Jennifer is a Partner at Thompson Coburn LLP. Jennifer serves as primary outside counsel to a variety of individuals, institutions and companies, including entrepreneurs, venture capital firms and emerging companies, as well as domestic and international public companies. Her practice encompasses all areas of general corporate and securities law, including private placements of equity and debt securities, mergers and acquisitions and venture capital fund formation. Jennifer advises her company clients in many aspects of their businesses: capital raising, acquisitions, licensing and distribution, equity compensation, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. She also represents investment entities including venture capital firms in their formation, fundraising efforts, governance and maintenance, as well as their transactions with emerging companies including complex investment structures, exit transactions and restructurings. Jennifer has a unique niche representing technology lenders including venture debt lenders and hedge funds in secured transactions involving alternative asset classes.
This allows them to leverage their capital base so they can lead bigger deals, gain market share, and can build a track record of increasing assets under management. With these arrangements come complexities, challenges, and regulatory issues that need to be carefully evaluated. There shouldn’t be a deviation in how the investment is managed on the fund and co-investment side. We want to make sure that’s addressed in the documentation. Conflicts can arise when [some in] the co-invest group [have] a need for liquidity sooner or [have] a lower tolerance for risk. They may bring some pressure on the manager or seek a less risky strategy in the investment.