Our people

Alexandra Poe joined the firm in 2009 as a partner in the Private Funds group of the Reed Smith Business & Finance practice. Sandra has 24 years experience in investment management practice counseling managers of hedge funds, private equity funds, mutual funds, institutional investment advisers and broker-dealer advised programs. 

Sandra’s practice focuses on counseling hedge and private equity fund advisers in all stages of their business, including fund formation, structuring the manager and its affiliates, adviser registration, compliance program development, compliance training and advice, placement arrangements, marketing, client relations (including side letter and seed investor negotiations), the creation and implementation of liquidity crunch strategies, and day to day trading and operations advice.  Sandra has also supervised international law surveys, created structures allowing investment through non-traditional assets such as trade receivables, and advised regarding participation in government assisted troubled asset programs.

Other representations include advice in connection with investment adviser acquisitions, implementation of compliance following prosecutorial settlement agreements, mutual fund governance matters, hedge fund due diligence, managed account program contracts and operations, and traditional adviser set-up, marketing, registration and compliance.

Prior Experience

Sandra has significant prior experience working in-house with a wide variety of asset managers. Sandra spent five years as General Counsel at Schroder Capital Management (U.S.) and served as President of the Schroder family of mutual funds. During those years she oversaw the legal aspects of the growth, operations and governance of the mutual funds, expansion of Schroders’ participation in U.S. managed accounts platforms, and the inauguration of the first Schroders hedge funds. She also served as Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at US Trust, where she was Chief Legal Officer of the Excelsior family of mutual and alternative investment funds, where she advised the initial adoption of fund compliance programs, the conversion of service providers, and the response to fiduciary and auditor independence issues of considerable significance. Finally, Sandra, also served as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Managed Accounts and Alternative Investment Strategies at Prudential Financial and as Vice President and investment company counsel for Citibank Global Asset Management.

Publications

• "The Myth of the Unregulated Hedge Fund," published by Bloomberg Regulatory Risk and Compliance Report (2009).
• "State of the Art: Model Based Managed Accounts Programs," published by the Practising Law Institute (2007).
• "Wrap Fee Programs," chapter in the Practising Law Institute treatise, Investment Adviser Regulation: A Step by Step Guide to Compliance and the Law (with James Anderson).

Speeches / Presentations

• Hedge Fund Due Diligence—Jamison Group Hedge Fund Breakfast Series—Harvard Club, New York , New York—May 13, 2009
• Hedge Fund Enforcement & Regulatory Developments—PLI Seminar—New York, New York—November 24, 2008
• Hedge Funds and Philanthropy— Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York– New York, New York – June 5, 2008
• Nuts & Bolts of Wrap Fee Programs– PLI Seminar, -- Nuts & Bolts of Financial Products– New York, New York – February 27, 2007 and February 26, 2008
• Hedge Fund Best Practices: Operations and Regulatory Compliance – MARHedge Cayman Conference – Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands – December 3-5, 2006
• Identifying and Handling Material Non-Public Information – Jefferson Wells Hedge Fund Roundtable: New York, New York – June 21, 2006
• Auditor Independence for Registered Investment Companies – Ass’n of the Bar of the City of NY, Current Legal & Ethical Issues Facing Investment Companies & Their Counsel –New York, New York – June 12, 2006
• Langfan Yeshiva College Constitutional Oratory Competition – Judge – New York, New York – May 10, 2006
• Hedge Fund Best Practices – Investment Advisers Association Compliance Workshop – Chicago, Illinois – December 1, 2005
• Hedge Fund Compliance—Institutional Investor Event: New York, New York – October 19, 2005
• Has also spoken at other past events held by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the Institutional Investor, the Institute for International Research (IIR) and the Investment Company Institute (ICI)

Experience

Legal Education

Undergraduate Education

Professional Affiliations

• High Water Women Foundation—Founding Director. Current Board Chair. Co-Leader of the MicroFinance Committee and creator of the HWW MasterClass in Microfinance.™ The Foundation received the National Council on Economic Education's 2006 "Visionary Award for Champions of Economic Empowerment" and the (Em)Power Award from The Young Women’s Leadership Network. The Foundation was also nominated for "Philanthropy of the Year" by Private Asset Management magazine in 2007.
• 100 Women in Hedge Funds—Angel Donor. Sandra served on the organization's Philanthropy and Gala Committees (2003-2004) and participated in its Legal Peer Advisory Group (2005-2007)
• Women's Investment Management Forum
• Investment Management Regulation Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (2005-2008)
• Private Funds Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York (2008-2011)
• Manhattan Committee on Foreign Relations (2009)

Community Involvement

Sandra was a 9/11 volunteer consultant with Safe Horizon, assisting WTC survivors in obtaining available benefits and advising the organization in revising by-laws and board policies. She has also served as board member and Executive Director of Artists to End Hunger.