• Gift tax minimization through grantor retained annuity trusts (GRATs), family limited partnerships and other structures
• Dynasty trust planning to avoid estate tax in successive generations
• Income tax minimization through charitable remainder trusts and direct gifts to private family foundations
• Preparation of estate tax returns and gift tax returns

Rimon’s Financial Services practice represents investment advisers and other asset managers ranging from boutique firms to global financial services companies.

We counsel investment advisers and other asset managers on a range of matters, including:

• Registration as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and as a commodity pool operator (CPO) and commodity trading adviser (CTA) with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as well as advice on available exclusions from such registrations
• Negotiation of key service provider arrangements, including investment management agreements for ERISA and non-ERISA clients, sub-advisory agreements, custody agreements, administration agreements, and brokerage and trading agreements
• Regulatory compliance issues, including preparation and review of compliance policies and procedures to address new regulations and assistance with internal and regulatory audits and examinations
• Third-party solicitation arrangements
• Records and information management

We also counsel financial industry participants on general corporate matters, combining our knowledge of the unique regulatory issues affecting financial services industry clients with the expertise of attorneys in Rimon’s other practice areas, including:

• Litigation and arbitration relating to alleged securities fraud and regulatory violations and employment matters
• Design and implementation of management company structures, including arrangements among principals, employee incentive compensation programs and retention matters and related tax matters
• Acquisitions and sales of investment advisory firms
• Employment disputes between financial services firms and their employees
• Orphan pension plans and escheatment issues

• Charitable giving
• Finance – endowments and investments
• Nonprofit governance matters
• Nonprofit tax matters
• Program-related investment (PRI)
• Formation of private foundations
• Advising board members and officers of public charities
• Advising board members and officers of private foundations
• Tax compliance for private foundations and public charities

Rimon advises sponsors of private investment funds across a wide spectrum of asset classes, investment strategies, and delivery vehicles, including:

• Hedge funds that engage in long/short, global macro, event-driven, multi-strategy, market-neutral, relative-value, and commodities strategies
• Private equity funds
• Funds of funds and master-feeder funds
• Venture capital funds
• Leveraged buyout funds
• Real estate funds
• Charitable funds
• Family office funds
• Special purpose investment vehicles

We counsel private fund sponsors on structuring, operational, and distribution matters, including:

• Conditions to the availability of exclusions from the 1940 Act
• Application of ERISA’s plan assets regulation to various fund structures
• ERISA issues related to seeding investment funds with employer 401(k) and IRA accounts
• Negotiation of key service provider agreements, including advisory agreements, administration agreements, custody agreements, prime brokerage agreements, and placement agency agreements

We partner closely with local counsel in offshore jurisdictions to ensure efficient and well-coordinated new fund launches.

• Beta/Demo/Evaluation agreements
• Distribution agreements
• Co-branding/Brand licensing
• Consortium agreements
• Counseling agreements
• Cross-border technology agreements
• Hardware agreements
• Hosting agreements
• IP asset valuation
• Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) agreements
• Software licensing/maintenance agreements
• Source code escrow arrangements
• Sponsored research and development Agreements
• Joint IP development and cross-licensing
• IP licensing agreements and negotiations