K&L Gates Expands Asset Management and Investment Funds Practice With Chicago Partner Addition

Chicago – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Sarah Riddell as a partner in its Asset Management and Investment Funds (AMIF) practice. Riddell joins the firm’s Chicago office from Morgan Lewis.

Riddell regularly advises private fund managers, exchange-traded fund issuers, futures commission merchants, swap dealers, exchanges, and clearinghouses on US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and National Futures Association (NFA) registration, compliance, and examination matters. She assists futures commission merchants on CFTC and exchange reporting requirements, as well as compliance with the CFTC’s customer protection regime. She also advises funds, digital wallet businesses, and exchanges that invest in or issue digital assets on regulatory issues, including the applicability of the New York State Department Financial Services (NYDFS) BitLicense regulation and other federal and state laws and regulations.

Riddell advocates for clients and trade associations by assisting them with petitions for rulemakings and comment letters on regulatory proposals. She has been closely involved with the industry’s efforts to ensure a smooth transition into compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission’s US Treasury clearing mandate.

Michael Caccese, K&L Gates chairman and a leader of the firm’s AMIF practice area, stated: “Sarah is an excellent practitioner who brings high level skills to solve complex problems for clients. Her deep knowledge of the CFTC and NFA and the complex digital assets space complements our practice in the derivatives area. Her knowledge will ensure clients operate at the highest levels of compliance and develop products and programs that are at the forefront among their peers.”

Riddell’s experience as a lawyer for the CFTC bolsters her ability to advise US and international futures and swap exchanges, derivatives clearing organizations, and financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory matters, including CFTC registration and compliance. While a lawyer at the CFTC, Riddell worked on rulemakings related to the Dodd-Frank Act and participated in examinations of derivatives clearing organizations, including those designated as systemically important.

“We are excited to add Sarah’s knowledge to our Chicago office and our leading global AMIF practice,” said Michael Martinez, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Chicago office. “She bolsters the AMIF team here in Chicago, which added partners Kevin Gustafson and Chris Lokken in 2023. Sarah’s background ensures clients have answers to complex questions related to CFTC and NFA regulatory matters, examinations, fund formation, AI, and digital assets.”

K&L Gates’ AMIF practice has more than 50 years of experience in the financial services industry and comprises more than 150 lawyers throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. These lawyers provide advice to investment companies and advisers, broker-dealers, emerging managers, and institutional investors across a range of areas, including on investment, hedge, private equity, and real estate funds, regulated funds and exchange-traded products, capital markets and derivatives, ERISA, ESG, and global regulation and distribution, among others.