Dechert Advises Aberdeen Investments on £1.5 Billion Acquisition of Closed-End Fund Assets

Dechert advised Aberdeen Investments, a global specialist asset manager, on its acquisition of closed-end fund assets from MFS Investment Management, with combined assets totaling approximately £1.5 billion. The transaction was effectuated through a series of fund reorganizations, and advisory contract assignments of four actively managed funds.

The transaction marks Aberdeen’s 10th U.S. closed-end fund acquisition since 2000, further reinforcing its position as one of the leading global managers of closed-end funds. Aberdeen currently manages approximately £21.8 billion in closed-end funds, making it the fifth largest manager of closed-end funds globally.

The Dechert team that advised Aberdeen was led by corporate partners Stephen R. Pratt and Ross A. MacConnell and financial services partner Thomas C. Bogle. The broader team included corporate associate Anjanaye Jariwala; financial services counsels Katherine Corey and Kimberley Church with associates Louis Rosenbaum, Brendan Powell, Nicholas Ersoy and Jonathan Blaha; tax partner Joseph A. Riley and associates Helen Huang, Aimal Faayez, Zhujing Wu and Kalina Hannsz; and junior transactional associates Casey Roush and Amanda Peper Motley.

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For more than 150 years, we have advised clients on critical issues – from high-stakes litigation to first-in-market transaction structures and complex regulatory matters. Our lawyers in commercial centers worldwide are immersed in the key sectors we serve – financial services, private capital, real estate, life sciences and technology.

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