Jay Gould is a Special Counsel in the Corporate Department in Baker Botts’ San Francisco office. His practice focuses on advising investment advisers and the products they manage such as venture funds, hedge funds and alternative asset funds, public and private credit funds, private equity and real estate funds, and registered interval funds. Recognized as a leader in his field, Jay advises registered and unregistered investment funds on regulatory considerations, governance matters and key areas of legal strategy. Having spent over 35 years in the financial service industry, he provides both transactional and regulatory advice, manages regulatory examinations and investigations, and provides knowledge to clients involved in all aspects of the industry.
Jay is also skilled in the investment management area. He uses his experience to advise companies, investment advisers, and broker-dealers on mergers and acquisitions. Furthermore, he provides counsel on matters such as corporate governance and Sarbanes-Oxley compliance; mortgage securitizations and sales; collateralized debt offers; joint ventures and strategic relations; and retail, institutional, and offshore securities distribution strategies and regulatory considerations.
Jay represents a variety of clients, including U.S. registered investment companies; hedge funds; offshore investment companies; investment advisers; and retail and institutional broker-dealers. He has a wealth of experience in drafting private placement memoranda, partnership and limited liability company agreements, subscription agreements, registration statements, proxy statements, periodic reports, no-action letters, applications for exemptive relief, and other documents for filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and other regulatory agencies.
Jay is a founding member and a former director of the California Hedge Fund Association (now CalALTS), a consortium of private fund managers and industry service providers located throughout California and the Western United States. Jay is also a co-founder, a member of the Board of Directors, and legal counsel for the Florida Alternative Investment Association. This South Florida organization of fund managers and hedge fund professionals regularly meets with the Florida state committee that recommends investments to its public pension plan and advocates for responsible hedge fund investing by the Florida pension plan in local fund managers.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Jay served as chief counsel for E*TRADE Global Asset Management, Inc and as senior counsel to Bank of America NT&SA. He also served as vice president for TransAmerica Life Companies and as an attorney with the SEC and five other major international law firms.
Listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Financial Services Regulation Law, 2022
Named a "Leading Lawyer" in The Legal 500 U.S. for Private Equity Funds/Venture Capital, 2018
Named a "Leading Lawyer" in The Legal 500 U.S. for Alternative/Hedge Funds, 2010-2014
