Investment Funds

Thus, an average investment portfolio typically consists not only of stocks and fixed-interest bearing securities, but many investors invest as a matter of course in shares in investment funds, which, on their part, invest globally in a wide variety of assets. In the meantime, purchasing shares in closed-end funds, which for a long time were seen as grey capital market products as a means to reduce an investor’s tax burden, is now considered a good alternative in an effort to suitably diversify the risks in an investment portfolio.

Our lawyers have many years of experience in providing advice on "alternative investments", particularly in how to structure closed-end funds. We not only gained a broad range of legal expertise in these issues, but have also acquired an excellent overview of the market.

With a funds team comprised of four partners, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has one of the largest adviser teams in Germany, in particular in the segment of closed-end funds. Our abilities to advise our clients include a vast amount of expertise on the legal and tax issues involved in structuring closed-end funds, and our funds team boasts in-depth knowledge in almost every class of assets. As such, not only are we backed by many years of experience in tying into funds that include classic investment assets such as real estate, ships, the secondary life insurance market, private equity funds or aircrafts, but we also offer a variety of consulting services for clients who are interested in investing in innovative assets such as CO2 certificates, solar plants, investments in agriculture and forestry or in infrastructure projects. Because of the global investments by closed-end funds, we deal in cross-border transactions across national borders with law offices abroad on a regular basis with which we have developed friendly relationships.

Not only does our business involve structuring closed-end funds, but the funds team of Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek also prepares the necessary sales documentation accordingly and specializes in answering specific sales-related questions. As such, in addition to our consulting services when going through the necessary approval process at the German Financial Supervisory Authority, we also provide extensive support in creating sales brochures and other advertising material. One important aspect of our consulting services in this regard is to assure that our clients avoid any liability risks in the wording of their prospectuses.

However, our many years of successful consulting services in the field of closed-end funds is only one aspect of what Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has to offer to our clients. Other services in which the lawyers of the law firm can offer a wealth of experience include the legal and tax-related services involved in structuring investment assets both in Germany and abroad and all matters with respect to regulatory issues, especially as they relate to selling investment shares in Germany and abroad. This wealth of experience ranges from how to structure investment funds and other special funds in Germany and abroad to setting up foreign investment vehicles in appropriate off-shore jurisdictions. For cross-border transactions, Heuking Kühn Lüer Wojtek has a vast number of "best friends law offices" in other countries that we can partner with.

Moreover, the members of our funds team are specialists in offering legal consultation to insurance providers and retirement funds in their investments of restricted assets into funds. In the process, we work closely with our law firm's insurance specialists.