New York – 919 Third Avenue
Represents primarily investment fund clients on all aspects of employment law issues, including hiring and terminating employees, drafting and negotiating employment- and compensation-related agreements, advising on restrictive covenants, working on disputes with employees and former employees, business divorces and partner withdrawals, counseling on day-to-day employment issues, and conducting and leading trainings and investigations.
Max collaborates frequently with the Investment Management Group, and other groups in the firm, on employment-related issues.
He also has experience litigating and arbitrating employment-related disputes.
- New York Super Lawyers – Rising Star, 2014-2015
- Columbia Law School, JD
- Brown University, AB, magna cum laude
- New York
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
- US District Court, Eastern District of New York
Alan S. Waldenberg
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Global Head of Investment Management Tax. Advises on income tax and international tax, including the formation and operation of Investment Funds, tax considerations in mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and workouts, and international investments with a particular emphasis on transactions involving Investment Funds.
- Primary tax counsel in numerous domestic and international private equity investments, including acquisitions of international banks, international finance companies, retail companies, manufacturing businesses and industrial operations.
- Primary tax counsel in structuring private equity funds and hedge funds, including funds investing primarily in domestic and international private equity, funds investing primarily in Asia and Europe, real estate funds and distressed opportunity funds.
- $800 million dual-currency Eurodollar financing for major Japanese securities firm.
- Convertible mortgage and other hybrid financing transaction relating to foreign investment in substantial U.S. real estate assets.
- Tax counsel in significant private REIT transactions.
- Restructuring transactions for global businesses, including hotel and real estate companies, telecom companies and retailers.
- Chambers USA
- The Legal 500 US
- Best Lawyers in America, Tax Law, 2026-2027
- New York Super Lawyers
- Tax Directors Handbook
- Taxation Section, American Bar Association
- Taxation Section, New York State Bar Association
- Fellow, The New York Bar Foundation
- Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude
- University of Maryland, BA, magna cum laude
- New York
- US Tax Court
Julian Rainero
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises broker-dealers and alternative trading systems on compliance with SEC, self-regulatory organization (SRO) and Federal Reserve Board rules.
Julian focuses on all aspects of broker-dealer regulation, with a focus on cash equities trading practices, alternative trading systems, net capital, customer asset segregation, prime brokerage, correspondent clearing, and margin and securities lending.
He represents many of the leading electronic market makers and alternative trading systems and serves on the best-execution committees of several major broker-dealers.
In addition to regularly advising broker-dealers on regulatory compliance and best practices, Julian represents clients in responses to examination findings and enforcement proceedings. He also provides legal counsel to financial institutions in connection with acquisitions of or investments in broker-dealers, credit facilities collateralized by securities and transactions subject to Regulation M.
Listed as a leading financial services regulatory attorney in:
- Chambers USA
- The Legal 500 US
- American University Washington College of Law, JD
- Dickinson College, BA
- New York
Andrea (Andi) Mandell
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises on the tax aspects relating to structured finance, securitization and fund formation and focuses on esoteric assets, including litigation funding, structured settlements, lottery receivables, secured and unsecured consumer loans and timeshare loans.
Andi has over 30 years of experience providing skilled tax advice to the securitization industry. In addition to her work in the esoteric space, Andi is recognized as an authority in the securitization of residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities and real estate structured finance, including the structuring of REO-to-rental financings, servicer advance facilities, debt re-packaging, securitization of non-performing and re-performing mortgage loans, re-securitizations, distressed asset funds and MSR purchases and sales.
She also has extensive experience advising tax-exempt entities, REITs, hedge funds and private equity firms.
- Chambers Global
- Chambers USA – Band 1
- Crain’s New York Business – Notable Women in Law
- The Legal 500 US – Recommended in Structured Finance
- Best Lawyers in America, Securitization and Structured Finance Law, 2026
- Member, Board of Directors, Friends of Firefighters
- Law Firm Board Representatives, Structured Finance Association
- Member, Board of Directors, The Fly a Kite Foundation
- New York University School of Law, LLM, Taxation
- Boston University School of Law, JD
- University of Pennsylvania, BA
- Connecticut
- New York
Daniel F. Hunter
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Co-head of Credit Funds. Focuses on building complex hedge funds and credit funds across the liquidity spectrum (evergreen, open-end and closed-end).
Dan’s clients manage sophisticated private funds that invest in private credit, including venture debt funds, closed-end private debt funds, direct lending funds, loan funds, distressed credit funds, opportunity funds, and more.
In addition, he has more than 20 years of experience advising hedge fund managers. He focuses on multi-strategy managers, multi-manager firms, quantitative managers, and cross-over managers, among other types of asset management firms. He works on groundbreaking funds and strategies with new and emerging managers, as well as hedge fund formations for prominent brand-name global leading managers. He also provides day-to-day regulatory, operational, M&A, and restructuring advice, and advises fund managers regarding the receipt of seed capital.
- Chambers Global
- Chambers USA
- The Legal 500 US
- University of Michigan Honors Alumni Council
- University of Michigan Law School, JD, Vol. 29, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, Articles Editor
- University of Michigan, AB, Author of “Electronic Mail and Public Disclosure Laws, cum laude, high honors in history
- ”
- Vol. 28. No. 2
- New York
Phillip J. Azzollini
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises on private offerings of collateralized loan obligation securities and on warehouse financing transactions, including the representation of issuers, placement agents and portfolio managers.
