Dates
Thursday, May 29 from 12:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Friday, May 30 from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location
NYU School of Law, Furman Hall
245 Sullivan St, New York, NY 10012
CLE Credit
12 NY State CLE credits
Registration Information
Cost
$500
Workshop Overview
This workshop concentrates on teaching skills and raising awareness about the business terms, structures, documentation and legal issues that arise when aggregating capital for impact investments. This workshop will make use of a series of case studies that explore the life of an impact investment fund sponsored by Habitat for Humanity International. These case studies include collateral documents such as, among other things, actual deal documentation and video interviews with representatives of the parties to these contracts. Registration opened April 4. Registration by the public is capped at 18 participants; once we reach capacity we will create a waitlist.
This event has been approved to offer 12 New York State CLE credits in the category of Skills. The credit is non-transitional; it is appropriate only for experienced attorneys.
NYU School of Law is committed to the availability of quality affordable CLE programs for its alumni community and members of the bar-at-large. Prospective attendees interested in obtaining financial aid for this program should contact the Grunin Center at grunincenter@gmail.com. Written requests for financial aid should include applicant name, phone number, email address, employment status and recent employment history, along with a brief statement of financial need. All requests for financial aid will be kept confidential.
Program
| Day | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, May 29 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 3:00 PM | Module 1 (2 hours) - Why aggregate funds when making impact investments? Introducing business structures used for impact investments. | |
| 3:00 - 3:30 PM | Break | |
| 3:30 - 5:30 PM | Module 2 (2 hours) - Introducing the MicroBuild Fund – Case Study Series | |
| 5:30 - 7:30 PM | Cocktail Party | |
| Friday, May 30 | 9:00 - 11:00 AM | Module 3 (2 hours) - Embedding impact incentives and blending capital into impact investment funds: Aligning and maintaining an alignment of interests and expectations among funding sources |
| 11:00 - 11:15 AM | Break | |
| 11:15 AM - 1:15 PM | Module 4 (2 hours) - Leveraging and Deploying the MicroBuild Fund | |
| 1:15 - 2:00 PM | Lunch | |
| 2:00 - 4:00 PM | Module 5 (2 hours) - Scaling the MicroBuild Fund - Case Study | |
| 4:00 - 4:15 PM | Break | |
| 4:15 - 4:45 PM | Module 6 - Managing Responsible Exits | |
| 4:45 - 5:00 PM |
Closing Remarks - Award Certificates for Impact Legal Fellows |
Workshop Facilitators
Workshop participants will hear from lawyers who were in the room when the legal issues in the launch and management of the fund were raised and resolved.
Deborah Burand, Clinical Professor of Law, NYU School of Law
Deborah Burand is a professor of clinical law. She directs the International Transactions Clinic and is the Faculty Director of the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship at NYU Law. In addition to her career in academia, Professor Burand has worked in nearly equal parts in senior roles in the private sector, public sector and nonprofit sector.
Jeffrey Hom, Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Omidyar Network
Jeffrey Hom is the former Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Omidyar Network, where he led legal operations and advised on impact investments and grants across global markets. He played a key role in the firm’s investment in the MicroBuild Fund and has worked on more than $250 million in impact investments in countries including India, Brazil, and South Africa. Earlier in his career, he was a corporate associate at Morrison & Foerster LLP, advising startups on venture financings and M&A. Hom holds a JD from Stanford Law School and a bachelor's from Georgetown University.
Rutherford (Rud) Hubbard, Legal Manager, Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO)
As Legal Manager with FMO, the largest and most innovative bilateral development finance institution in Europe, Rutherford leads a team of globally diverse lawyers in servicing a multi-billion dollar portfolio of equity, debt and concessional finance investments. Rutherford has more than extensive experience working and living in frontier markets and has particular focus on legal innovation for fragile state investments.
Aaron Lewis, Deputy General Counsel, International, Habitat for Humanity International (Habitat)
Aaron Lewis is Deputy General Counsel – International at Habitat for Humanity. He joined Habitat in 1997 and has since provided legal support across U.S. tax law, real estate, and international governance. Lewis played a key role in structuring the MicroBuild Fund, a $100 million international housing microfinance facility launched in 2012, and continues to advise on impact investing through Habitat’s Terwilliger Center for Innovation in Shelter. He also leads global legal initiatives, including revising Habitat’s international affiliation agreement. Lewis holds a BA from the University of Michigan and a JD from the University of Georgia.
Scott Taitel, Former Clinical Professor of Public Service and Director of Social Impact, Innovation & Investment; NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Policy
Scott Taitel is a former Clinical Professor of Public Service and Director of Social Impact, Innovation & Investment at NYU Wagner, where he served from 2015 to 2023. He helped launch the NYU Impact Investment Fund, one of the nation’s first student-run impact investment funds spanning multiple NYU schools. Taitel also collaborated with Professor Deborah Burand on developing multidisciplinary case studies on the MicroBuild Fund, recognized by the Financial Times for innovation in sustainable finance education.
Carl Valenstein, Partner, Morgan Lewis
Carl Valenstein is currently a partner at Morgan Lewis. At the time the MicroBuild Fund was launched, he was a partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP, and he received the firm’s John J. Curtin Public Service Award for his representation of Habitat for Humanity International in the launch of the MicroBuild Fund.