London Cocktail & Conference

Patricia Volhard is a partner in Debevoise’s Frankfurt and London offices, and is a member of the firm’s Investment Management Group. Her practice focuses on advising private funds on a range of regulatory issues.

Ms. Volhard is one of Europe’s leading private funds regulatory lawyers, and has played a prominent role in the ongoing development of the area, in part through involvement in Invest Europe (formerly the European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association). She is the former chair of its Tax, Legal & Regulatory Committee, as well as the current chair of its Financial Services/Regulatory Working Group. She is also a member of the Investment Management Consultative Working Group of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA); the Legal Committee of BVK, the German private equity association; the Alternative Credit Technical Group of the Alternative Investment Management Association; and the Regulatory Committee of the Listed Private Equity Association. Ms. Volhard has been recognised by the major legal directories as a leader in her field. She is recommended for investment fund work by The Legal 500 EMEA (2017) and The Legal 500 Deutschland (2017). In Chambers Europe (2017) sources note that she has a “deep knowledge of fund structuring, offers a high level of flexibility and effectiveness, and is perfect for complex situations.” In the 2016 edition of the guide she is praised for her “quick reaction to queries and profound knowledge in regulatory investment law.” She is also recognised as a “Most Highly Regarded Individual” in the current edition of Who’s Who Legal Germany (2017). The guide also praises her “outstanding” practice, with one client declaring her “one of the country’s most accomplished and celebrated funds lawyers.” JUVE Handbuch Wirtschaftskanzleien (Handbook of Commercial Law Firms) (2016/2017) notes that she is “almost without competition in her practice area”. Ms. Volhard is also listed by Expert Guides in its annual Women in Business Law list. Ms. Volhard has commented in the media and written numerous articles relating to various aspects of her practice. Recent publications include “Why Brexit Impact On Funds May Be Limited,” Private Debt Investor (September, 2017); “Brexit And The AIFMD: Impact For US Private Fund Sponsors On Their Marketing And Advisory Activities In Europe,” American Investment Council (May, 2017); “Terms and Structure of Debt Funds,” Private Equity (July, 2016); and “Keeping on top of the paperwork,” Private Equity International (July/August, 2016). She is also a co-author of “Debt Funds for Institutional Investors: Current Developments in German Regulatory and Tax Law,” FYB Financial Yearbook(2016); and “Liberalisation of the German debt fund market,” Private Equity International (2015). Ms. Volhard studied law in Frankfurt/Main, Strasbourg, and at the London School of Economics, where she obtained her LL.M. in 1999. Ms. Volhard is admitted to practice in Germany and France, and speaks fluent German, French and English.