Overview
Gwen Williamson represents players in the asset management space — registered funds and their independent directors; investment advisers, private funds and other institutional investors; and high net worth individuals and family offices.
Gwen focuses much of her practice under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, meaning that she advises clients on issues that arise in the operation of registered funds and investment advisory businesses. She is also highly experienced in environmental, social and governance (ESG) and principles-based investing.
Gwen enjoys working with clients to solve problems, whether in the short or long term. She thrives on working creatively to advise clients around the novel investment products that are the future of the asset management industry and in implementing SEC rulemakings and complying with the federal securities laws day to day.
Investment Management
Gwen counsels clients on their full range of responsibilities arising under the Investment Company Act and the Investment Advisers Act. Her nearly 20 years of experience counseling asset management industry players include:
- fund launches, mergers and liquidations
- compliance programs
- vendor oversight programs
- risk assessments
- SEC examinations and investigations
- applications for exemptive relief
- changes in control
- investment company status issues
- reporting under the federal securities laws
Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Investing
Since 2018, Gwen has focused a significant part of her practice on the myriad legal and compliance issues that surround ESG investing. She provides ESG-related disclosure and compliance audits for fund and adviser clients, and collaborates with clients on ESG policies, programs and reporting, both at the institutional investor and individual retail level.
Service and Thought-Leadership
A highly active speaker and writer, Gwen serves on the editorial board of The Investment Lawyer: Covering Legal and Regulatory Issues of Asset Management (Wolters Kluwer). Recent pieces she has authored cover the SEC’s new rules for private fund advisers, ESG investing frameworks, exchange-traded funds (ETF) governance and the evolution of mutual fund distribution arrangements.
Personal Interests
In her free time, Gwen enjoys photography, yoga and the beach. She is currently on the Governance Committee and serves as co-chair of the Stewardship Committee at Foundry UMC, a social justice-oriented faith community.
Related Legal Services
Related Industries
Credentials
Bar Admissions
District of Columbia
Georgia
Education
University of Georgia School of Law
J.D. (2005)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A. (1999)
Insights & Events
Latest
News
Other Perspectives
- The ESG Landscape: Wall Street’s Role in Creating a More Sustainable Future
Speaker, Diversity & Equity on Wall Street Centerforce Conference, New York (Nov. 2, 2023) - ESG Regulatory Roundtable
Speaker, Investment Management Education Alliance, Boston, Mass. (Sept. 19, 2023) - ESG Oversight: The Fundamentals in an Evolving Space for Fund Boards
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, University of Maryland School of Business Center for Financial Policy, Washington, D.C. (April 12, 2023) - ESG Considerations for Asset Managers: The Emerging Regulatory Framework Applying to Investment Funds and Investment Advisers 2023
Speaker, Practising Law Institute, New York (Jan. 10, 2023) - Focus Forward: Cyber Risk
Speaker, Insurance Leadership Forum, Colorado Springs, Colo. (Oct. 10, 2022) - In Focus: ESG Compliance
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Webinar (Sept. 8, 2022) - Intro to Proposed ESG Rules Changes
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Webinar (July 14, 2022) - ESG Investing Frameworks and SEC Regulation
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 29, No. 7 (July 2022) - Selecting Today’s Independent Fund Director
Co-author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 29, No. 6 (June 2022) - ESG Regulation Perspectives
Speaker, Investment Management Education Alliance (IMEA) Podcast (May 19, 2022) - ESG Update
Speaker, Investment Management Education Alliance, All-Council Summit, Webinar (April 20, 2022) - Examining the Section 15(c) Contract Review Process for Similar ETFs and Mutual Funds
Co-author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Jan. 2022) - Developments in 2021 for SPACs Under the 1940 Act
Co-author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 28, No. 12 (Dec. 2021) - Building an ESG Compliance Program — Disclosure and Client Communication Issues
Moderator, Investment Adviser Association 2021 Compliance Workshop, Webinar (Nov. 18, 2021) - ESG Taxonomy: Ratings, Benchmarks, and Other Board Challenges in an Uncertain Regulatory Environment
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Webinar (Oct. 27, 2021) - Board Oversight: ETFs and Mutual Funds
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Webinar (Sept. 9, 2021) - ESG Considerations for Asset Managers — The Emerging Regulatory Framework Applying to Investment Funds and Investment Advisers 2021
Speaker, Practicing Law Institute, Webinar (Sept. 2, 2021) - On the Horizon: How the Changing Environment Will Affect the Way Funds are Structured and Sold
Moderator, Practising Law Institute, Basics of Mutual Funds and Other Registered Investment Companies 2021, Webinar (April 21, 2021) - ESG: Investing and Implementation
Moderator, Investment Adviser Association 2021 Compliance Conference, Webinar (March 4, 2021) - An Administrative History of Rule 12b-1
Author, Basics of Mutual Funds and Other Registered Investment Companies, Practising Law Institute (2021) - Social Impact Investing in Forest Lands
Speaker, Who Will Own the Forest?. World Forestry Center, Webinar (Oct. 14, 2020) - ETFs in 2020: One Board or Two (or More)?
