David W. Blass

Practice Areas

David is widely known as a leading registered funds and regulatory lawyer, serving as registered fund counsel and counsel to registered funds’ independent trustees. He was notably named as Independent Trustee Counsel of the Year by a major registered funds industry publication (Fund Intelligence’s Mutual Fund Industry & ETF Awards) in 2021, and as a finalist in 2024.

David has extensive knowledge of the regulatory requirements of the asset management industry, having served as General Counsel of the Investment Company Institute, the trade association for registered investment funds. He also held senior roles for over a decade at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including serving as Associate General Counsel of the SEC, Assistant Director of the Investment Management Division, and Chief Counsel and Associate Director of the Division of Trading and Markets.

David routinely advises on novel products, strategies and transactions across the securities industry, with a particular focus on registered funds.

Career

General Counsel of the Investment Company Institute (ICI); Chief Counsel and Associate Director of the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets; Associate General Counsel of the SEC; Assistant Director of the SEC’s Investment Management Division. Joined Firm in 2017, as Partner.

Professional Memberships

David currently serves as Chairman of the American Bar Association’s Trading and Markets Subcommittee. Additionally, he has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he teaches Advanced Securities Regulation.

Publications

“The 5th Circuit Vacates the SEC’s Private Fund Adviser Rules,” Thomson Reuters Westlaw (June 13, 2024)

Personal

B.A., University of Alabama; J.D., Columbia University School of Law.