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Jill R. Whitelaw

Jill R. Whitelaw is Vice President and Senior Counsel with the MFA’s Global Regulatory Affairs team.

In this position, she analyzes the impact of regulatory and legislative developments on MFA members, works with MFA members in developing Association policy, drafts comments to regulators, oversees outside counsel/consultants and engages directly with policy makers and regulators.

Prior to joining the MFA, Ms. Whitelaw was Executive Director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, responsible for a wide variety of investment advisory, distribution, and investment company legal and regulatory matters. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Ms. Whitelaw served as Vice President and Chief Counsel – Funds Management for the investment management business of Lincoln National Life Insurance Company, advising the company on investment adviser and investment company legal and regulatory matters.

Before joining Lincoln, Jill was Of Counsel at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, focusing her practice on investment advisers to private funds pursuing alternative investment strategies; Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., as the lead attorney for a closed-end fund complex specializing in alternative investment strategies, and was a senior member of the Gartmore Global Investments legal team, advising its global hedge fund business on formation, distribution and regulatory matters.

Jill’s extensive industry experience also includes positions as Managing Director and General Counsel—Mutual Funds for New York Life Investment Management, as Senior Counsel in PNC Bank’s fund servicing business and as an Associate in Business & Finance at Ballard Spahr.

She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar and registered as In-House Counsel in New York.