Mary (Molly) C. Moynihan
- Firmwide Chair, Investment Management Practice
- Washington, D.C.
A longtime leader within the firm, Molly counsels clients in the asset management industry, including independent trustees, on regulatory matters.
Molly Moynihan represents registered open-end investment companies, registered investment advisers, independent directors of fund complexes, private funds, and business development companies. Assisting clients at the forefront of technology and investment management, she provides guidance on adoption and oversight of emerging technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence.
Molly represents the independent directors of mutual fund complexes and serves as fund counsel to a major fund complex, regularly advising on fund formation, regulatory requirements, and compliance. She advises on portfolio management, valuation matters, compliance programs, and risk management, including cyber risk. Molly also counsels on mergers and acquisitions of affiliated and unaffiliated investment companies and investment advisers, affiliated transactions, and distribution issues. Her clients include funds serving as underlying investment vehicles for variable insurance products.
Molly has previously served as general counsel and liaison to the board of trustees for a multibillion-dollar registered investment company whose primary investors were large public and ERISA-regulated pension plans. She handled the company’s regulatory filings and was responsible for structuring issues related to mortgage-backed securities and real estate transactions, as well as providing advice related to the fund’s pension plan investors.
Molly regularly writes and lectures on the role of independent directors, risk management, oversight of innovative technologies, and current regulatory issues faced by the industry. She is a member of the American Bar Association Task Force on Fund Directors and a co-author of the American Bar Association Fund Directors Handbook. Molly also serves on the board of the National Archives Foundation, where she chairs the Governance Committee. She is active in pro bono representations, in particular decarceration of juvenile offenders.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- University of London, LL.M., International Law, 1989
- University of Texas School of Law, J.D., with honors, Order of the CoifTexas Law Review, 1987
- Wesleyan University, B.A., with highest honors, 1984
Bar and Court Admissions
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District of Columbia
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New York
Related Employment
- K&L Gates LLP, Washington, D.C., Partner, Investment Management, 2008-2010
- AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, Washington, D.C., General Counsel, 2003-2008
- Sullivan & Cromwell, London, New York and Washington, D.C., Associate, 1988-1992; Specialist, 1993-1999
Clerkships
- Chief Justice Thomas Phillips, Supreme Court of Texas
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Foundation of the National Archives, Board of Directors, Member
- American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Sub-Committee on Investment Companies and Investment Advisers
- Perkins Coie Firmwide Management Committee, Member, 2017-2020
- Perkins Coie Firmwide Executive Committee, Member, 2012-2015, 2017-2020
