Manatt Expands Financial Services Offerings with Arrival of Banking and Regulatory Special Counsel

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a multidisciplinary, integrated professional services firm, announced today the addition of Special Counsel to the Firm’s Financial Services group. Adams’ experience representing asset managers and financial services institutions builds on Manatt’s recent growth in the financial services space across banking, capital markets, M&A, emerging companies, private credit and commercial lending.

Adams has over three decades of experience advising clients in the asset management and financial services industry, including 13 years as in-house counsel at a large U.S. national bank supporting its wealth and institutional asset management business units, custody operations and private investment fund activities. From her in-house experience, Adams has developed a deep understanding of how to navigate the intersection of regulatory and operational risks and meet the business objectives of the client institution. Adams strives to provide practical and risk appropriate alternatives to her clients, whether advising on the implementation of new regulations, managing regulatory audits, negotiating agreements, drafting internal policies and procedures, or advising on fund formation and secondary market transactions.

As Manatt continues to strategically expand its financial services team across the country, Adams’ arrival follows closely on the heels of  (Los Angeles) and  (New York), who focus on blockchain, digital assets and fintech innovation, as well as (New York), who works with consumer financial services clients on transactional and regulatory compliance issues. She also joins recent arrivals (San Diego) and  (Los Angeles), whose backgrounds include representing companies, banks and other lenders in venture debt, private credit and commercial lending matters. At Manatt, Adams will work across the Firm’s multidisciplinary teams to support its key practice areas—including fintech, venture capital, private equity, corporate and finance, digital and technology, and health care—and help clients achieve their business objectives while ensuring regulatory compliance across their various payment projects.

Adams is the latest to join Manatt’s bench of legal and consulting professionals across core industry sectors, including Financial Services (, , , ,  and ); Cross-Industry Corporate and Finance (); Digital and Technology ( and ); Government and Regulatory (); Health Care (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and ); and Cross-Industry Litigation ( and ).

Adams received her LL.M from the University of Florida, her J.D. from Campbell University and her B.A. from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.