Silke Bernard

Silke is the Global Head of Linklaters’ Investment Funds practice and specialises in alternative investment funds and is the key contact for some of the largest global fund sponsors in private markets.

Her practice covers the full range of investment funds including retail and professional funds, with special expertise in alternative investment funds such as private equity, real estate, private credit and other alternative asset funds and investment management arrangements. Silke has been the counsel for several ground-breaking deals for some of the largest asset managers. Her practice includes the structuring, establishment and regulation of funds and asset management businesses, including the setting-up of co-investment structures, tailored managed accounts e.g. for sovereign investors and regulatory work (e.g. licensing and passporting procedures) in the asset management sphere. Silke covers all types of diversified, regulated, unregulated and tailored investment structures including beyond a typical fund set-up.

In addition, Silke has developed extensive experience in the field of sustainable finance and advises our clients on sustainable finance disclosures and taxonomy. Silke is also advising clients on the structuring of impact and sustainable funds and on how to capture new opportunities arising in the new era of ESG friendly investments.

Besides her alternatives business Silke further has deep knowledge of retail investor funds (UCITS and UCIs) and is the legal counsel to a number of flagship funds distributed by some of the biggest asset managers around the world.

Work highlights

Silke has worked on many complex, innovative and cross-border fund structures, among others these include:

• developing an alternative funds business line for HSBC Trinkaus (based in Düsseldorf) which included hedge fund, infrastructure, private equity, direct lending and real estate funds and further expansion of the successful funds offering across Europe
• assisting international independent asset manager Aberdeen Asset Management in securing their AIFM license in Luxembourg and in passporting their AIFM to several other EU countries as well as structuring and acting as legal counsel to Aberdeen’s real estate funds range and on several segregated account vehicles for sovereign investors 
• advising on several securitisation funds including, a large private credit fund for private equity house CVC Credit Partners and providing advice on unregulated investments structures towards investments vehicles in the regulated sphere
• acting as trusted funds counsel for independent asset manager GAM, providing them with advice on national and cross-border funds restructuring, and working on the migration of their Luxembourg fund platforms to a new depositary bank and administrator
• helping Deutsche Bank Asset and Wealth Management with the creation and structuring of several investment platforms in the alternatives space, including private equity and real estate debt areas as well as a large international pension assets pooling platform in Luxembourg which assisted in efficiency gains for the client

Silke is heavily involved in the activities of the fund industry organisations in Luxembourg. She is chairing several working groups of the Luxembourg fund industry association ALFI and of the Luxembourg Private Equity Association LPEA. She is leading Luxembourg’s industry efforts on European Long-Term Investment Funds (ELTIFs) and currently on the Pan-European Personal Pensions Product PEPP. Her industry involvement further covers various other fields such as e.g. infrastructure, private equity or private debt. She is a committee member of the European asset management association EFAMA in Brussels and is a regular speaker at various national and international conferences and industry roadshows.

Silke studied law in Germany (Humboldt University of Berlin) and holds a masters degree in France (Université Jean Moulin Lyon III).

She speaks German, French and English.

Member of the German Bar, Member of the Luxembourg Bar.