Michael S. Hong
Advises private fund managers in complex, high-value fund formation matters. Extensive experience on first-time fundraises, co-investments and secondary transactions.
Michael advises fund-related clients on all manner of fund formation and investor relations, M&A and co-investment and regulatory matters. His clients include private equity, credit, growth capital, hedge, energy, real estate, co-investment and fund of funds managers.
Michael also advises on secondary transactions, GP-stake sales and purchases, spin-outs and JVs. He also regularly represents sponsors and senior executives in “upper tier” arrangement, employment and separation matters.
His clients include Antares Capital, Harvest Partners, Golub Capital, Lightyear Capital, Trilantic Capital, Frazier Healthcare, Ferghana Investment Partners, Niobrara Capital, GHK Capital, Godspeed Capital, Durational Capital, and TruArc Partners.
Michael is widely recognized as a leading fund formation lawyer, is a frequent conference speaker and is regularly quoted in the financial press. From 2021 to 2024, he served as Chair of the New York City Bar’s Committee on Private Investment Funds.
Experience
- Antares Capital on the formation of:
- Antares Senior Loan Fund III, a $8.5 billion private credit fund
- Antares Senior Loan Fund II, a $6 billion private credit fund
- a $1.7 billion private credit continuation vehicle led by Ares
- fund-of-one managed accounts with Asian sovereign wealth investors
- Harvest Partners on the formation of:
- Harvest Partners IX, a $5.34 billion private equity fund
- Harvest Partners VIII, a $4.03 billion private equity fund
- Harvest Partners Structured Capital Fund III, a $1.28 billion private equity fund
- Harvest Partners Structured Capital Fund II, a $900 million growth equity fund
- numerous co-investment vehicles, including those that focus on credit investments
- Lightyear Capital on the formation of:
- Lightyear Fund VI, L.P., a $2.5 billion private equity fund
- Lightyear Fund V, L.P., a $1.52 billion private equity fund
- a single-asset continuation vehicle for their investment in ampliFI
- co-investment vehicles for an Asian sovereign wealth fund
- co-investment vehicles for various investments
- Golub Capital on the formation of:
- fund-of-one managed accounts with Asian sovereign wealth investors
- a fund-of-one managed account with a U.S. public pension plan
- a separately managed account for a prominent EU-based investment adviser
- TruArc Partners (successor to Snow Phipps):
- TruArc Fund IV (and related vehicles), an $841 million private equity fund
- TruArc Structured Opportunities Fund, LP, a $250 million private equity fund
- co-investment vehicles for various investments
- GHK Capital Partners on the formation of:
- GHK Fund II, its $870 million second private equity fund
- GHK Fund I, its $410 million inaugural private equity fund
- co-investment vehicles for various investments
- Godspeed Capital on the formation of:
- Godspeed Capital Fund III, a $675 million private equity fund
- two investment programs in connection with Godspeed’s strategic partnerships with East Rock Capital, raising $155 million and $250 million, respectively.
- Ferghana Investment Partners on their seed investment from New Catalyst
- Niobrara Capital Partners on their seed investment from Wafra
- Trilantic Capital Management on the formation of:
- Trilantic Capital Partners VI, a $2.75 billion private equity fund
- Trilantic Energy Partners II, a $437 million energy fund
- co-investment vehicles for various investments
Insights
News
Recognition
Chambers USA and Global – Private Equity: Fund Formation
Legal 500 U.S. – Private Equity Funds (Including Venture Capital)
IFLR1000 – Private Equity Funds, United States, Highly Regarded
IFLR1000 – Private Equity, United States, Highly Regarded
IFLR1000 – Investment Funds, United States, Highly Regarded
IFLR1000 – M&A, United States, Highly Regarded
Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) – Private Funds (Formation, Regulatory), Thought Leader
Private Funds Management – “30 Most Influential Private Equity Lawyers Under the Age of 40,” 2015
Education
- Gerald W. Schwartz Gold Medal
- with high distinction
Prior experience
- Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, 2013-2018
- Associate, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, 2004-2013
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York