New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises on anti-money laundering and sanctions regulatory compliance matters.
Melissa advises banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers, funds, insurance companies and money services businesses, including those involved in global e-commerce and virtual currency, on the anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations, rules, and related issues governing their investment and business activities.
She has particular experience with issues arising out of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act, the AML Act of 2020, and the Corporate Transparency Act.
Before joining McDermott Will & Schulte, Melissa was an attorney-advisor with the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). At FinCEN, she assisted in the development of anti-money laundering regulations and guidance and served as counsel on enforcement actions involving issues such as failure to implement and maintain an adequate anti-money laundering compliance program, failure to register as a money services business and failure to maintain confidentiality of suspicious activity reports.
- US Department of the Treasury Secretary’s Meritorious Service Award
- Washington DC Super Lawyers – Rising Star
- Fordham University School of Law, JD
- Cornell University, BS, with honors
- New Jersey
- New York
- District of Columbia
- US District Court, District of New Jersey
- Portuguese
- English
Jim McCann
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Extensive experience with the tax aspects of structuring, launching and operating private investment funds, including advising on transactions and matters relating to management companies and their principals.
Jim also works with numerous family offices associated with current and former private fund managers, and advises clients on tax issues involving transactions, financings and reorganizations, with a particular emphasis on cross-border matters. He has a depth of experience working with clients across the full lifecycle of fund formation and operations.
- Chambers High Net Worth, Nationwide: Family Offices & Funds Structuring, 2026
- Cornell Law School, JD, cum laude
- Rutgers University, BA
- New York
- English
Paula-Marie (Polly) O’Brien
London – One Eagle Place
Member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Focuses on bespoke financing transactions, with particular emphasis on specialty finance, litigation finance and fund finance.
Polly has experience acting for hedge funds, private equity funds, litigation funders, specialty finance companies, and investment banks in a wide range of opportunistic financings spanning the spectrum of debt and equity.
She works closely with the firm’s Investment Management team on liquidity solutions for investment funds and their managers and is a member of the firm’s multidisciplinary, cross-border litigation finance team.
- Legal 500 UK, Recommended, 2025-2026
- Nottingham Law School, Legal Practice Course
- Nottingham Law School, Graduate Diploma in Law
- University of Cambridge, MA
- England and Wales
Christopher S. Avellaneda
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises private fund managers on regulatory and compliance matters with a particular focus on the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
Chris works with clients on a variety of regulatory matters, including SEC investment adviser registration, operating effective compliance programs, managing conflicts of interest, assessing cross-border applications of US regulatory requirements, review of marketing materials, compliance with trading-related laws and handling the regulatory implications of management company restructurings and transactions. He also regularly leads training sessions for clients, including on topics such as marketing private funds, SEC rule proposals and trading-related matters.
Chris works closely with clients undergoing SEC examinations and responding to deficiency letters and enforcement referrals. He also leads compliance testing and review projects with private fund managers to identify material risks and evaluate the measures in place to address those risks. He has advised private fund managers on regulatory issues relating to blockchain technology and digital assets his entire career and actively practices in that space.
- Chambers USA
- Harvard Law School, JD, Harvard Business Law Review, Managing Editor
- George Washington University, BA, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- New York
Tinika M. Brown
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Tinika has extensive experience advising private fund managers on regulatory and compliance matters, with a particular focus on the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
In her practice, she advises clients on a variety of regulatory matters, including Marketing Rule compliance, SEC investment adviser registration, operating effective compliance programs, drafting and updating compliance manuals, advising clients undergoing SEC examinations, and managing conflicts of interest. She also leads compliance training sessions for clients, including specialized trainings relating to the marketing of private funds.
Tinika is a regular speaker at Schulte’s annual Private Capital Forum and has participated as a speaker at MFA events.
- Chambers USA
- Lawyers of Color – Wonderful Women, 2023
- Board of Directors, Literacy Partners
- Harvard Law School, JD
- Georgetown University, BS, cum laude
- New York
Lee Smith
London – One Eagle Place
Focuses on alternative investment funds and their managers.
Lee advises on the establishment, restructuring and management of private funds across a range of strategies, including hedge funds, private equity and credits funds, and hybrid funds, as well as advising on the setup and operation of investment management companies.
