from the definition of “investment
company.”
Key Comparisons between 3(c)(1) and

3(c)(7) Exemptions
Section 3(c)(1) Section 3(c)(7)
Public offering No No
Investor qualification None (but see ’33 Act, AIs) Qualified purchasers (excluding
knowledgeable employees)
Investor limit 100 (excluding None (but see ’34 Act, <2000)
knowledgeable employees)
Statutory look- 10% beneficial owners who None (but see ICA Rule 2a51-3)
through are “private funds” (i.e.,
3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7))
Non-statutory look- Yes Yes
through
117
a. Section 3(c)(7)Funds for “Qualified Purchasers.”
(i) Under section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act,

a Fund is exempt from registration under the
Investment Company Act if (A) its outstanding
securities are owned solely by any number of “qualified
purchasers” (see further description in L.2.a(ii),
immediately below) and (B) it is not making and does
not propose to make a public offering of its securities.
Note, however, that if the section 3(c)(7) Fund has
2,000 or more investors, it will become subject to filing
public periodic reports with the SEC under
section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.
(ii) “Qualified purchasers” include (A) natural persons, or

companies owned by persons related as siblings or
spouses, or the descendants, estates or trusts of such
persons, owning not less than $5 million in
investments and (B) any person or entity, acting for its
own account or the account of other qualified
purchasers, that in the aggregate owns and invests on a
discretionary basis not less than $25 million in net
investments.
b. Section 3(c)(1) Funds for 100 Beneficial Owners or Less.
(i) Under section 3(c)(1) of the Investment Company Act,

a Fund is exempt from registration under the
Investment Company Act if (A) its securities are
beneficially owned by not more than 100 persons and
118
(B) it is not making or proposing to make a public

offering.
(ii) Special “look-through” counting rules apply to certain

investors, including if any investor that itself relies on
either section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment
Company Act (e.g., a fund of funds) owns 10% or more
of the outstanding voting securities of any Fund.
(iii) The SEC staff has said that similar Funds with the
same sponsor may be “integrated” (i.e., viewed as a
single Fund) for purposes of the 100 beneficial owner
limit of section 3(c)(1) unless a reasonable investor
would consider interests in the two Funds to be
materially different. A Fund relying on section 3(c)(1)
will not be integrated with a Fund relying on section
3(c)(7).
(iv) In May 2018, section 3(c)(1) of the Investment

Company Act was amended to include an additional
exemption for venture capital funds (as defined in the
Advisers Act) that offer securities to no more than
250 people and have no more than $10 million in
aggregate contributions and uncalled capital.
c. Joint Marketing to U.S. Persons and Non-U.S. Persons (Touche

Remnant/Goodwin Proctor doctrine).
(i) A Fund organized in a non-U.S. jurisdiction may make

a private offering into the United States if either
(A) fewer than 100 U.S. persons beneficially own the
119
Fund’s securities (section 3(c)(1) of the Investment

Company Act) or (B) all U.S. persons who own
securities of the Fund are “qualified purchasers”
(section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act). For
these purposes, only investors resident in the United
States are counted. Thus, an offshore Fund could be
offered widely to non-U.S. investors and at the same
time placed privately either with up to 100 beneficial
owners in the United States or with (in theory) an
unlimited number of U.S. qualified purchasers.
Generally, however, additional steps will have to be
taken to ensure that a U.S. trading market is not likely
to develop for the Fund interests offered to non-U.S.
persons (e.g., requiring transfer to U.S. persons to occur
under a private placement exemption). The SEC has
said that, generally, an offshore Fund may look to
Regulation S to determine who is a non-U.S. investor.
(ii) By contrast, a Fund organized under U.S. law counts all

investors worldwide.
d. Ongoing Requirements. The 100 beneficial owner limit of

section 3(c)(1) and the qualified purchaser requirement of
section 3(c)(7) are ongoing requirements that must be
monitored. This means, among other things, that
(i) investors must be restricted in their ability to transfer or
subdivide interests and (ii) the sponsor will have to monitor
who the actual beneficial owners of the Fund’s investors are.
e. Knowledgeable Employees. Under Rule 3c-5, a

“knowledgeable employee” is not required to be counted
120
3. U.S. Advisers Act
toward either the 100 beneficial owner limit in section 3(c)(1)

or the qualified purchaser requirement in section 3(c)(7).
“Knowledgeable Employees” of a Fund are (i) any “executive
officer” of the Fund or “affiliated management person” of
the Fund and (ii) certain “participating employees” of the
Fund or an affiliated management person.
f. What if a Fund Decides to Register? While this is highly

unusual and burdensome, certain funds have registered
under the Investment Company Act as a “RIC” in special
cases. This could be desirable to obtain the benefit of the
plan asset exemption for investment companies under
ERISA, to obtain favorable regulated investment company
tax status or to permit retail distribution of a Fund. A Fund
registered as an RIC is required to comply with the many
substantive regulatory provisions contained in the
Investment Company Act, including restrictions on
incentive fee arrangements.
In general, investment advisers (persons who, for compensation,

are in the business of providing investment advice), must
register as such with the SEC, unless an exemption is available.
a. Investment Adviser Registration.
(i) Most U.S. Managers (and their related General

Partners) of funds are now required to register with the
SEC under the Advisers Act if they have more than
$150 million in assets under management.
121
(ii) Most non-U.S. Managers (and their related General

