Lowenstein Sandler Hires Hila Cohen as Partner for Venture Funds Group

Lowenstein Sandler has hired Hila Cohen as a partner in its Venture Funds Launch Group, strengthening the firm's practice advising emerging venture capital managers on fund formation, fundraising, regulation, and the development of investment management businesses.

Cohen joins from Morrison Foerster, where she was previously a partner. She will be based in New York and work closely with attorneys across Lowenstein Sandler's Investment Management & Private Funds and Emerging Companies & Venture Capital groups.

Her practice will focus on helping emerging fund managers establish investment advisory firms and launch their first or flagship investment funds. Cohen advises venture sponsors across the broader fund lifecycle, including fund formation, capital raising, regulatory considerations, operational issues, compliance, management arrangements, profit-sharing programs, and succession planning.

"I am thrilled to join Lowenstein. Emerging fund managers require counsel that can support them across the venture lifecycle. Lowenstein's integrated fund formation and venture capital capabilities provide the kind of nuanced guidance funds need as they launch, raise capital, and grow," Cohen said in a statement.

The hire reinforces a Lowenstein practice built specifically around founders and investment professionals establishing new venture capital firms. New fund managers often face a combination of legal and business decisions that extend well beyond creating a fund vehicle.

Those considerations can include management company structures, investment adviser registration and regulatory requirements, economics among partners, carried interest and profit-sharing arrangements, fundraising terms, compliance programs, and plans for eventually expanding the investment platform. Lowenstein's Venture Funds Launch Group brings together lawyers from the firm's private funds and venture capital practices to address those needs across the development of a fund manager.

The firm said Cohen's background provides both legal and practical experience with the challenges investment professionals face as they move from investing within established organizations to creating independent fund businesses.

"A key part of Lowenstein's strategic vision is investing in the firm's core strengths and the client communities driving innovation. Hila's addition strengthens our team in investment management and private funds and further enhances the Venture Funds Launch Group as we continue to expand our support for fund sponsors," said Marie T. DeFalco, co-chair of Lowenstein Sandler's Venture Funds Launch Group and Investment Management & Private Funds Group.

"Hila brings a practical understanding of the challenges emerging managers face as they launch and scale their businesses. Her perspective will be particularly valuable to clients navigating the legal, operational, and fundraising decisions that accompany building a successful fund platform," said Sara R. Werner, co-chair of Lowenstein Sandler's Venture Funds Launch Group.

Cohen earned her J.D. from McGill University and is admitted to practice law in New York and California. She also holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from Yeshiva University.

Her appointment comes as Lowenstein continues investing in its investment management and private funds platform while expanding services for venture fund sponsors. The firm sees emerging managers as requiring legal counsel that can support both the initial formation of a fund and the development of the management company surrounding it. That support can include helping founders determine governance arrangements, develop compensation structures, establish compliance infrastructure, negotiate with investors, and prepare for future funds.

Lowenstein Sandler has more than 400 lawyers across offices in New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Roseland, Washington, D.C., and Wilmington. The firm's practices span a broad range of industries, with particular emphasis on investment funds, technology, and life sciences.

Cohen's arrival adds another senior attorney focused on venture fund creation at a time when managers launching new investment firms must navigate increasingly complex fundraising, regulatory, operational, and organizational requirements. Her hire signals that Lowenstein expects demand from first-time fund managers to remain a durable part of its private funds business.