Philadelphia, June 10 — With the recent addition of Ingrid Welch as a member, Cozen O’Connor has enhanced the strength of its Private Equity and Real Estate practices. Welch previously served as the Philadelphia managing partner of a Detroit-based law firm and as in-house counsel to a Philadelphia-based private equity and real estate investment boutique with 12 years as a principal and member of the investment committee.
Welch joins Cozen O’Connor with more than 30 years of legal experience in private equity fund formation, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and SEC investment adviser and broker/dealer registration and compliance. Her practice focuses on the needs of private equity and private real estate investment firms. She has represented private equity clients in all aspects of their transactional needs, including fund formation, private placements, securities regulation (including Regulation D and Investment Company Act of 1940 exemptions), acquisition, financing and disposition of private companies, and real estate and advice regarding Dodd Frank investment adviser compliance, broker/dealer issues, and other regulatory requirements that impact private equity funds.
Welch spent 22 years as in-house counsel to a Philadelphia-based private equity and real estate investment boutique with 12 years as a principal and member of the investment committee. As counsel, she managed the legal work for more than 100 investment funds with strategies ranging from private equity funds of funds, private equity investment funds, real estate investment funds, hedge funds of funds, structured finance funds and other alternative investment funds. Many of these investment funds involved negotiating joint venture agreements with strategic or operating partners including complex governance and waterfall provisions. As a member of the investment committee, Welch was involved in the early stages of the investment decision-making process and understands the business considerations that impact private equity and real estate firms. She has managed registered investment adviser and broker/dealer compliance programs, as well as represented the registrants during examinations by the SEC and FINRA.
Welch returned to private practice in 2011. She served as the Philadelphia office managing partner of a Detroit-based law firm, and continued to represent her former private equity and real estate investment firm as well as other private equity, real estate and corporate clients.
Welch is the chairman and past president of the Brandywine Youth Club, a nonprofit youth sports organization. She earned her undergraduate degree from Villanova University and is a magna cum laude graduate of Villanova Law School, where she was an editor of the Villanova Law Review.
About Cozen O'Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O'Connor has 575 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O'Connor serves its clients' needs through 23 offices across two continents.
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