Partners) of funds with no place of business in the
United States are not required to register with the SEC
under the Advisers Act; however, they may be required
to make certain filings as “exempt reporting advisers”
(“ERAs”).
(iii) The following exemptions from registration are

available to Managers and related General Partners of
funds:
(A) Foreign Private Adviser Exemption. A non-U.S.

investment adviser is exempt from registration
under the Advisers Act if it (1) has no place of
business in the United States, (2) has, in total,
fewer than 15 U.S. clients (e.g., private funds or
managed accounts) and U.S. investors in private
funds advised by the investment adviser, (3) has
aggregate assets under management attributable to
those U.S. clients and U.S. investors of less than
$25 million, (4) does not hold itself generally to
the U.S. public as an investment adviser and
(5) does not act as an investment adviser to any
RIC or BDC.
(B) Private Fund Adviser Exemption.
(1) An investment adviser whose principal place of

business is in the United States may be exempt
from registration under the Advisers Act if the
investment adviser (x) provides investment
122
advice only to private funds and (y) has less

than $150 million in assets under management.
(2) An investment adviser whose principal place of

business is outside the United States may be
exempt from registration under the Advisers
Act if the investment adviser (x) has no
advisory clients who are U.S. persons other
than private funds and (y) manages less than
$150 million in assets at a U.S. place of
business.
(C) Other Applicable Exemptions. An investment

adviser will be exempt from registration under the
Advisors Act if:
(1) The investment adviser provides advice solely

to venture capital funds (i.e., an investment
adviser that relies on the venture capital fund
adviser exemption is an ERA); or
(2) The investment adviser provides advice solely

to small business investment companies.
b. Advisers Act Regulation of RIAs. If Advisers Act registration

is required, the Manager and General Partner will be subject
to substantive requirements as well as oversight by the SEC
through its inspection program. The substantive provisions
of the Advisers Act include the following:
123
(i) Anti-Fraud Provisions. The anti-fraud provisions are at

the heart of the Advisers Act and are the basis for
many SEC enforcement proceedings. The general anti-
fraud provisions of the Advisers Act apply to all
advisers, whether registered or exempt. Generally, the
Advisers Act’s anti-fraud provisions are interpreted
broadly to impose on an investment adviser a number
of duties, including an affirmative duty of utmost good
faith to act solely in the best interests of its clients and
to make full and fair disclosure of all material facts (i.e.,
a fiduciary duty), particularly with respect to conflicts
of interest. The SEC has issued a number of rules
under the anti-fraud provisions that are discussed
further below. In addition, the SEC recently published
an interpretation of the standard of conduct for
investment advisers under the Advisers Act that,
addresses, among other things, an adviser’s duties of
care and loyalty and disclosures of conflicts of interest.
This interpretation is available on the SEC website at
https://www.sec.gov/rules/interp/2019/ia-5248.pdf.
(A) Conflicts of Interest. An investment adviser should

identify and mitigate and/or disclose any conflicts
of interest that it, its affiliates or its employees
have with its clients. In many cases, the limited
partnership agreements of a private Fund will
require an investment adviser to receive consent of
a limited partnership advisory committee with
respect to certain transactions involving conflicts
of interest, including certain affiliated transactions.
The SEC’s recent interpretation also notes that
124
certain types of exculpation or “hedge” clauses may

present conflicts of interest that should be
disclosed.
(B) Allocation of Investment Opportunities and Portfolio

Management. An investment adviser should adopt
policies and procedures to address (and disclose)
the conflicts of interests between different clients,
including the allocation of investment
opportunities, investments in different classes of
securities of the same portfolio company and the
allocation of co-investment opportunities to
Limited Partners of the Main Fund, strategic
partners and other third parties. In many
circumstances, the organizational documents of a
private fund client will include specific
requirements regarding these issues.
(C) Allocation of Fees and Expenses. An investment

adviser has a duty to disclose all fees and expenses
that may be charged to its clients, all fees that the
investment adviser earns from managing
investments and the allocation of all such fees and
expenses among its clients (including separate
accounts and co-investment vehicles), the adviser
and its affiliates. In the Fund context, the fees and
expenses that Fund investors may pay (directly or
indirectly, through the Fund or portfolio
companies) should be addressed with an
appropriate level of specificity in the Fund’s limited
partnership agreement and Private Placement
125
Memorandum as well as in the investment

adviser’s Form ADV Part 2A (see below).
(D) Duty of Best Execution. Where an investment

adviser is responsible for directing client brokerage,
it must seek best execution of its clients’ securities
transactions (i.e., the investment adviser must seek
to ensure that the client’s total cost or proceeds in
each transaction is the most favorable under the
circumstances). In assessing whether this standard
is met, an investment adviser should consider the
full range and quality of a broker’s services.
(ii) Form ADV. In order to register, an RIA must file a

Form ADV with the SEC as well as amend the Form
ADV at least annually. Parts 1A and 2A of Form ADV
are publicly available on the SEC website. Parts 2A and
2B of Form ADV are required to be delivered to the
“clients” of the RIA. As explained above, with respect
to a Fund, the Fund is the client; however, a Manager
will generally deliver copies of Part 2A to its investors
along with the offering materials of the Fund (and on
an annual basis).
(iii) Form PF. An RIA with more than $150 million in

assets under management attributable to private funds
is required to file Form PF, a report that is designed to
allow the SEC and other financial regulators to assess
the systemic risks related to private funds. The
frequency and level of detail required by Form PF
depend on the RIA’s assets under management relating
126
to private funds and the types of private funds the

