McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

McDermott Will & Schulte’s Bank Regulatory Group helps clients create value at the complex intersection of financial services and private capital.

We provide guidance and advice to both private funds and financial institutions in various capacities. This includes assisting financial institutions in establishing or investing in private funds, as well as helping private funds with their investments in financial institutions. Our private capital experience gives us a deep understanding of fund and deal structures and their upstream and investor-side implications that is critical for these transactions.

Clients turn to the firm because of our private capital focus and our skill in navigating the patchwork of federal and state financial services regulations. Our interdisciplinary approach — which brings together the experience of former banking regulators, M&A dealmakers, investment management lawyers and practitioners from a range of other disciplines — is combined with a commercial perspective to help our clients achieve their business objectives.

McDermott Will & Schulte’s Broker-Dealer Regulatory and Enforcement Group advises some of the securities market’s leading broker-dealers, helping them navigate SEC, FINRA, exchange and state securities law compliance requirements and enforcement actions. Few firms can offer a practice with the size and depth of experience as our Broker-Dealer Regulatory and Enforcement Group.

We have particularly significant experience representing many of the leading market makers, HFTs, alternative trading systems, institutional agency brokers, electronic retail brokers, prime brokers, correspondent clearing firms and specialty securities-finance firms. Our ongoing interaction with regulators positions us to advise clients on issues at the forefront of the regulatory agenda, including best execution, audit trail reporting, algorithmic trading, net capital, segregation and securities finance/margin.

In addition, we represent buy-side firms regarding market regulation matters and their dealings with broker-dealers and banks in connection with their securities finance arrangements. We also act as regulatory counsel in connection with acquisitions of, or investments in, broker-dealers.

Our integrated, comprehensive approach draws on the capabilities of Schulte’s SEC Enforcement, Bank Regulatory and Investment Management groups. This enables us to respond to a wide range of client issues.

Our FinTech lawyers live and breathe crypto. We’ve built the largest full-time crypto-exclusive team in the industry, and we have been keeping clients ahead of the FinTech and blockchain curve since day one.

With trailblazing leadership that has been recognized by The American Lawyer for progressive work in cryptocurrency law, our team’s sharp focus and unmatched sector experience add up to a significant advantage for your business.

Our crypto lawyers dedicate 100% of their time to crypto work – no side practices, no distractions. We focus on transactions, crypto litigation, investigations, and regulatory strategy, with a range of experience we can deploy to support your business needs.

We’re also highly ranked in Chambers USA’s FinTech Guide, including in the FinTech Legal: Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies category and as one of the few firms ranked Band 1 in Crypto-Asset Disputes.

Private equity firms operate in high-stakes environments where speed, execution, and risk directly impact investment returns. Our private equity lawyers advise sponsors and their portfolio companies throughout the investment life cycle. We help you execute transactions, manage risk, and address the legal, commercial, and regulatory issues that impact how your investment performs.

Our private equity team includes more than 150 lawyers in 20+ offices worldwide. Working across disciplines including finance, tax, antitrust, investment funds, restructuring, and litigation, we provide integrated guidance to support domestic and cross-border investments across industries and asset classes.

We advise you on acquisitions, dispositions, recapitalizations, carve-outs, minority investments, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions. Our private equity lawyers structure deals and negotiate terms to help you manage risk, create value, and support performance across all stages of your investment – from fundraising to exit.

Competing stakeholder interests often lead to disputes. Disagreements over governance, deal terms, and post-closing obligations can create significant exposure for private equity firms and portfolio companies. Our litigators work alongside deal teams to help you navigate disputes while preserving enterprise value. We represent you through mediation, arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts, including the Delaware Court of Chancery.

With one of the most active transactional practices in the US, we understand how complex deals are structured, negotiated, and executed. By combining deep market knowledge with cross-disciplinary capabilities, our private equity lawyers help you mitigate risk and advance your strategic goals throughout the life cycle of your investment.

When you’re navigating a competitive market, you need a VC law firm that will help accelerate your growth from formation to IPO. For start-ups seeking capital, multinational enterprises maximizing investment dollars, and everything in between, our venture capital lawyers identify – and amplify – your opportunities.

Our venture capital lawyers advise both visionary founders and strategic investors. By understanding priorities on both sides of the table, we anticipate challenges before they arise. This dual perspective accelerates deal closures and positions you to secure the most favorable terms for your business.

Market momentum demands fast, business-driven execution. We bring deep industry knowledge and skill to M&A, complex financing, employment, corporate governance, and equity compensation matters. We manage both domestic and international transactions and post-closing integrations efficiently to ensure seamless transitions.

