ED, Alternative Investments Attorney

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management seeks an Executive Director level attorney to support its Alternative Investments and Private Markets platforms. The attorney will advise on the structuring, distribution, marketing, diligence and ongoing support of alternative investment and private markets products and private securities transactions. The position will be based at Wealth Management's headquarters in Purchase, NY.
This is a highly visible role within a sophisticated and fast-growing area of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. The successful candidate will advise on complex products and transactions involving alternative investment funds, feeder funds, private equity, private credit, hedge funds, co-investments, direct private securities offerings, pre-IPO companies, and other private markets opportunities. The role requires sound legal judgment, strong commercial awareness, and the ability to provide practical, risk-based guidance in a dynamic business and regulatory environment.

The attorney will join a highly collaborative team of alternative investments and private markets attorneys and will report to the Managing Director responsible for legal coverage of these strategically important businesses. This role offers significant exposure to senior legal and business leadership and the opportunity to advise on some of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's most sophisticated offerings, transactions, and initiatives. The successful candidate will also be a member of a broader group of advisory attorneys covering Morgan Stanley Wealth Management's products and services, and will work closely with legal colleagues across Wealth Management and other Morgan Stanley businesses.
Why This Role Is Compelling
This role offers an opportunity to work at the intersection of law, business strategy, product innovation, and evolving regulation in one of the most important growth areas in wealth management. The attorney will have meaningful exposure to senior stakeholders and will help shape how complex alternative investment and private markets products are reviewed, structured, distributed, monitored, and supported across Morgan Stanley's platform. The following is an illustrative, non-exhaustive list of the types of matters the successful candidate will handle:

> The distribution of complex fund or feeder fund offerings, including drafting and negotiating placement agent or other distribution agreements, custom fund offerings, servicing agreements, review of offering documents (e.g., Private Placement Memoranda and Limited Partnership Agreements) and ongoing fund communications.
> Working on transactions involving the distribution of co-investments, secondaries and direct private securities offerings.
> Advising on legal obligations arising in connection with investor relations, fund raising, distribution, marketing, and investing activities.
> Provide legal advice on marketing materials and investor presentations (including track record data).
> Managing outside counsel on offering launches and other projects.
> Reviewing early stage transaction documents (NDAs, term sheets, agreements).
> Negotiating client account documentation related to alternative investment products and services and ongoing corporate communications.
> Interpreting relevant statutes, rules and regulations applicable to wealth management products and services.
> Maintaining form agreements as well as working on discrete projects, regulatory inquiries, fund maintenance and other matters as appropriate.

Experience/Qualifications
> J.D. required.
> A minimum of 5+ years of relevant experience at a top tier law firm and/or in-house, preferably with a financial services firm (including a bank, broker-dealer, investment advisory firm, private equity, real estate or hedge fund).
> Strong experience with alternative investments and/or private markets.
> Experience reviewing and interpreting statutes, rules and regulations, with knowledge of U.S. securities laws (including Investment Advisers Act of 1940, Securities Act of 1933 (including Regulation D), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Company Act of 1940).
> Experience with co-investments, direct investments and/or secondary transactions in private securities is a plus.
> Experience with broker-dealer/FINRA matters is a plus, along with related experience with applicable ERISA, anti-money laundering, data protection, and tax issues.
> Candidates should have experience in complex transactions and projects and must be able to work independently when needed and also collaborate with cross functional groups.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM MORGAN STANLEY:

At Morgan Stanley, we raise, manage and allocate capital for our clients – helping them reach their goals. We do it in a way that’s differentiated – and we’ve done that for 90 years.  Our values - putting clients first, doing the right thing, leading with exceptional ideas, committing to diversity and inclusion, and giving back - aren’t just beliefs, they guide the decisions we make every day to do what's best for our clients, communities and more than 80,000 employees in 1,200 offices across 42 countries. At Morgan Stanley, you’ll find an opportunity to work alongside the best and the brightest, in an environment where you are supported and empowered. Our teams are relentless collaborators and creative thinkers, fueled by their diverse backgrounds and experiences. We are proud to support our employees and their families at every point along their work-life journey, offering some of the most attractive and comprehensive employee benefits and perks in the industry. There’s also ample opportunity to move about the business for those who show passion and grit in their work.

To learn more about our offices across the globe, please copy and paste https://www.morganstanley.com/about-us/global-offices​ into your browser.

Expected base pay rates for the role will be between $165,000 and $275,000 per year at the commencement of employment. However, base pay if hired will be determined on an individualized basis and is only part of the total compensation package, which, depending on the position, may also include commission earnings, incentive compensation, discretionary bonuses, other short and long-term incentive packages, and other Morgan Stanley sponsored benefit programs.

Morgan Stanley is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workforce that is diverse in experience and background.  Our recruiting efforts reflect our strong commitment to a culture of inclusion, where individuals are hired, developed, and advanced based on their skills and talents.

Our workforce reflects a broad cross-section of the global communities in which we operate, bringing a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives, and experiences.

For more information, please visit: https://www.morganstanley.com/people-opportunities/eeo.