Phil also represents buyers and sellers of financial assets. He has represented public companies, investment advisers and private equity funds in transactions involving many different categories of assets, including mortgage-backed securities.
- Representation of hedge fund clients and public companies in connection with the purchase and sale of various portfolios of loans and leases secured by a variety of assets including light trucks, recreational vehicles, manufactured homes, information systems and mortgages.
- Chambers Global
- Chambers USA
- Expert Guide to the World’s Leading Banking, Finance and Transactional Law Lawyers – Structured Finance and Securitisation
- Lawyers Alliance for New York – 15-Year Circle Honoree
- The Legal 500 US
- Fordham University School of Law, JD, Fordham Law Review
- Pace University, BBA, cum laude
- New York
Donna K. Lazarus
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Concentrates in the areas of employment law and education law, handling employment discrimination and labor relations matters and advising clients on hiring, managing and terminating employees in compliance with federal, state and local laws.
Donna advises clients on harassment and discrimination matters, and assists with drafting employment-related policies. She also works with a broad range of educational institutions, including independent schools, colleges, universities, professional training programs and education-related associations, advising them on a variety of legal matters, including board liability, student discipline, learning and other disabilities, employment matters, harassment and bullying, admissions, contracts and litigation issues.
-
IFLR1000 – Rising Star, Labor and Employment
- New York Super Lawyers – Rising Star, 2016-2017
- New York University School of Law, JD
- Binghamton University, BA, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- New York
Hannah M. Thibideau
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Concentrates in regulatory enforcement, anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance, and white collar criminal defense.
Hannah represents entities and individuals in matters before the SEC, DOJ, FINRA, and prosecutors’ offices. She advises banks, broker-dealers, investment advisers, private funds, and insurance companies on anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations and related issues governing their investment and business activities.
She also advises on all aspects of federal and state civil litigation.
- University of Virginia School of Law, JD, Virginia Sports and Entertainment Law Journal, Editorial Board
- Macaulay Honors College at Hunter College, BA, Phi Beta Kappa
- New York
Brandon S. Gold
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Advises on shareholder activism, environmental and social activism, proxy contests, M&A, corporate governance and other activist engagements.
Brandon has experience providing strategic guidance to hedge funds and other institutional investors of all types, companies and directors on matters including proxy contests, shareholder proposals, hostile takeovers, campaign settlement negotiations, securities filings, SEC rulemaking and ESG activism.
He has worked on many significant activist campaigns, including the largest proxy fight in history, representing:
- Trian Partners’ in its successful campaign to obtain board representation at Procter & Gamble Company
- JANA Partners in campaigns at Whole Foods, Bloomin’ Brands, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Tiffany
- D. E. Shaw in Emerson Electric
- Elliott Management in Marathon Petroleum, Akamai Technologies and at PulteGroup
- Altimeter Capital Management LP in its successful campaign at United Continental Holdings Inc.
- Saba Capital at numerous closed-end-fund campaigns.
Brandon has also advised The Children’s Investment Fund on its “Say on Climate” campaigns at US companies, helping shareholders utilize their influence to hold companies accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions.
He has been recognized by Chambers USA for his work in shareholder activism.
Brandon has contributed to several publications relating to shareholder activism and corporate governance. He co-authored “Lessons for Directors Considering Partnerships with Activists,” published by NYSE Governance Services, and has contributed to publications including The Activist Investing Annual Review (published by Activist Insight in association with Schulte), The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, The Columbia Law School Blue Sky Blog and the Harvard Business Law Review.
Before joining Schulte, Brandon was a fellow at Harvard Law School’s Program on Corporate Governance and was an inaugural member of the Shareholder Rights Project under Professor Lucian Bebchuk, where he was part of a team that successfully engaged 121 companies (representing two-thirds of the S&P 500 with classified boards) to move to annual director elections.
- Chambers USA, Corporate/M&A: Shareholder Activism
- Harvard Law School, JD, cum laude, Harvard Business Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, John M. Olin Prize in Law & Economics, Managing Editor, Editor
- Lafayette College, BA, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- New Jersey
- New York
- District of Columbia
David Lifshitz
New York – 919 Third Avenue
Counsels private investment fund managers with respect to a broad range of fund formation and regulatory and compliance matters, typically serving as the day-to-day primary client contact with respect to such matters.
David’s fund formation experience includes advising managers of single-strategy hedge funds, multi-manager funds, private equity funds, hybrid funds and other pooled investment vehicles in connection with their structuring, formation, investor negotiations and ongoing operational needs, including with respect to drafting and negotiating the full suite of organizational and offering documents, side letters, and service provider agreements.
His regulatory and compliance experience includes advising all types of fund managers in the review of their marketing and investor reporting collateral for compliance with SEC marketing rules, as well as preparing and updating Form ADVs, Form PFs, Section 13 and Section 16 filings, compliance manuals and responses to FOIA requests.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, 2026-2027
- University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School, Certificate in Management
- University of Pennsylvania Law School, JD, Associate Editor, Journal of Business Law
- Excelsior College, BS
- New York
- New Jersey