We also resolve your daily operational challenges with tailored, sophisticated solutions that account for immediate needs and long-term business outcomes. We deliver an unmatched ability to absorb complex information, apply our knowledge of the venture and growth equity market, and respond quickly.

This approach keeps your business moving forward, transforming legal strategy into a distinct competitive advantage.

We represent banks, arrangers, and corporate borrowers in the full range of financing transactions, including syndicated loans, leveraged and acquisition finance, and capital markets offerings. Our team advises on underwriting, credit facilities, and structured lending arrangements, combining transactional and regulatory insight to help clients deploy capital efficiently and manage risk.

We work seamlessly across banking and securities laws to guide clients through public and private debt issuances and the evolving convergence between bank and nonbank credit.

We counsel life, property and casualty, and health insurers, asset managers, and sponsors in transactions that integrate insurance balance sheets with private capital strategies. Our lawyers advise on portfolio transfers, reinsurance structures, joint ventures, and investments by or in insurance platforms.

By combining mergers and acquisitions, regulatory, and financing experience, we help clients unlock capital efficiency and execute transactions that align investment, solvency, and growth goals. This work reflects one of the most significant trends in modern finance: the partnership between private capital and insurance balance sheets to drive yield and long-term asset allocation.

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Litigation

We help financial institutions navigate high-stakes disputes with practical, business-minded guidance. Our team understands the pressures of today’s markets and works closely with clients to resolve litigation involving complex financial products, regulatory scrutiny, and commercial challenges. While we always strive to achieve efficient, favorable resolutions through settlement, our team is fully prepared to take cases to trial when necessary to protect your interests. Whether defending against claims, managing investigations, or addressing fast-moving market issues, we focus on delivering effective, strategic outcomes.

Our experience spans a broad range of financial instruments, including:

• Structured currency derivatives
• Structured notes
• Equity derivatives
• Specialty options products
• Credit default swaps
• Commercial mortgage-backed securities
• Collateralized loan obligations
• Collateralized debt obligations

We represent financial institutions, asset managers, FinTech companies, and investors in mergers, acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, and other transactions. Our cross-practice team combines deal execution experience with deep regulatory understanding to navigate bank, securities, and insurance approvals.

From cross-border acquisitions to sponsor–bank joint ventures, we deliver comprehensive solutions that balance innovation, compliance, and value creation. We regularly advise on transactions that reshape business models and enable clients to compete on a scale across multiple segments of the financial services industry.

We advise private equity sponsors, credit funds, and alternative asset managers as they expand into financial markets traditionally dominated by banks. Our work spans direct lending platforms and other bespoke structures.

We regularly assist clients in developing products and strategies that connect private credit and regulated finance, including structures involving insurance company investors and long-term capital solutions across asset classes. Our team is deeply engaged in the shift toward permanent capital and diversified credit platforms, helping clients build sustainable finance businesses that mirror the evolution of the broader market.

We advise on securities, banking, and investment management regulation across jurisdictions. McDermott Will & Schulte is among the few firms that seamlessly integrate experience across all three domains, allowing clients to execute transactions at the intersection of private capital and financial services.

Our lawyers develop practical, business-focused compliance strategies and represent clients in supervisory, enforcement, and policy matters that shape the modern financial marketplace.

Our financial services litigators and restructuring professionals advise banks, private credit providers, FinTech companies, broker-dealers, and institutional investors in complex disputes, workouts, and cross-border insolvencies. We handle distressed financings, enforcement actions, liability management transactions, and recovery strategies across asset classes and industries. Leveraging deep regulatory and transactional capabilities, we guide clients through every stage of the restructuring lifecycle, from early-stage risk assessment to litigation, resolution, and post-restructuring implementation.

Our lawyers advise on securitizations, structured products, and derivatives transactions across a wide range of asset types. We help asset managers, banks, and institutional investors design and execute complex transactions, from whole-business and esoteric securitizations to credit-linked notes and total return swaps.

With decades of experience, we are known for navigating securitization, esoteric assets, asset-backed lending, and specialty finance. Our work spans a broad range of collateral types, including equipment leases, life settlements, litigation funding, structured settlements, merchant cash advances, insurance-related cash flows, music royalties, lottery receivables, digital assets, supply chain finance, and other cash-flow-producing esoteric assets.

We bring deep market knowledge to every aspect of structure, documentation, and regulation, helping clients meet their commercial, tax, and risk-management objectives. We are also at the forefront of next-generation structured products that connect private credit, insurance capital, and institutional investors in innovative funding solutions.

Our multidisciplinary approach and proven track record make us a trusted partner for the most complex and creative structured finance transactions.