adviser manages.
(iv) Compliance Policies and Procedures. An RIA is required

to adopt, implement, maintain and continually review
written policies and procedures reasonably designed to
prevent violation of the Advisers Act by the RIA or any
of its supervised persons. An RIA must also establish,
maintain and enforce written policies and procedures
reasonably designed to prevent the misuse of material
non-public information by the RIA and any person
associated with the RIA.
(v) Code of Ethics and Personal Securities Trading. An RIA

must adopt a code of ethics that, among other things,
sets forth a standard of conduct for its employees,
requires compliance with U.S. federal securities laws
and requires the adviser’s “access persons” (employees
with access to certain types of information) to
periodically report their personal securities
transactions and holdings to the adviser’s chief
compliance officer or other designated persons.
(vi) Books and Records. An RIA is subject to extensive

books and records requirements covering both the
RIA’s books and records and the books and records of
any of its funds. A sponsor should develop document
retention policies that are designed to facilitate
compliance with the books and records rules, including
with respect to the retention of e-mails.
127
(vii) SEC Examination. All of the books and records of an

RIA are subject to examination by the SEC. An SEC
inspection often occurs within a year after initial
registration; the frequency of examinations thereafter
depends upon the SEC’s assessment of the sponsor’s
risk profile. Violations of the Advisers Act may result
in the imposition of civil or administrative sanctions
by the SEC, as well as substantial monetary penalties.
SEC staff examinations of private fund managers and
related SEC enforcement actions have focused on,
among other things, issues relating to the allocation of
fees and expenses (including broken-deal expenses),
the allocation of investment and co-investment
opportunities, the valuation of Fund assets,
performance presentations and other marketing
materials, disclosure relating to the portfolio
companies’ or Funds’ payments for the use of
“consultants” that are otherwise employed by the
adviser and the use and adequate disclosure of
accelerated monitoring fees or monitoring fees that
last longer than the Fund’s holding of the portfolio
company.
(viii) Incentive Compensation Limits. The Advisers Act

prohibits certain types of performance fees, including
Carried Interest, unless (A) the Fund relies on
section 3(c)(1) of the Investment Company Act (see
Topic L.2.b, above) and all of the Limited Partners
meet a “qualified client” test, (B) the Fund relies on
section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act (see
Topic L.2.a, above), (C) the Fund is not a U.S. resident
128
(for example, if it is not a U.S. person for purposes of

Regulation S under the Securities Act (see Topic L.1.d,
above)) or (D) the Fund is a BDC and the
compensation does not exceed 20% of realized capital
gains.
(ix) Restrictions on “Assignments” of Advisory Contracts. The

investment management agreement between a Fund
and an RIA must contain a provision requiring the
client’s (i.e., the Fund’s) consent to an “assignment” of
the agreement. For purposes of the Advisers Act, an
“assignment” is a technical term that includes certain
transactions that involve a transfer of a controlling
interest in the equity interest in the RIA (e.g., an
acquisition of the RIA or the entrance or departure of a
control person of the RIA).
(x) Disclosure Requirements. An investment adviser is a

fiduciary and must make full disclosure to clients of all
material facts relating to the advisory relationship,
including full disclosure of all material conflicts of
interest that could affect the advisory relationship.
(xi) Notice Provision. If the RIA is organized as a

partnership, the investment advisory contract must
provide for the notification of the client (i.e., the Fund)
of any change in the membership of the RIA within a
reasonable time of such change.
(xii) Advertising Restrictions. Generally, the Advisers Act

prohibits RIAs from distributing any advertisement
129
that, among other things, contains untrue statements

of material fact or that is otherwise false or misleading.
These advertising restrictions have been the subject of
numerous enforcement actions by the SEC. The rules
also set forth conditions for disclosing prior
recommendations of the RIA (i.e., past investment
performance).
(xiii) Limits on Principal and Agency Cross Transactions. The

Advisers Act prohibits an investment adviser (whether
or not registered) from entering into certain
transactions with the Fund where the adviser, or a
person controlling, controlled by or under common
control with the adviser, acts as principal for its own
account, or the adviser or one of its control persons
acts as broker for the other party to the transaction,
without prior disclosure to and consent from the Fund.
(xiv) Custody. The SEC has adopted an anti-fraud rule that

imposes additional requirements if the RIA has
“custody” of client assets. In general, a sponsor that is
an RIA is required to maintain the Fund’s securities
and other assets with a “qualified custodian” (e.g., a
bank or registered broker-dealer). In addition, the
Fund generally will be audited annually by an
independent accountant registered and inspected by
the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and
its audited financial statements are distributed to fund
investors within 120 days (180 days, in the case of a
fund of funds) after the end of its fiscal year.
130
(xv) Pay-to-Play. The SEC has adopted a rule designed to

prohibit certain practices relating to the solicitation of
business from state and local governments (generally
characterized as “pay-to-play” practices), including
significant restrictions on the political contributions
and certain other fundraising activities by an RIA and
its affiliates, officers and employees, and restrictions on
using a third-party solicitor or placement agent to
solicit business or investments from state or local
governments unless the solicitor or placement agent is
either an RIA, registered municipal advisor or a
registered broker-dealer (as applicable) that is also
subject to “pay-to-play” restrictions. The rule is
applicable to RIAs, to Exempt Registered Advisers and
to investment advisers relying on the Foreign Private
Adviser Exemption (see Topic L.3.a.iii.A, above).
c. Advisers Act Requirements for ERAs. As noted above, an

investment adviser that relies on either the Private Fund
Adviser Exemption (see Topic L.3.a.iii.B, above) or the
venture capital fund adviser exemption is an ERA and is
subject to certain regulatory requirements under the
Advisers Act. As a practical matter, most non-U.S. Managers
that are not RIAs are ERAs if they have 15 or more U.S.
investors or have $25 million or more in assets under
management attributable to U.S. investors.
(i) Form ADV. An ERA is required to file Part 1A of

