Norton Rose Fulbright Taps Funds Guru in New York Strategic Hire

NEW YORK, NY – January 27, 2026 – In a significant move to bolster its position in the highly competitive financial services sector, global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has hired leading investment funds partner Richard Madris. He joins the firm’s New York office, bringing a formidable reputation for structuring some of the market’s most complex and high-profile fund formations.

Madris, who arrives from Hogan Lovells after a long tenure at Stroock, is renowned for his work with the world’s largest sponsors and asset managers. His arrival is seen as a strategic play by Norton Rose Fulbright to deepen its capabilities in a lucrative and rapidly evolving practice area, particularly within the critical New York market.

A Calculated Move to Fortify Market Position

The recruitment of a partner with Madris's stature is a clear signal of Norton Rose Fulbright's ambitions. The firm has been transparent about its goal to expand its investment funds and asset management offerings, and this high-profile lateral hire underscores that commitment.

“Richard’s arrival reflects our continued commitment to expanding our investment funds and asset management offerings in New York and across our global platform,” said Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Global and US Managing Partner, in the official announcement. “His longstanding client relationships with institutional players, coupled with more than two decades of experience in fund formation and transactions, will only fortify our market position.”

Madris’s practice focuses on real asset funds—a category that includes infrastructure, real estate, private equity, private credit, and renewables. This specialization aligns perfectly with Norton Rose Fulbright's established strengths. The firm already boasts a market-leading presence in energy, infrastructure, and resources, creating a powerful synergy. The addition of Madris is expected to create a more integrated and formidable offering for clients operating at the intersection of finance and real assets.

Andrew Lom, the firm's US Head of Financial Services, highlighted the timeliness of the hire. “The landscape for asset managers is evolving rapidly, and our clients need counsel who can anticipate challenges and unlock new opportunities,” he stated. “Richard’s ability to structure highly complicated, innovative transactions for leading funds and asset managers around the world will greatly enhance the support we can offer to sophisticated financial services providers.”

The Architect of Innovative Fund Structures

Richard Madris is not just another funds lawyer; he is widely recognized as an innovator in the field. Throughout a career that includes advising on more than US$25 billion in privately-held investments, he has developed a reputation for creating novel structures and products that address emerging market needs.

His most celebrated achievement is the creation of JPMorgan’s Infrastructure Investments Fund (IIF), a pioneering open-end global infrastructure fund that has become a benchmark in the industry. This experience is particularly relevant today, as asset managers increasingly seek to create permanent capital or "evergreen" fund structures for illiquid assets like infrastructure and real estate. These structures provide long-term capital without the forced selling timelines of traditional closed-end funds, a model Madris has helped to perfect.

His expertise is broad, covering the full lifecycle of investment funds. He regularly advises sponsors and asset managers on the formation and operation of both open-end and closed-end private funds, wealth management platforms, and complex distribution issues. He is also a go-to advisor for institutional allocators on LP investments, secondary transactions, fund restructurings, and intricate GP-led deals, which have become a major feature of the modern private equity landscape.

Furthermore, his work frequently involves intricate cross-border investments, structuring deals with fund consortium members from multiple jurisdictions, and crafting club-deal and co-investment structures for major private equity transactions. This global facility makes him a natural fit for Norton Rose Fulbright's expansive international platform.

Navigating a Shifting Investment Landscape

Madris’s move comes at a time of significant transformation within the asset management industry. Investor appetite for real assets is surging, driven by a search for stable, inflation-hedged returns and massive capital requirements for the global energy transition and digital infrastructure build-out.

Infrastructure and renewable energy, two of Madris's core specialties, are at the center of this trend. Funds focused on these sectors are attracting record levels of capital, but they also present unique structural and regulatory challenges. His experience guiding the creation of social infrastructure funds and structuring investments for large-scale renewable portfolios places him at the forefront of this market shift.

Simultaneously, the investment funds world is grappling with increased complexity. The secondary market, where investors trade existing fund stakes, has exploded in recent years as limited partners seek liquidity and portfolio managers look to rebalance their holdings. This has given rise to a wave of GP-led secondaries and other complex recapitalizations, demanding sophisticated legal counsel. Madris's deep experience in these transactions positions Norton Rose Fulbright to capture a greater share of this burgeoning market. The ability to devise new products and introduce innovative structures is no longer a luxury but a necessity for firms advising top-tier asset managers.

The Intensifying Battle for Legal Talent

In the cutthroat world of Big Law, the war for talent is fiercest in high-margin practice areas like investment funds. The New York market, the global epicenter of finance, is the primary battleground. Here, a handful of elite law firms have historically dominated the landscape, advising the largest private equity firms and asset managers.

The hiring of a partner like Richard Madris is a strategic maneuver in this ongoing battle. It is not merely about adding headcount but about acquiring a proven business generator with deep client relationships and a rare, in-demand skillset. Such lateral moves can shift the competitive balance, enhance a firm's prestige, and signal to the market a serious intent to dominate a particular sector.

Madris’s decision to join Norton Rose Fulbright speaks volumes about the firm’s platform and strategy. In his own words, the move was driven by the potential to better serve his clients. “Norton Rose Fulbright is a world-class firm with strengths that perfectly align with my funds practice,” Madris stated. “The firm’s deep bench in financial services, market-leading presence in real assets and strong relationships in New York and other key markets will allow me to better serve clients, especially as fund and investment structures continue to grow in complexity.” His move from Hogan Lovells, and before that his foundational role at Stroock, marks a new chapter for both him and his new firm as they aim to navigate and shape the future of fund formation.