Phillip Isom

Partner

Phillip Isom is a partner in O’Melveny’s New York office and a member of the Investment Funds Practice.

Phil is recognized by Chambers, Legal 500, Lawdragon, and PLC Cross-border Private Equity Handbook as a leading lawyer in the private investment fund formation area, and has worked on investment fund matters for alternative asset managers such as Citi Alternative Investments, JPMorgan Partners, BNY Mellon Asset Management, CCMP Capital, and Apollo Global Management, involving aggregate capital commitments in excess of $10 billion. His clients also include ICV Capital Partners, RLJ Equity Partners, Crossbeam Capital, Shorecap Management and Integral Capital Management.

Investment Funds: Phil focuses in matters relating to private investment funds across a broad range of asset classes (including hedge, private equity and hybrid funds) and geographic areas (US, global and emerging markets).  Phil has extensive experience in establishing joint venture and structuring carried interest arrangements and co-investment vehicles for their investment professionals. Phil also represents buyers and sellers in secondary transfers of investment fund interests and institutions and investment teams in spin-out transactions.

Private Equity Transactions: Phil also represents private equity firms (including their portfolio companies) in connection with mergers, leveraged acquisitions, mezzanine and venture capital/growth equity investments, joint venture arrangements, asset and equity dispositions, recapitalization transactions and restructurings.

Emerging Managers: Phil regularly represents emerging managers (i.e., managers of first/second time private investment funds, as well as spin-outs) in the creation of their firms (including pledge and captive fund arrangements), formation of their investment funds and negotiation of arrangements with anchor or cornerstone investors.

Phil is a frequent speaker on various matters related to private investment funds, most recently speaking at seminars titled “How Will New Private Investment Fund Regulations Impact Your Business” and "Strategies to Address and Prevent LP Defaults.“  Additional topics include fundless sponsor arrangements, recent trends in fund formation, market terms for venture capital and M&A transactions, private equity opportunities in Africa and best practices regarding use of outside directors for portfolio companies of private equity funds.

Professional Activities

Admitted, New York
Admitted to Practice, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
Honors, Recognized by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the top African American attorneys (Private Equity) in the United States; awarded Lawyer of the Year by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Board Member, Serves on the Board of Directors of the Twenty-First Century Foundation and Blue Nile Passage Inc. and the Advisory Boards of Youth About Business, Community Development Project for Legal Aid Society and Macauley Honors College
Member, New York City Bar Association; New York State Judicial Screening Committee
Speaker, "No Money, No Problem: Great deals are done in times like this so don't miss out!," National Association of Investment Companies' 39th Annual Meeting and Convention (October 2009); “Strategies to Address and Prevent LP Defaults,” The Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (June 2009); “How Will New Private Investment Fund Regulations Impact Your Business,” O’Melveny Webinar (April 2009); “Private Equity Investments in Africa: Opportunity in the Face of a Global Financial Crisis,” New York City Bar's Committee on African Affairs and the American Bar Association, Section of International Law's Africa Committee (March 2009)