Co-author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 27, No. 10 (Oct. 2020) - Compliance Risks and Considerations During COVID-19
Speaker, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, Webinar (Sept. 25, 2020) - ESG Standards: A Look Abroad in the Absence of Clarity at Home
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 27, No. 5 (May 2020) - Classes and Conflicts: What’s Next for Fund Distribution Arrangements?
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 27, No. 3 (March 2020) - Basics of Mutual Funds and Other Registered Investment Companies
Author, Basics (Course Handbook), Practising Law Institute (2020) - Proxy Voting and the Possibilities of Blockchain
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 26, No. 10 (Oct. 2019) - ESG: Investment Process and Compliance
Speaker, IAA Investment Adviser Compliance Conference 2019, Washington, DC (March 14, 2019) - Family Offices
Author, Investment Adviser Regulation: A Step-by-Step Guide to Compliance and the Law, ed. Clifford Kirsch, Practising Law Institute (2019) - Developments in the Regulation of Fiduciary Investment Advice
Co-author, Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation, Vol. 51, No. 18 (Oct. 24, 2018) - Will 12b-1 Fees Cave Under Pressure? and Related Questions in a Time of Change
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 25, No. 9 (Sept. 2018) - Fiduciary Investment Advice Program
Speaker, Practicing Law Institute, New York (May 10, 2018) - Investment Adviser ESG Policies and Compliance Measurement
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 25, No. 5 (May 2018) - A Legal Overview of Investing for Small and Emerging Public Charities?
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 24, No. 12 (Dec. 2017) - Compliance Concerns Amidst Industry, Regulatory Change
Author, Fund Board Views (Sept. 14, 2017) - Cybersecurity Breaches and Compliance Challenges on the Horizon
Speaker, Investment Adviser Association, Atlanta, Ga. (Oct. 10, 2016) - Counseling Cybersecurity and Risk Management: A Regulatory Perspective on Cyber Risk and Liability
Speaker, Minority Corporate Counsel Association 2015 CLE Expo, San Diego, Cal. (Oct. 6, 2015) - Not If, But When: Securing Fund Data
Speaker, ’40 Acts Committee Luncheon, New York (Jan. 30, 2015) - The Liability Hole — Cybersecurity Risks and the Apportionment of Liability
Co-author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 21, No. 12 (Dec. 2014) - Retirement Product Disclosure Rules and the Impact on Mutual Fund Distribution
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 19, No. 10 (Oct. 2012) - Tackling Mutual Fund Risks in the Omnibus Channel
Author, The Investment Lawyer, Vol. 19, No. 7 (July 2012) - Supreme Court Upholds Gartenberg Standard in Jones v. Harris
Author, Journal of Investment Compliance, Vol. 11, No. 2 (March 2010) - U.S. SEC Staff Conditionally Allows Foreign Funds to Invest In U.S. Funds In Excess of Anti-Pyramiding Limitations of Investment Company Act of 1940
Author, BNA International World Securities Law Report (Nov. 2009) - SEC Adopts New E-Proxy Rules
Author, Banking & Financial Services Policy Report (March 2007)
Leadership & Community
Pro Bono
Gwen maintains an active pro bono practice. Her pro bono clients over the years have included, for example, individuals, a documentary production startup, a public rights-focused fellowship program and a global conservation organization.
Professional Associations
- American Bar Association — Business Law Section
- District of Columbia Bar — Corporate, Finance & Securities Law Section
- Federal Bar Association
- State Bar of Georgia — Business and Fiduciary Law Sections
- Lambda Legal — National Leadership Council
- DC Bar Foundation — Young Lawyers Network Leadership Council, 2015-17