Form ADV within 60 days of becoming an ERA and is
required to update its Form ADV at least annually. An
ERA is not required to provide all of the information
131
required by Part 1A; rather, it is only required to

provide certain identifying information concerning the
ERA and the private funds that it manages.
(ii) Examination. The SEC has stated that it has the

statutory authority to examine ERAs.
(iii) Books and Records. ERAs are not subject to the

recordkeeping requirements for RIAs set forth in
Rule 204-2 under the Advisers Act; however, the SEC
has the authority to impose recordkeeping
requirements on ERAs in the future.
(iv) Anti-Fraud. ERAs, like all registered and unregistered

investment advisers, are subject to the anti-fraud
provisions of the Advisers Act (see Topic L.3.b.i, above).
Similarly, ERAs are subject to the “pay-to-play”
restrictions (see Topic L.3.b.xv, above).
(v) Insider Trading. ERAs are also required to adopt

written policies and procedures relating to the misuse
of material, non-public information (e.g., insider
trading). In addition, ERAs, like all persons, are subject
to liability under the U.S. insider trading laws to the
extent that they apply.
(vi) Business Continuity Plans. While not yet required by a

formal rule, the SEC expects an RIA to develop a
business continuity plan identifying procedures
relating to an emergency or significant business
disruption. A proposed rule requiring specific
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4. U.S. Commodity Exchange Act
components of a business continuity plan is under

consideration but has not been adopted.
(vii) Municipal Advisor. An ERA should consider whether

or not its activities require it to register with the SEC
as a “municipal advisor.” See Topic I.2.d, above.
4. U.S. Commodity Exchange Act
a. In general, where a Fund (or any other “commodity pool” in

the Fund structure) trades “commodity interests” (as defined
below), the Manager, General Partner, board of directors (in
the case of certain Cayman feeder structures) or other entity
or body that has ultimate investment authority and/or is
responsible for marketing the Fund must either (i) register
with the CFTC as a commodity pool operator (“CPO”) or
(ii) ensure that the Fund (and all other commodity pools in
the structure) limits its commodity interest trading such
that the CPO may rely on the “de minimis exemption” from
CPO registration with respect to the Fund (and any other
commodity pool) under the CFTC Regulations (which, in
addition to certain other requirements, require the Fund and
any other commodity pool to meet certain criteria each time
a commodity interest position is established).
b. Additionally, the Manager, General Partner, board of

directors (to the extent applicable) or other entity providing
commodity interest trading advice to the Fund may be
required to either register as a commodity trading advisor
(“CTA”) or qualify for an exemption from registration under
the CFTC Regulations.
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5. Broker-Dealer Issues
c. “Commodity interests” for these purposes include (i) futures

and options on futures traded on exchanges, including
security futures products that are based on a single security
or narrow-based securities index, (ii) options on
commodities, (iii) retail forex transactions and (iv) swaps,
including swaps that are traded on a designated contract
market or on a swap execution facility and swaps that are
traded on a bilateral basis.
d. A CPO that cannot satisfy the “de minimis exemption” or

other applicable exemption may have to register with the
CFTC as a CPO, which will result in additional disclosure,
recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
a. Who Is a Broker? Generally speaking, a broker is a person

engaged in the business of effecting transactions in securities
for the account of others. For these purposes, being
“engaged in the business” means taking compensation from
others (particularly compensation tied to the size or success
of a securities transaction) and does not necessarily require
activity over an extended period of time or multiple
transactions. In the private equity context, a stakeholder in a
Fund (including a sponsor, Manager and/or its employees)
may potentially be considered to be acting as a broker with
respect to (i) the offering of ownership interests in the Fund
or (ii) the transactions engaged in by the Fund or by the
portfolio companies controlled by the Fund.
134
b. Offering of Interests to Investors.
(i) Issuer Exemption. Associated persons of a Fund (e.g.,

employees of the Manager) will often rely on one of
the non-exclusive safe harbors from broker
registration described in Rule 3a4-1 of the Exchange
Act, the most commonly used of which requires that
the persons (A) do not receive commissions or other
transaction-based compensation, (B) perform
substantial duties other than sales activities and (C) do
not participate in selling an offering of securities for
any Fund more than once every 12 months. In
addition, since Rule 3a4-1 is a non-exclusive safe
harbor that does not preclude direct reliance on the
statutory text, some Fund sponsors take the position
that they (and their associated persons) fall outside of
the statutory definition of “broker,” while also
following most (but not always all) of the
requirements of Rule 3a4-1 as a prudential matter.
(ii) Registration as a Broker-Dealer. Many larger Fund

sponsors have affiliated registered broker-dealers, who
participate in the offering of interests in funds and
portfolio transactions of the funds. Registered broker-
dealers are generally members of FINRA and are
subject to regulation (and examination) by FINRA and
the SEC. The registration process can be quite
involved.
c. Transactions by Funds and Portfolio Companies. Private

equity sponsors may wish to engage in a variety of activities
135
6. Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism and Sanctions Regulations
on behalf of funds and portfolio companies, including

identifying, providing advice on, structuring, negotiating and
executing transactions involving securities, and receiving
fees relating to such transactions. While such activities are
not uncommon (and enforcement has been rare), sponsors
should bear in mind that the SEC staff takes the general
view that soliciting or structuring securities transactions for
compensation (particularly transaction-based compensation)
is a brokerage activity requiring registration as a broker-
dealer. Informally, the SEC staff has indicated that a Fund
sponsor whose transaction fees are subject to a 100% offset
against its Management Fees would not be required to
register as a broker-dealer. See Topic E.2, above.
6. Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism and Sanctions

