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Paul Hastings LLP
Paul Hastings LLP was founded in 1951 in Los Angeles. Frank Lopez serves as chair and Sherrese Smith as global managing partner. The firm’s primary retirement...
Paul Hastings LLP
Paul Hastings LLP was founded in 1951 in Los Angeles. Frank Lopez serves as chair and Sherrese Smith as global managing partner. The firm’s primary retirement vehicle is classified as a private-sector pension fund. The plan holds a 10.74 percent allocation to private equity. It follows a pecuniary ESG policy limited to material financial factors under ERISA. Confirmed positions and strategies include buyout, distressed debt, growth and co-investment mandates. Geographic exposure centers on North America with additional activity in Europe and Asia through client work. The plan reports $1.849 billion in assets. The firm maintains leased offices in New York’s MetLife Building and a Washington, D.C. location that houses a contemporary art collection. Paul Hastings Foundation and the 2025 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Scholarship Fund operate as separate philanthropic vehicles. February 2026: Spoke at the Global Fund Finance Symposium on NAV facilities. The firm’s pension structure remains integrated with its law practice rather than operating as an independent family office or external asset manager. Governance flows through the chair and global managing partner with no disclosed succession vehicle or external LP club.
General information
Firm type
Pension Fund
Year founded
1951
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Los Angeles
Corporate office
515 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90071, United States
Additional offices
New York, NY, United States · Washington, D.C., United States
Principals
Frank Lopez
Chair
Sherrese Smith
Global Managing Partner
Seth Zachary
Chair Emeritus
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Paul Hastings LLP?
Frank Lopez serves as chair and Sherrese Smith as global managing partner. Investment oversight for the retirement plan rests with the firm’s internal fiduciaries and OneAmerica Retirement Services as advisor.
Does Paul Hastings LLP participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The plan allocates to private equity through both fund commitments and co-investments. Strategy tags include buyout, growth and secondaries.
What investment stages does Paul Hastings LLP typically target?
The plan targets buyout, growth, distressed debt and early-stage venture exposure. No single stage dominates the disclosed 10.74 percent private-equity sleeve.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The assets belong to the firm’s defined contribution retirement plan for employees. No family or founder wealth origin is disclosed.
Does Paul Hastings LLP maintain philanthropic structures, and how are they separated?
The Paul Hastings Foundation and the 2025 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Scholarship Fund operate separately from the retirement plan. Both focus on education, health and arts.
How is Paul Hastings LLP related to its parent or related vehicles?
No parent firm exists. The retirement plan sits inside the law firm and is administered with external advisors including OneAmerica and BDO USA.
What is Paul Hastings LLP's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
The plan lists co-investment as an approved strategy alongside fund commitments. No specific co-investor names or recent transactions are disclosed in available records.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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