Abigail Bell

Abigail Bell advises on the structuring, establishment and distribution of private funds including hedge, hybrid and private equity products, both regulated and unregulated, across a broad range of asset classes and domiciled in a range of onshore and offshore jurisdictions. Ms. Bell also advises on the negotiation of seed investments, post-launch acceleration capital transactions and revenue sharing arrangements.

Ms. Bell has acted on the establishment of a number of asset management businesses and has assisted on the drafting and negotiation of a wide range of corporate documentation, including shareholders’ agreements, partnership agreements, limited liability partnership deeds and fund management and advisory agreements. Ms. Bell also advises investment funds on the use of derivatives, securities lending and repurchase arrangements, give-up arrangements, custody, brokerage and prime brokerage documentation and financing arrangements and associated regulatory requirements including advice on the impact of EMIR, SFTR, MiFID II, MiFIR and AIFMD.

Ms. Bell is ranked for hedge funds by Chambers UK. In the latest edition a client states that “Abigail Bell is one of the finest investment lawyers I ever worked with.” She has been previously described as “a very straight-to-the-point, practical lawyer” (2022). The 2021 edition notes that she is “sought out by established hedge funds managers as well as start-ups thanks to the depth of her experience in the space”. The Legal 500, UK also recognizes Ms. Bell as a “Leading Individual” (2023) for hedge funds, with one client stating: “Her expertise, including across jurisdictions, is outstanding, her advice always sound, she is generous with her time.” She has also been described as “one of the most competent attorneys I have ever worked with” (2021).

Ms Bell has also been recognized in the Private Markets: 50 Women Leaders 2024 report by The Hedge Fund Journal and was previously listed in its 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds report. Moreover, she is rated “highly regarded” for hedge funds by IFLR1000 in 2023. 

She speaks regularly at industry events and roundtables and is closely involved with a number of industry bodies including the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA). 

Ms. Bell joined Dechert on qualification in 2002. She worked in the firm’s financial services group for three years, including a secondment to Dechert’s Luxembourg office, before spending 18 months in the equity derivatives legal team in the London office of JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Ms. Bell returned to Dechert in March 2007.