Nicholas Blake-Knox

Nicholas Blake-Knox

Partner

T +353 1 470 6669
M +353 87 738 2417

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Practice Areas

Nicholas is based in Walkers' Ireland office where he is a partner and head of the Asset Management and Investment Funds group in Ireland.

Nicholas has in excess of twenty years' experience in the area of asset management and investment funds and has worked in both legal and finance related positions during this time. Nicholas has extensive experience advising funds, promoters and service providers on a wide range of asset management and investment fund related matters, including on the establishment, authorisation and operation of all types of Irish investment funds including UCITS, QIAIFs, RIAIFs, fund of funds, ETF's, master-feeder structures and closed-ended funds. Nicholas has experience advising across a wide range of asset classes and investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity and real estate strategies as well as more traditional liquid investment strategies, with particular expertise in advising managers of fixed income and debt focussed investment strategies.

Nicholas also has extensive experience advising on cross-border asset management and investment fund related matters and has previously advised on the establishment of investment fund platforms involving funds in jurisdictions outside of Ireland, including parallel investment fund structures.

Nicholas has participated in various industry association working groups and committees (including those at the Investment Association, ICI Global and EFAMA) and has attended meetings at ESMA in Paris in order to provide technical guidance on investment fund related matters. Nicholas currently sits on the AIF Regulation Working Group, the ILP Implementation Working Group and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds. Nicholas has spoken at a wide range of investment fund conferences and currently lectures on the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute programme which is delivered in London, Zurich and New York.

Prior Employment Experience

Prior to joining Walkers, Nicholas was Senior Vice President and senior legal counsel in PIMCO in London with responsibility for the legal management of all areas of PIMCO's EMEA funds business, covering liquid and alternative investment funds across multiple jurisdictions. Prior to joining PIMCO, Nicholas worked as a solicitor within the Asset Management and Investment Funds department of a big five Dublin law firm. Nicholas has also worked with Investors Bank & Trust and SEI in finance related positions.

Admitted in & Qualifications

Admitted In:
Ireland
England and Wales (not practising)

Qualifications:
Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies (BBLS), University College Dublin
Masters in Business Administration (MBA), London Business School
Diploma in Applied Finance Law, Law Society of Ireland

Other Distinctions

2022 IFLR 1000 (32nd Edition) - "He is extremely well respected in the Irish market. He is insightful, commercially aware and very responsiveness. He leads a really strong team and will no doubt continue to grow the firm's business here."

2022 Legal 500 – Leading Individual - "Nicholas Blake-Knox is my primary point of contact at Walkers, and is one of the best fund lawyers around, if not the best fund lawyer in Ireland. His, and his team’s knowledge has been a key support for my firm, and has been hugely helpful in my business growth."

2022 Chambers Europe - Band 4 (Investment Funds) - Sources describe the team as "technically great and commercial in their approach."

2022 Chambers Global - Notable Practitioner - Investment Funds - "Sources praise him for his "flexible and responsive" approach."

2021 IFLR 1000 (31st Edition) - Highly Regarded - "Excellent knowledge of the industry and our business. Clear communications and innovative solutions."

"Nicholas is highly skilled and very knowledgeable about his specialist area of law."

2021 Legal 500 – Leading Individual - ‘The team is no nonsense and very easy to deal with. Nick Blake-Knox is exceptional – he is particularly straightforward and pragmatic.’

'The funds team is exceptional in its deep understanding of the intricacies of asset management and investment funds. Nicholas Blake-Knox is a star who offers exceptional client service and innovative solutions to thorny issues.’

2020 IFLR 1000 - Highly Regarded

2020 Legal 500 - Recommended Lawyer (Investment Funds) - "Nicholas Blake-Knox is a pragmatic lawyer who gets to the core of legal and regulatory issues very quickly, offering a solution-orientated perspective for clients. He avoids creating legal and regulatory fear, thereby garnering trust with clients. His in-house experience shines through in his dealings with clients – he has been on the other side and therefore is capable of looking at the world through his clients’ lens."

2019 Legal 500 - Recomended Lawyer (Investment Funds) - Nicholas Blake-Knox, who is 'proactive and knowledgeable in the offshore funds space'

2019 Chambers Global Guide - Recomended Lawyer (Investment Funds / Financial Services Department)

Boards & Associations

Nicholas is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute
Nicholas is a member of the UCITS Product and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds
Nicholas is a trustee and board member of Kidscape, the UK anti-bullying charity

News, Matters and Publications

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"Excellent technical ability. Able to consider law not in isolation but in a very commercial sense. Can provide advice and solutions to problems."    

IFLR1000 

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