James Phelan

James is a Partner and co-head of William Fry’s Asset Management & Investment Funds Department. He specialises in advising asset managers in relation to the structuring, establishment, regulation, distribution and ongoing management of a wide variety of investment funds.

James has specialist experience in relation to the structuring and establishment of both physical and synthetic ETFs and has advised some of the largest ETF providers in the market on a wide variety of legal and regulatory issues pertaining to their operations.

Recently, James has been involved in advising a number of leading mutual fund managers on considerations pertaining to the expansion of their regulatory licences both to SuperManCo status (AIFM and UCITS ManCo licences combined) and to incorporate the bolt on licence for individual portfolio management. He has also managed a number of significant ‘passporting’ applications to the Central Bank of Ireland under the provisions of the UCITS Directive.

James additionally advises MiFID firms and other fund service providers in relation to regulatory matters and regularly provides fund and management company directors and senior management with advices in relation to corporate governance standards and the Central Bank of Ireland’s fitness and probity regime.