He also provides general corporate and UK, US and EU regulatory advice.
- Chambers UK, 2022-2027
- Legal 500 UK, Next Generation Partner, Hedge Funds, 2025-2027
- Expert Guides – Rising Star in Investment Funds
- BPP Law School, LPC
- London School of Economics and Political Science, LLB
- England and Wales
Jake Preiserowicz
Washington, DC
Advises investment advisers, private fund managers, institutional market participants, trading platforms, dealers, brokers, and other Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated and CFTC-facing businesses on regulatory, compliance, and operational matters.
Advises clients on, CFTC, NFA, Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and private fund regulatory considerations, including issues arising across buy-side, sell-side, platform, and trading-market contexts.
Counsels clients on derivatives trading, including traditional and perpetual futures, swaps, options, digital asset derivatives, crypto-related trading strategies, prediction markets, and other commodity interests.
Jake Preiserowicz focuses his practice on regulatory, compliance, and operational matters for investment advisers, private fund managers, institutional market participants, exchanges, trading platforms, dealers, brokers, and other Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)-regulated and CFTC-facing businesses. He advises investment advisers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, hedge funds, private equity funds, and other private fund sponsors and market participants on CFTC, National Futures Association (NFA), Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and private fund regulatory considerations, including issues involving derivatives trading, digital assets, crypto-related trading strategies, prediction markets, and evolving market structures.
- Fordham University School of Law, JD
- Fordham University Gabelli School of Business, MBA, cum laude
- Brooklyn College, CUNY, BA, Dean’s List, cum laude
- District of Columbia
- New York
- English
Daryoush Behbood
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Daryoush Behbood focuses his practice on complex corporate litigation, with an emphasis on disputes involving corporate governance, shareholder rights, and fiduciary duties. He represents clients in high-stakes matters arising from ownership and control conflicts, including shareholder activism, books-and-records demands, advance notice bylaws, and contested director elections. Daryoush has extensive experience litigating across the full lifecycle of governance disputes in both federal and state courts, including the Delaware Court of Chancery.
Shareholder Activism & Corporate Governance
- Successful representation of Politan Capital Management and CalSTRS in a Delaware Chancery Court action challenging preclusive advance notice bylaws adopted by Masimo Corporation, that achieved “very substantial corporate benefits” for Masimo’s stockholders.
- First chaired Section 220 trials leading to a series of significant books and records victories on behalf of shareholder clients.
General Commercial Litigation
- Successful appellate representation of technology company before US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, resulting in a near full dismissal of certain defamation allegations.
- National Law Journal, Rising Star of the Plaintiffs Bar, 2021
- Super Lawyers, New York Metro Rising Star, 2021-2026
- The University of Texas School of Law, JD, with honors
- The University of Texas at Austin, BBA
- New York
- New Jersey
- District of Columbia
- Texas
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
- US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Annie L. Mehlman
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Annie L. Mehlam advises in the areas of estate planning and administration, trust administration, charitable giving and sophisticated income, gift and estate tax planning.
Annie advises individuals and families on strategies to maximize wealth preservation across generations, including succession planning, insurance planning and planning with business interests, hedge fund and private equity interests and real estate interests. She represents executors and trustees in estate and trust administration matters. Annie works with clients on their philanthropic planning and legacy, including advising on the administration of trusts and estates with philanthropic interests and creating and administering private foundations.
Annie also works with high-net-worth individuals in family law matters, including the negotiation of prenuptial, postnuptial and separation agreements, and individuals and fiduciaries in trusts and estates disputes.
- New York City Bar Association, Trusts, Estates & Surrogate’s Court Committee
- New York State Bar Association, Trusts and Estates Section (First District Representative)
- New York University School of Law, LLM
- New York University School of Law, JD
- Washington University in St. Louis, BA
- New Jersey
- New York
Joseph Reich
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises private investment funds and public companies on the tax aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions, including taxable and tax-free mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, spinoffs, bankruptcies and restructurings, planning in connection with the preservation and use of tax losses, SPAC transactions, private equity fund structuring, public offerings and other financings.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Tax Law, 2026-2027
- Columbia Law School, JD
- Yeshiva University, BA, magna cum laude
- New York
- Hebrew
