Foley Expands Public Pension Plan, Hedge Fund and Alternative Investment Capabilities With Addition of Hickey

Foley announced today that Thomas A. Hickey III has joined the firm as a partner in the Boston office, working with the Private Equity & Venture Capital Practice Group. Prior to joining Foley, Hickey was a partner at K&L Gates LLP.

Hickey focuses his practice in the areas of investment management, especially in regards to public employee pension plans, including registered fund of hedge funds, domestic and off-shore hedge funds and separately managed accounts as well as applicable compliance, performance reporting and industry standards of practice. He has also consulted on pension planning for professional associations and organizations and provided advice to investment managers, venture capitalists and real estate partnerships on public pension law, compliance and regulatory procedures.

“Tom Hickey has been instrumental in the public pension plan industry, moving it from traditional 60/40 bond equity type investments into more alternative types of investments,” said Lance Kjeldgaard, Chief Counsel of the San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association. “He knows the issues and can easily break them down for various audiences including trustees and in-house counsel, something that in my experience few attorneys do well. We’ve used other attorneys, but at the end of the day no one compares with Tom.”

Hickey will utilize his vast knowledge of government pension plans in the United States and globally to provide clients with strategic counsel around the array of public pension plan and alternative investment fund issues. This is an area Foley’s leading Private Equity & Venture Capital Practice excels in. His arrival represents the latest move in the group’s continued expansion, which also includes the recent addition of James Chapman to the Silicon Valley office.

“We are pleased to bring Tom on board and believe his extensive knowledge of public pension plan and alternative investment issues will allow us to provide added value to our clients,” said Ralf-Reinhard Böer, Foley’s chairman and CEO. “His arrival highlights our continued success in expanding our Private Equity & Venture Capital Practice.”

“Having worked extensively with various institutional investors, Tom brings a deep understanding of investment management and securities law matters for private equity, venture capital and hedge funds,” said Gabor Garai, chair of Foley’s Private Equity & Venture Capital Practice. “His addition is a reflection of Foley’s ongoing commitment to the expansion of its investment funds capabilities from coast to coast.”

Hickey has also assisted state legislatures throughout the country in the drafting and implementation of governmental pension plans, especially in the area of fiduciary and investment standards. He previously served as legal counsel to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Service and the Massachusetts Retirement Law Commission, and he has continued these efforts throughout his legal career serving as counsel to public funds, trustees, investment management professionals and related fund complexes. Additionally, Hickey has previously been recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer and clients interviewed for the Legal 500 rankings have described him as “the best of the best,” “smart, creative and very forward thinking.”

“Given the significant number of companies in Boston with unique needs and objectives of private equity and venture capital funds, Tom will be a tremendous resource for institutional investors on these matters,” said Susan Pravda, managing partner of Foley’s Boston office. “He is a welcome addition to our strong team and we look forward to his contributions.”

Foley & Lardner LLP continually evolves to meet the changing legal needs of our clients. Our team-based approach, proprietary client service technology, and practice depth enhance client relationships while seeing clients through their most complex legal challenges. In a recent survey of Fortune 1000 corporate counsel, conducted by The BTI Consulting Group (Wellesley, Massachusetts), Foley ranked first for superior client service and value. We also were named to the InformationWeek 500 list for four consecutive years for our client-focused technology. With nearly 1,000 attorneys in 21 offices and more than 60 practices, Foley strives to provide high-caliber business and legal insight.