Michael Saarinen, a New York-based partner in Shearman & Sterling's Investment Funds Practice, has been honored by Lexology as the exclusive winner of the 2022 Client Choice Awardfor Private Funds in the United States. It is the third consecutive year Michael has won the Client Choice Award in this category. He was recognized as the exclusive award winner in 2021, and named one of the four award winners in 2020.

Clients describe Michael as "a top-notch attorney who brings an effective combination of technical legal sophistication, commercial pragmatism and strategic insight to every engagement," and as "super client-focused, very hands-on and highly engaged." Michael's clients also praise his "great understanding of not only the applicable laws and legal practice with respect to a given matter, but also the commercial objectives of what we are trying to achieve," and his "rare ability to collaborate across non-legal teams and break down complex issues into actionable deliverables."

Michael advises sponsors on private investment fund formation as well as a wide range of governance, operational and regulatory matters related to their ongoing management and investment activities.

The Client Choice Award for Private Funds is among a number of recent accolades for Michael. He has also been singled out by Who's Who Legal as a United States Thought Leader in the categories of Private Funds - Formation 2023 and Private Funds – Regulation 2023.

The Client Choice Awards recognize partners around the world who stand apart for the excellent client care they provide and the quality of their service. The awards focus on the ability to add value to clients' businesses above and beyond others in the legal market. Winners of the Client Choice Awards are decided on the basis of nominations by in-house counsel. Further information is available on the Client Choice website.