Nicholas Blake-Knox
Partner
Ireland
Nicholas is head of our Asset Management and Investment Funds Practice Group in Ireland.
He has over 20 years’ experience in asset management and investment funds.
Nicholas advises funds, promoters and service providers on establishing, authorising and operating all types of Irish investment funds.
He has experience of asset classes and investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, real estate and liquid investment. He has also advised on establishing investment fund platforms in jurisdictions outside Ireland.
Nicholas has been part of various industry association working groups and committees, and has given guidance on investment funds at ESMA in Paris. He is currently Chair of Irish Funds and sits on the AIF Regulation Working Group, the ILP Implementation Working Group and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds. He regularly speaks at investment-fund conferences, and lectures on the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute programme.
Nicholas advises funds, promoters and service providers on establishing, authorising and operating all types of Irish investment funds.
He has experience of asset classes and investment strategies including hedge fund, private equity, real estate and liquid investment. He has also advised on establishing investment fund platforms in jurisdictions outside Ireland.
Nicholas has been part of various industry association working groups and committees, and has given guidance on investment funds at ESMA in Paris. He is currently Chair of Irish Funds and sits on the AIF Regulation Working Group, the ILP Implementation Working Group and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds. He regularly speaks at investment-fund conferences, and lectures on the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute programme.
Excellent technical ability. Able to consider law not in isolation but in a very commercial sense. Can provide advice and solutions to problems.
Experience and recent work
Previously Nicholas was Senior Vice President and Senior Legal Counsel in PIMCO in London, managing all areas of the EMEA funds business. Before joining PIMCO, he was a solicitor in the Asset Management and Investment Funds department of a big-five Dublin law firm. He has also worked with Investors Bank & Trust and SEI in finance positions.
Qualifications
Admitted in:
- Ireland
- England and Wales (not practising)
Education:
- Bachelor of Business and Legal Studies (BBLS), University College Dublin
- Masters in Business Administration (MBA), London Business School
- Diploma in Applied Finance Law, Law Society of Ireland
Nicholas is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute
Nicholas is a member of the UCITS Product and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds
Nicholas is a trustee and board member of Kidscape, the UK anti-bullying charity
Nicholas is a member of the UCITS Product and Brexit Steering Groups at Irish Funds
Nicholas is a trustee and board member of Kidscape, the UK anti-bullying charity
2024 Legal 500 EMEA - Leading Individual - "Nicholas Blake-Knox has provided a continuous level of excellent service in investment fund matters."
2024 IFLR 1000 - Highly Regarded Lawyer - “Nicholas is an excellent lawyer and is at the forefront in the industry in terms of the private asset requirements and development of the regulatory environment in this regard."
2024 Chambers and Partners Europe - "Nick is an excellent partner who is very diligent, commercial and well connected in the industry."
2023 Legal 500 EMEA - Leading Individual
2023 IFLR 1000 - Highly Regarded Lawyer - "Very knowledgeable and well informed on industry trends and focus areas."
2023 Chambers and Partners Europe- Leading Individual
2022 IFLR 1000 - "He is extremely well respected in the Irish market. He is insightful, commercially aware and very responsiveness. He leads a really strong team and will no doubt continue to grow the firm's business here."
2022 Legal 500 EMEA – Leading Individual - "Nicholas Blake-Knox is my primary point of contact at Walkers, and is one of the best fund lawyers around, if not the best fund lawyer in Ireland. His, and his team’s knowledge has been a key support for my firm, and has been hugely helpful in my business growth."
2022 Chambers and Partners Europe - Investment Funds - Sources describe the team as "technically great and commercial in their approach."
2022 Chambers and Partners Global - Investment Funds - Notable Practitioner - "Sources praise him for his "flexible and responsive" approach."
2021 IFLR 1000 - Highly Regarded - "Excellent knowledge of the industry and our business. Clear communications and innovative solutions." "Nicholas is highly skilled and very knowledgeable about his specialist area of law."
2021 Legal 500 EMEA – Leading Individual - "The team is no nonsense and very easy to deal with. Nick Blake-Knox is exceptional – he is particularly straightforward and pragmatic." "The funds team is exceptional in its deep understanding of the intricacies of asset management and investment funds. Nicholas Blake-Knox is a star who offers exceptional client service and innovative solutions to thorny issues."
2020 IFLR 1000 - Highly Regarded
2020 Legal 500 EMEA - Investment Funds - Recommended Lawyer - "Nicholas Blake-Knox is a pragmatic lawyer who gets to the core of legal and regulatory issues very quickly, offering a solution-orientated perspective for clients. He avoids creating legal and regulatory fear, thereby garnering trust with clients. His in-house experience shines through in his dealings with clients – he has been on the other side and therefore is capable of looking at the world through his clients’ lens."
2019 Legal 500 EMEA - Investment Funds - Recommended Lawyer - "Nicholas Blake-Knox, who is 'proactive and knowledgeable in the offshore funds space.'"
2019 Chambers and Partners Global - Investment Funds - Recommended Lawyer
Team Members
