Stephanie Thomas

Stephanie chair's the Global Private Funds Group at Morrison & Foerster where she is focused on private fund formation and related regulatory compliance matters. She has extensive experience representing fund sponsors and institutional investors in connection with the formation of, and investments in, buyout funds, venture capital funds, secondary funds, debt funds, fund-of-funds, social impact funds and other private funds, ranging in size and investment focus. Fund Sponsors -- Stephanie represents numerous fund sponsors in the formation of their private funds, as well as ongoing fund operations, including upper-tier planning, parallel and feeder fund structures, alternative and offshore vehicles, securities law matters, ERISA compliance, secondary transactions, and other tax and regulatory matters. Institutional Investors -- Stephanie has represented investors in hundreds of foreign and domestic fund formation transactions, including in some of the largest private funds ever formed. She advises institutional investors, state and corporate pension funds, insurance companies, investment managers and fund of funds in these investments. Investment Advisers -- Stephanie advises fund sponsors and other investment advisers on the principal aspects of the Investment Advisers Act. She assists her clients in navigating this regulatory landscape, including registration requirements, exemption eligibility, compliance programs, mock SEC exams and ongoing compliance matters. Prior to joining MoFo, Stephanie was a member of the fund formation group in the Palo Alto office of Cooley LLP. She graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in Political Science/Public Law and received her J.D. From the UCLA School of Law where she served as Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review.