Regulations
a. Generally. A Fund organized or managed outside of the

United States will be subject to local anti-money laundering
(among other) regulations, which may require the Fund and
its sponsor to conduct certain “know your customer”
diligence and report on certain suspicious transactions. For
example, the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey
jurisdictions, often used to organize funds, have enacted
legislation on money laundering that affects funds’ diligence,
reporting and recordkeeping procedures. The Cayman
Islands recently enacted more burdensome anti-money
laundering regulations that require stricter reporting
requirements and compliance regimes. The new Cayman
legal regime requires, for example, the designation of certain
money laundering reporting officers; certain training for all
136
responsible for Cayman funds; ongoing diligence on

investors and investments; and formal delegation by
Cayman funds of AML functions to those performing AML
responsibilities. Additionally, all European Union countries
are required by a European Directive to implement anti-
money laundering legislation, which may affect funds and
sponsors operating in European Union countries. Another
feature in the European Union is the transparency register.
The Directive requires European Union countries to
establish a register listing the beneficial owners of, for
instance, companies, partnerships and trusts, including funds
established in the European Union. The U.S. regulatory
landscape is somewhat different, in that it currently does not
explicitly call on funds and their sponsors to take on
affirmative anti-money laundering steps; however, funds and
their sponsors that are “willfully blind” to money laundering
and related criminal activity (on the part of investors or
portfolio companies) could be held criminally liable for
money laundering. The regulatory landscape in this area is
continually evolving and Fund sponsors must be aware of
anti-money laundering requirements in their relevant
jurisdictions, including requirements to carry out “know
your customer” and due diligence procedures on potential
investors. In addition, it is increasingly common for Fund
investors, lenders and others to require funds and their
sponsors to adopt anti-money laundering and “know your
customer” compliance regimes.
b. Sanctions. A related set of issues involves economic and

trade sanctions. For example, the United States and
European Union maintain (similar but not identical)
137
sanctions that prohibit citizens of their jurisdictions from

doing business with certain sanctioned countries, persons
and entities. Often these sanctioned parties are alleged to be
engaged in terrorism and other criminal activities. Although
not specifically related to money laundering, if a Fund holds
assets belonging to persons or entities controlled by or
associated with sanctioned persons or entities, the Fund
must “block” such assets and report this to the relevant
government.
c. Special Regulations Applicable to Broker-Dealers. Generally

speaking, broker-dealers (including broker-dealers affiliated
with funds) are subject to affirmative anti-money laundering
requirements. They must comply with the recordkeeping
and reporting requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act.
Broker-dealers and certain other types of financial
institutions must establish anti-money laundering
compliance programs (including customer identification
programs), conduct ongoing customer due diligence and
submit suspicious activity reports (“SARs”), among other
requirements. Recently, broker-dealers have also become
subject to the so-called “customer due diligence rule,” which
requires them to identify and verify beneficial owners of
certain legal entity customers. Fund sponsors that are
affiliated with a broker-dealer may need to implement these
programs (because the Fund investors may be considered
“customers” of the broker-dealer).
138
7. Merchant Banking and Volcker Rule
7. Merchant Banking and Volcker Rule
Fund sponsors that are regulated as Financing Holding

Companies will need to comply with the merchant banking rule
and Volcker Rule issued under the BHC Act. The former rule
governs an FHC’s investments in non-financial companies,
including the extent to which the FHC may be involved in the
management or operation of such companies and how long
investments may be held. The merchant banking rule also
comes into play if a non-FHC Fund sponsor seeks FHC investors
for its funds; in this case, Fund sponsors may need to account for
the investment restrictions applicable to FHCs. The Volcker
Rule generally restricts banking organizations from sponsoring
private funds and making private fund investments, subject to an
array of exceptions. For example, under the Volcker Rule, a non-
U.S. banking institution may be able to invest in a Fund under
the SOTUS Fund exemption, which may apply if the bank is
investing from one of its foreign offices without impermissible
involvement of its U.S. branches, operations and personnel. See
also Topic I.5.b, above.
8. Internal Accounting Control Systems and Cybersecurity
a. SEC Rules and Regulations. Federal law requires all broker-

dealers, investment companies, and investment advisers
registered with the SEC to adopt written policies and
procedures on safeguarding customer information. These
policies and procedures must be reasonably designed to
ensure the security and confidentiality of customer records
and information, protect against any anticipated threats to
the security or integrity of customer records and
139
8. Internal Accounting Control Systems and Cybersecurity
information and protect against unauthorized access to or

use of customer records or information that could result in
substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.
In addition, certain financial institutions, creditors, broker-

dealers, and investment advisers are required to develop and
implement an “Identity Theft Prevention Program” designed
to detect, prevent, and mitigate identity theft in connection
with covered accounts. Such a program must delineate
reasonable policies and procedures to achieve that objective.
b. Developing Policies and Procedures. The SEC has stated that,

in its examinations, it focuses on the following major areas:
governance and risk assessment processes, access rights and
controls, data loss prevention, vendor management training
and incident response policies.
When designing policies and procedures to protect against

