Paul Foley is a shareholder in Baker Donelson's Corporate Group and focuses his practice on corporate, securities, and business law. He has decades of experience representing investment advisers, private equity funds, venture capital funds, funds of funds, hedge funds, issuers, institutional investors, broker-dealers, and financial institutions in complex federal and state securities regulatory matters. He is recognized for his practical, business-oriented solutions and leadership in the investment management industry.
Investment Adviser Representation, Registration, and Compliance
Paul has extensive experience representing institutional and retail investment advisers in a broad range of securities, compliance, and business matters. His work includes federal and state investment adviser registration on Form ADV, drafting and reviewing investment advisory agreements and other key contracts, guiding clients through Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) examinations, handling mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, and developing and implementing tailored compliance policies and procedures.
Investment Adviser Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investment Transactions
Paul has assisted many large and small registered investment advisers (RIAs) with M&A and investment transactions, including minority transactions and joint ventures. These transactions have included many RIAs with billions of dollars under management.
Fund Formation
Paul counsels clients on all aspects of investment fund formation, having guided fund managers through the creation of hundreds of funds across a wide range of asset classes and strategies. He advises on fund structuring, formation, and offerings, and provides ongoing guidance on investments, transactions, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and securities law matters.
Securities Enforcement and Investigations
Paul conducts internal investigations and advises clients on examination and enforcement-related inquiries and investigations by the SEC, self-regulatory organizations, and state securities agencies.
Corporate Representation
In his role as general counsel to private business clients, Paul works closely with attorneys across more than 20 practice areas at Baker Donelson to provide comprehensive legal guidance, including litigation, intellectual property, real estate, tax, construction, environmental, and employment law.