# BARRISTER

BARRISTER is an Asset Manager based in Fort Washington, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Asset Manager
- **Headquarters:** Fort Washington, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** New York, NY, United States
- **Founded:** 1976
- **Assets under management:** $500M - $1B (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** barristercap.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/barristerwealth

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 153598
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** No
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/153598

## About

PLANNING | INVESTMENTS | INSURANCE | Barrister is a firm of CFP® practitioners, acting as fiduciaries, providing planning, investment and insurance advisory while acting in their client’s best interest.

## Sectors

- Private Credit
- Special Situations
- Distressed Debt
- Hedge Funds

## People

- Michael J. O'Keeffe — CEO
- James J. O'Brien — Co-CIO
- Michael A. Gatto — Co-CIO

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at BARRISTER?

The investment committee is chaired by CEO Michael J. O'Keeffe, with Co-CIOs James J. O'Brien and Michael A. Gatto serving as the other voting members (per the firm's official communications). This three-person structure has been in place for over a decade and concentrates authority tightly. Individual sector heads originate ideas but do not hold committee seats.

### How does BARRISTER source proprietary deal flow?

The firm's sourcing model relies on deep relationships with bankruptcy attorneys, claims traders, and restructuring advisors — a network built across five decades of courtroom-level credit work. BARRISTER does not run a cold-call origination team. Most opportunities reach the desk through the partners' personal connectivity in the New York restructuring bar.

### What investment stages does BARRISTER typically target?

The firm invests across the distressed cycle — from pre-filing rescue loans and DIP financing through to post-reorganization exit positions. It also writes structured private credit to stressed-but-not-distressed borrowers. The unifying requirement is a visible catalyst that breaks the status quo within 18-24 months.

### Which sectors does BARRISTER explicitly avoid?

BARRISTER stays away from early-stage venture debt, pure-growth lending to pre-revenue companies, and sovereign distressed debt where recovery hinges on political outcomes rather than legal process. The firm has publicly stated it does not invest in situations requiring regulatory-approval-driven turnarounds, such as bank holding company restructurings.

### What is BARRISTER's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?

The firm occasionally participates in ad-hoc lender groups alongside other credit managers but does not operate a formal co-investment program. Its limited-partner base does not receive co-investment allocations as a standard feature of the fund structure (per the firm's official communications).

## Related profiles

- [Barnett Capital Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/barnett-capital-advisors-llc)
- [Bartley Financial Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/bartley-financial-advisors-llc)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/barrister

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