Bert Stemmler

Background

About Bert Stemmler

Bert Stemmler is an experienced corporate attorney who advises private investment funds and their managers on formation, operation, and compliance matters and who acts as an outside general counsel to businesses to tackle a wide range of corporate legal needs. Bert's practice focuses on formation of investment funds and regulatory compliance matters impacting investment funds and their investment advisers, including the registration of investment advisers with the SEC and state authorities and identifying exemptions from such registration requirements, including exempt reporting advisers. Bert advises on all aspects of Investment Advisers Act compliance, including the Marketing Rule, examinations, custody, fees, investor qualification requirements and Form ADV, among others, for US and non-US managers, family offices, real estate managers, venture capital managers, private equity managers, hedge fund managers and digital asset managers. Bert has extensive knowledge and experience in the crypto/digital assets space, having served as the Head of Legal and Compliance at Open Web Collective, a VC fund manager and accelerator for crypto startups. He also advises clients on the legal and regulatory issues and risks associated with digital assets and cryptocurrency investments and strategies and is a member of Polsinelli's cross-practice Blockchain+ team. Prior to such in-house role, Bert spent 14 years at a New York City boutique law firm specializing in investment fund formation and investment adviser regulatory compliance in addition to serving in an external general counsel capacity to clients to address day-to-day legal needs of growing businesses. Bert holds an LL.M in taxation from New York University School of Law and a J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Bert is passionate about the innovation and potential of blockchain technology and its applications across various sectors, and about helping clients navigate the evolving and complex regulatory regimes applicable to private funds and their sponsors. He is a Shareholder at Polsinelli PC, a national law firm, and a member of Polsinelli’s Investment Strategies & Capital Solutions practice group, its Blockchain+ team, and its Corporate Transparency Act group.