Many of our services are aligned to legal and regulatory requirements in the funds industry and we have ongoing touch-points with law firms.

We interact and collaborate with law firms in the major fund domiciles. We have a valuable network of existing relationships with law firms in host countries where funds are distributed.

FundAssist services interact with legal advice across the full lifecycle of UCITS and non-UCITS funds. Our shared clients can be large diversified fund houses, hedge fund promoters, boutique fund promoters or emerging managers.

Our clients appreciate a close link between legal advice and the delivery of our services. We foster close working relationships and active collaboration with law firms to give clients a seamless service and offer better value.

Collaboration with FundAssist can help law firms to compete more effectively by aligning with our practical service solutions. In many cases, we can combine services to offer a cost-effective bundle to a client, particularly in relation to initial fund formation or registrations where legal work is increasingly put out to tender.

Our project management systems integrate legal work into the schedule of fund activities.  For example, our website for managing UCITS fund registrations helps schedule and integrate legal activities on both home registrations and host registrations. This system can form a central part of active collaboration with a law firm.

One example of very effective bundling of services is in relation to Newcits funds where a competitive launch package can be offered to hedge fund managers entering the UCITS world for the first time and requiring considerable legal advice along with practical and cost efficient operational guidance.

The enactment of UCITS IV by July 2011 offers a number of opportunities to integrate legal and operational services.

The introduction of the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) is challenging for fund promoters and there are a number of uncertainties in relation to the new host registration process within the EU and the legal status of the document. The KIID requires presentation of information from a number of sources and careful consideration has to be given to the interaction of the KIID with the prospectus. FundAssist offers an operational service to help promoters introduce the KIID and wish to actively collaborate with law firms to provide a packaged service when requested by promoters. This offers an opportunity for law firms to win new clients and win additional business with existing clients.

Fund promoters are likely to avail of new restructuring possibilities under UCITS IV to reduce costs and streamline their operations. While there are obstacles, especially in relation to tax, is it likely that the industry will, over time, avail of management company passporting, cross-border fund mergers and introduce master-feeder structures. These initiatives need to be ratified by shareholder meetings and our online proxy voting service is an innovative and effective tool with unprecedented success in passing resolutions. We offer a project management service for restructuring initiatives and welcome partnership discussions with law firms and tax practices.

FundAssist provides services to promoters of private structures, including property and private equity funds. FundAssist is interested in offering collaborative packages in this area to incorporate the considerable legal and tax work required in establishing such structures.