cybersecurity risks, sponsors should, among other things,
appoint a member of senior management to oversee
cybersecurity policies and practices, regularly review and
update procedures to respond to changing risks and ensure
its employees communicate regularly to investors about
ongoing threats.
c. Cybersecurity. Finally, a fund sponsor may wish to comply

with the guidance in the SEC’s October 2018 report, in
which the SEC warned companies to ensure their internal
accounting control systems effectively protect them from
cyber-related threats and frauds. Though the SEC’s report
involved publicly traded companies, it provides important
140
9. Consumer Privacy Regulations
insights into the agency’s thinking on these issues and may

inform the obligations imposed on registered investment
advisors to secure their investors’ assets.
9. Consumer Privacy Regulations
U.S. Funds whose investors include natural persons are subject

to regulations (of the SEC and/or the FTC) restricting the ability
of financial institutions to disclose an individual’s non-public
personal financial information to non-affiliated third parties.
These two federal privacy schemes also generally require that a
sponsor and Fund notify their “consumers” and “customers” of
their policies and practices regarding non-public personal
information, and provide an opt-out if the sponsor or Fund
intends to share non-public personal information about
consumers and customers with certain non-affiliated third
parties. These requirements apply only to individual investors
(not trusts or pension plans). Non-U.S. Funds are not subject to
these U.S. privacy regulations specifically, but may be subject to
privacy rules of non-U.S. jurisdictions.
10. GDPR
The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) became

effective on May 25, 2018, greatly increasing the geographic
reach of EU privacy laws to potentially include U.S. companies to
the extent they target or monitor EU data subjects, including
many PE firms that actively fundraise in the EU. The GDPR
allows companies to process personal information only on
certain limited bases, and requires them not to over-collect or
misuse data subjects’ personal data. Companies must consider
141
11. Investments in Regulated Industries
when and how they collect and use information of EU data

subjects. Covered entities also must inform consumers when
their data is collected and respond to consumers’ requests about
their data. The GDPR also strictly controls when and how
information can be moved out from the EU to the United States.
Starting in 2020, companies conducting business in California or

holding the data of California residents will be subject to the
recently passed California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”),
which contains provisions similar to the GDPR, including
substantive cybersecurity requirements.
11. Investments in Regulated Industries
In some cases, a Fund’s investment strategy (for example, funds

that intend to invest in insured depository institutions, defense
industry businesses, public utilities or “critical infrastructure”)
will impose additional regulatory burdens on the Fund, its
investors or the sponsor. For example, a Fund that invests or
may invest in media companies will need to include certain FCC-
specified insulation provisions in its Fund Agreement (or in the
governing documents of an alternative investment vehicle) to
ensure compliance by the Fund, as well as its media companies
and investors, with FCC rules.
12. AIFMD
a. AIFM. The AIFMD is concerned with regulating Managers

who manage and/or market Funds in the European Union.
See also Topic C.2.b.iii, above. Unless an exemption applies,
an EU Manager is required to become authorized by its local
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12. AIFMD
regulator as an “alternative investment fund manager” in

order to manage Funds. The AIFM can be the Manager or
the General Partner depending on who assumes the portfolio
management and/or risk management function in the
structure. The AIFMD is relevant if (i) the Fund is marketed
to investors in the European Union, irrespective of whether
the Fund or its AIFM is established in the European Union
or not, and/or (ii) the AIFM has its seat in the European
Union, and/or (iii) the AIFM not having its seat in the
European Union manages a Fund which is established in the
European Union. It is not relevant for funds which are
outside the European Union, managed by an AIFM outside
the European Union and not marketed to investors in the
European Union. 6
b. Authorization for EU Managers. Authorization necessitates,

in addition to other matters, the Manager appointing a
depositary (for each Fund) that meets specified standards,
meeting regulatory capital requirements, complying with
disclosure and transparency obligations, ensuring that the
post-transaction notification and “no asset stripping”
requirements in respect of controlled portfolio companies in
the European Union are adhered to and implementing
6
The AIFMD is implemented in most member states of the European Union
and the European Economic Area. Although we refer to the European Union
in this discussion, readers should be aware that European Directives are also
implemented in the other member states of the European Economic Area
(Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland).
143
12. AIFMD
certain systems and controls (including with respect to

remuneration of the Manager’s staff).
c. Marketing Notification for Non-EU Managers. In general, for

a non-EU Manager to market a Fund to professional
investors in the European Union, it must comply with (i) the
AIFMD disclosure and transparency obligations, (ii) the
AIFMD “no asset stripping” requirements in respect of
controlled portfolio companies in the European Union and
(iii) national private placement regimes applicable in the
relevant EU jurisdictions (which involves, for a number of
jurisdictions, making a marketing notification or obtaining a
marketing license or approval or the appointment of a
depositary for Danish and German marketing purposes).
Cooperation agreements, which are intended to help
regulators oversee potential systemic risk, must be in place
between the regulator in each EU jurisdiction where the
Manager is marketing and the regulators in the jurisdiction(s)
in which the Fund and the Manager are established.
d. Passporting. An EU Manager benefits from a “passport”

enabling it to market its EU funds throughout the European
Union without requiring registration or licensing by
authorities other than its home state regulator. Although
there is a regime in the legislation of the European Union to
allow non-EU managers to market funds in the European
Union using a passport, this regime has not yet been
activated and therefore is not currently available to non-EU
Managers.
144
13. FATCA
13. FATCA
The U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or “FATCA,” was

