Azad Assadipour

Practice Areas

AZAD ASSADIPOUR is a partner in Sidley’s Investment Funds group in the New York office, primarily advising buy-side clients in connection with all aspects of their trading, structuring, and documenting of derivatives and securities transactions. Azad works with a variety of clients including hedge funds, registered investment companies, private equity funds and their portfolio companies, pension funds, insurance companies, energy companies, sovereign entities and other large corporate end users of derivatives. Azad has extensive experience negotiating a wide variety of trading agreements, including ISDA Master Agreements, account control agreements, prime brokerage agreements, securities lending agreements, futures agreements and repurchase agreements (including FICC sponsored member transactions). Recently, Azad has worked closely with one of the world’s largest asset managers to develop its new securities lending program, which included the negotiation of all related securities lending agreements.

Azad also has substantial experience advising buy-side clients on regulatory issues relating to Dodd-Frank, with a focus on regulations implemented pursuant to Dodd-Frank Title VII. In particular, Azad has been active in advising buy-side clients on the application of the variation and initial margin rules for uncleared swaps promulgated by the CFTC and the U.S. Prudential Regulators and negotiating related regulatory initial margin credit support documentation.

Azad has been recognized as an “Up and Coming” lawyer in Derivatives in Chambers Global (2022–2023) and Chambers USA (2021–2022). It was noted that he “demonstrates an impressive ability to lead derivatives transactions, including notable work in the negotiation of ISDA master agreements.” Clients said, “Azad delivers his work with professionalism, and crafts well thought-out analyses to many complex issues with ease,” and “His advice is practical and on-market, yet thorough and based on experience and comprehension of the agreements.”