Melissa C. Bender

Bender is making her mark with hedge funds — an industry often dominated by men. She says she’s able to do that because Ropes & Gray LLP has a culture of promoting women.

“In the hedge fund field, eight out of nine partners at Ropes & Gray are women, including myself, which is remarkable,” she said. “I’d say I had the luxury of having women as mentors compared to a lot of people.”

“In turn, one of my goals is to be a mentor in the same way I was mentored. I try to be a resource to junior attorneys, particularly women,” she added.

Though hedge fund work is her primary focus, she also handles other legal work for the financial services industry including compliance and advising investors, private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds and private investment funds.

AlpInvest, Harvard University, Hewlett Foundation, Makena Capital, Rockefeller Foundation and Stanford University make up her clientele along with other investors.

She’s enjoys helping people form business partnerships, Bender said.

“For example, if I’m representing an investor who is investing in a fund, they want to know what that fund is doing, when they can get their money out, what cut of profits they can take,” she said. “It’s like any other kind of contract work, like buying a house, or entering an apartment lease where you lay out rules. I build the relationship between parties and as a transactional attorney you’re much more focused on memorializing agreements whereas a litigator is much more oriented towards resolving disputes.”

To help clients execute their goals, she often reads and translates hundreds of pages in partnership agreements, laying out different aspects of the relationship between parties and additionally, putting herself in an investors’ point of view.

“I spend a lot time looking at relationship alignments between a manager sponsoring the funds, and investors wanting to ensure that everyone’s economic interests are aligned,” said Bender. “I have to think about things in everyone’s point of view — from the investors’ side and the sponsors’ side.”

Economics, numbers and math are a huge part of Bender’s practice, though she studied English during college. Her academic background helps her think critically, put together ideas and synthesize concepts, which is a practical approach she implements when drafting partnership agreements for clients.

She said hopes to pass along some of the lessons she learned as she mentors other attorneys.

“I always realize there are things other people are better at, and I try not to be everything to everyone,” said Bender. “One thing that can be tough for a woman is the belief of having to be perfect and exhibiting perfection all the time. It’s actually very empowering to recognize that you’re not perfect. I’m not perfect and I don’t expect people I work with to be perfect, but to do their best.”

— Gina Kim