enacted in the United States to combat tax evasion by U.S.
persons holding assets offshore by requiring the disclosure of
their direct and indirect ownership interests in certain non-U.S.
accounts and non-U.S. entities to the IRS. Under FATCA, a
withholding tax of 30% will apply to certain payments made to
non-U.S. persons, subject to exceptions, unless they comply with
the FATCA reporting regime. In order to facilitate the
implementation of FATCA, the United States has entered into
intergovernmental agreements (“IGAs”) with many foreign
countries, which simplify the due diligence and disclosure
requirements and eliminate certain withholding obligations
otherwise imposed under FATCA. Funds (whether organized in
the United States or offshore) need to consider the compliance
and reporting aspects of FATCA and any applicable IGA.
14. CRS
The Common Reporting Standard, or “CRS,” is a another

exchange of tax information regime, developed by the
Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development
(“OECD”) to combat tax evasion by requiring the disclosure of
certain direct and indirect owners of interests in financial
accounts (and certain other persons that control such owners).
Around 100 countries participate in CRS, including the Cayman
Islands, Jersey, Guernsey and the United Kingdom. The United
States is not participating in CRS. Funds organized in
participating countries need to consider the compliance and
reporting aspects of CRS.
145
15. Blue Sky and Other U.S. State-Level Matters.
15. Blue Sky and Other U.S. State-Level Matters.
Many U.S. states require filings to be made in connection with

the sale of securities within that jurisdiction. A state securities
law review must be undertaken in connection with each
transaction. Many U.S. states also have requirements in respect
of investment adviser registration. An investment adviser
relying on the Private Fund Adviser exemption under the
Advisers Act (see Topic L.3.a.iii.B, above) must still evaluate
whether it is required to register under applicable U.S. state laws.
In addition, Fund sponsors must take care to ensure compliance
with state broker-dealer regulations.
16. CFIUS
President Trump’s signing of the Foreign Investment Risk

Review Modernization Act (“FIRRMA”) on August 13, 2018
meaningfully broadened the scope of review of foreign equity
investment into the United States by the Committee of Foreign
Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). CFIUS review now
extends beyond controlling investments that may raise national
security concerns. Under FIRRMA, CFIUS may review
transactions by which non-U.S. persons make non-passive
minority investments in U.S. critical technology and critical
infrastructure businesses, and businesses that maintain and
collective sensitive personal information of U.S. citizens. In
addition, CFIUS will promulgate regulations that will require
mandatory declarations for non-passive substantial investments
by foreign government entities. Moreover, as part of FIRRMA’s
implementation, on November 10, CFIUS launched a Pilot
Program that requires mandatory declarations for non-passive
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16. CFIUS
foreign investment in U.S. businesses that design or use “critical

technologies” for a set of specified key industry sectors. Also as
required by FIRRMA, the Department of Commerce has
initiated a proceeding to specify a list of “emerging technologies”
that will themselves be deemed to be “critical.” In light of
foreign investments in U.S. portfolio companies, whether made
directly or indirectly through a general fund, separate account or
co-invest vehicle, sponsors may wish to take these developments
into account, both in drafting Fund documents and in
considering whether they should or must make a CFIUS filing at
the time the Fund makes an investment in a U.S. business.
A piece of good news for Fund sponsors in the context of a

fundraising is that FIRRMA provides an “investment fund safe
harbor,” which excludes from the definition of a “covered
transaction” (i.e., a transaction over which CFIUS has
jurisdiction) a passive investment made by a foreign investor
through a qualifying investment fund. To qualify for this safe
harbor:
(i) The fund must be under the control of a General

Partner who is not a foreign person.
(ii) If the foreign investor sits on the fund’s advisory

committee, the committee must not have the ability to
approve, disapprove or control the fund’s investment
decisions, decisions made by the General Partner
regarding the fund’s portfolio companies, or the hiring,
firing, selection or compensation of the General
Partner. The committee may, however, opine on a
waiver of conflict of interest or allocation limitations.
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17. Cryptocurrencies
(iii) The investor may not have access to material

nonpublic technical information (i.e., that relates to
critical technologies or critical infrastructure).
If the fund’s General Partner is itself a non-U.S. person, or is

controlled by a foreign person or if foreign investors will have
certain rights of access to nonpublic technical information or
governance or will have decision-making rights with respect to
the portfolio company, CFIUS implications should be considered.
In those cases, understanding the ownership of the foreign
investors as well as the nature of the U.S. business becomes
important. If the Fund proposes to invest in a business that
develops or uses critical technologies in an industry included on
the Pilot Program list or is, more broadly, involved in “emerging”
or other “critical” technologies, or if other national security
considerations are present, the sponsor may want to consider
whether a CFIUS filing should or, in the case of mandatory
declarations, must be made.
The rapid growth of cryptocurrencies and the underlying

blockchain technology presents a number of new challenges and
opportunities for investment managers. Managers considering
investments in or holding cryptocurrencies will want to
carefully consider the legal, financial and reputational risks that
could present themselves. For cryptocurrency creators, the key
area of regulatory risk is around whether or not the specific
cryptocurrency is a security and thus subject to the securities
laws, including the rules and regulations of the SEC. For
investment managers considering investing in the
148
cryptocurrency space, however, there are a host of additional

issues that should be carefully considered prior to investment,
including:
a. Tax implications (the IRS views virtual currencies as

property);
b. Custody rules;
c. AML and similar compliance;
d. Valuation concerns;
e. “Marketable security” definition; and
f. Cyber security risks (The blockchain may be secure but the

networks which provide access to it are frequently not).
Given the attention on cryptocurrencies and the staggering

amount of money being raised in this new area, a host of U.S.
regulators (and many of their state and foreign counterparts)
have expanded their oversight and enforcement of
cryptocurrency-related participants, including the SEC,
CFTC, FINRA, FinCen, OFAC and IRS, among others. In
light of this regulatory scrutiny, we encourage investment
managers to consult with counsel in advance of making an
investment in this area.
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Advisers Act: U.S. Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as

amended
AIFMD: European Alternative Investment Fund

Managers Directive
BDC: regulated business development company
BHC: bank holding company
BHC Act: U.S. Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as

amended
CFC: controlled foreign corporation
CFIUS Committee of Foreign Investment in the

United States
CFTC: U.S. Commodity Futures Trading

Commission
CFTC Regulations: regulations of the CFTC under the U.S.

Commodity Exchange Act
Code: U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as

amended
CRS: The Common Reporting Standard
DOL: U.S. Department of Labor

ECI: income effectively connected with the

conduct of a trade or business within the
United States
ERA: exempt reporting adviser
ERISA: U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security

Act of 1974, as amended
Exchange Act: U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as

amended
FATCA: U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act

provisions of the Code and related U.S.
Treasury guidance
FCC: U.S. Federal Communications Commission
FHC: financial holding company
FINRA: U.S. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
FIRPTA: U.S. Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax

Act, as amended
FIRRMA Foreign Investment Risk Review

Modernization Act
FOIA Freedom of Information Act
FTC: U.S. Federal Trade Commission

GDPR The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation
IGAs: Intergovernmental agreements
Investment U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as

Company Act: amended
IRR: internal rate of return
IRS: U.S. Internal Revenue Service
KID Key Information Document
MiFID: Markets in Financial Instruments Directive
OECD: Organization of Economic Co-operation and

Development
PFIC: passive foreign investment company
REIT: real estate investment trust
REOC: real estate operating company
RIA: registered investment adviser
RIC: registered investment company
RULPA: Delaware Revised Uniform Limited

Partnership Act
SBIC: small business investment company

SEC: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities Act: U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended
UBTI: unrelated business taxable income
U.S. GAAP: U.S. generally accepted accounting principles
USRPHC: United States real property holding

corporation
VCOC: venture capital operating company
Volcker Rule: Section 13 of the BHC Act

Private Equity Funds: Key Business, Legal and Tax Issues
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Private Equity Funds: Key Business, Legal and Tax Issues

Private Equity Funds

Business Center Mokhovaya

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

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© Debevoise & Plimpton LLP 2019

Our fund formation practice is an important element in the

© 2019 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. All Rights Reserved.

A. OVERVIEW OF PRIVATE EQUITY FUNDS ..................................................... 3

B. FUND PRODUCTS AND STRATEGIES ........................................................ 15

C. THE OFFERING ......................................................................................... 23

D. FUND TERMS: CARRIED INTEREST AND DISTRIBUTIONS........................ 37

E. FUND TERMS: MANAGEMENT FEES, FEE INCOME AND FUND

F. FUND TERMS: CLOSING THE FUND AND MAKING INVESTMENTS ........... 53

G. FUND TERMS: CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND RELATED ISSUES............ 61

H. FUND TERMS: LP REMEDIES .................................................................... 69

I. COMMON PRIVATE EQUITY FUND INVESTORS ......................................... 75

J. INVESTOR LEVEL TAX ISSUES .................................................................. 91

5. Structuring Mechanisms ..................................................................................... 101

K. STRUCTURING THE MANAGER AND THE GENERAL PARTNER AND

L. CERTAIN KEY REGULATORY ISSUES ....................................................... 113

GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

Private equity is a broad and global industry that has seen

© 2019 Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. All Rights Reserved.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

A private equity fund is a private pool of capital (a “Fund”)

Some Funds pursue a broader generalist strategy, while others focus

retirement plans, sovereign wealth funds, university endowments,

Proportion of Aggregate Capital Currently Invested in Private Equity

Private Equity Fund of Funds Manager

Sovereign Wealth Fund

a. A typical Fund is structured as a fixed-life limited

contractually to contribute capital to the Fund as and when

b. The Manager administers and advises the Fund, seeks out

by its investors), although in the case of UK and EU funds,

Figure 1: Simplified U.S. Fund Structure

c. The General Partner controls the Fund and, subject to

the entity through which the sponsor and the Investment

2. U.S. Tax Structuring Considerations

a. Structure the Fund as a Partnership. The Fund can be

subject to U.S. tax will be required to include its share of the

b. Avoid the Use of a Fund Entirely. Some sponsors choose to

c. Organize the Fund as a Private Real Estate Investment Trust

d. Alternative Structures. Certain investors (e.g., non-U.S. and

concerned with U.S. tax filing obligations arising from the

e. State and Local Taxes. In addition to U.S. federal income tax

3. Partnership or Other Form?

Assuming that the sponsor wants a Fund that is classified as a

a. Limited Partnerships. This is the traditional (and still by far

b. Limited Liability Companies. Limited liability company

states and, recently, the Cayman Islands, permitting great

c. Business Trusts. U.S. business trust laws are extremely

d. Qualifying Non-U.S. Entities. Under the U.S. entity

Channel Islands limited partnerships and UK limited

a. The Delaware limited partnership is the Fund vehicle of

b. If the Fund is investing outside of the United States, many

commonly chosen fund vehicle in the United Kingdom’s

c. A primary reason sponsors that invest outside of the United

d. Certain classes of potential investors in certain countries

5. Multiproduct and Multijurisdictional Offerings