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Bissie K. Bonner
 

Bissie K. Bonner

Partner
 
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017 

A Partner in the Firm’s Registered Funds Practice, Bissie K. Bonner has experience representing interval funds, tender offer funds, business development companies, listed closed-end funds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. She regularly advises regulated funds across alternative asset classes, such as private credit, private equity, infrastructure, secondaries, and liquid alternatives, as well as public market asset classes.

Bissie has significant experience with the organization and operation of regulated funds, including disclosure issues, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, policy changes, repurchase offers and tender offers, secondary offerings, reorganizations and restructurings, and liquidations.

Bissie is ranked as “Up and Coming” by Chambers Global (USA) (2026) and Chambers USA (2025) in Registered Funds and was named a “Rising Star” at the With Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards (2023). Chambers has noted that Bissie “is highly regarded for her representation of registered investment companies and funds” and quotes clients describing her as “having a lot of institutional knowledge” and being “a great resource for the firm.”

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Work Highlights

Representative experience:

  • Counsel to regulated funds managed by affiliates of Blackstone, StepStone, Golub, and AQR
  • StepStone Private Equity Strategies Fund, an interval fund that invests in a portfolio of diversified private market investments across buyout and growth equity mainly through secondary purchases and co-investments, in its formation and ongoing matters
  • Blackstone in its strategic alliance with Wellington and Vanguard to collaborate on developing multi-asset investment solutions to integrate public and private markets as well as active and index strategies

Notable experience prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes advising:

  • One of the world’s largest asset managers in connection with several closed-end fund IPOs, including some of the largest capital raises in history
  • A large asset manager in the conversion of a listed municipal closed-end fund to an interval fund
  • A major closed-end fund sponsor in connection with stopping activist takeovers of several of its closed-end funds
  • Multiple fund sponsors on the launch of numerous open-end funds
  • Closed-end funds in evaluating potential actions to address discounts and implement anti-shareholder activist measures
  • Multiple closed-end fund sponsors in connection with shelf registration statements, including some of the first closed-end funds to register as well-known issuers
  • Several closed-end fund sponsors on at-the-market offerings of common stock and offerings of rights to acquire common stock and rated preferred stock
  • A large asset manager on numerous closed-end and open-end fund reorganizations
  • Multiple fund sponsors on various types of proxy solicitations, including director elections, charter amendments, assignments of advisory contracts and fundamental policy changes
  • A fund sponsor on obtaining a waiver from disqualification from serving as an investment adviser under Section 9(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
  • A committee of independent trustees of a fund in responding to a shareholder demand relating to the fund’s management fee
Accolades
  • Chambers Global (USA) (2026), Registered Funds
  • Chambers USA (2025), Registered Funds
  • “Rising Star,” With Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards 2023
Education
  • Columbia Law School, 2013 J.D.
  • Georgetown University, 2010 B.A.
Associations
  • Secretary, New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Investment Management Regulation
Admissions
  • New York 2014

A Partner in the Firm’s Registered Funds Practice, Bissie K. Bonner has experience representing interval funds, tender offer funds, business development companies, listed closed-end funds, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. She regularly advises regulated funds across alternative asset classes, such as private credit, private equity, infrastructure, secondaries, and liquid alternatives, as well as public market asset classes.

Bissie has significant experience with the organization and operation of regulated funds, including disclosure issues, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, policy changes, repurchase offers and tender offers, secondary offerings, reorganizations and restructurings, and liquidations.

Her experience with corporate governance matters includes advising open-end and closed-end fund boards in connection with Investment Company Act of 1940 and state law matters, with respect to contract approvals, fund launches, capital markets transactions and reorganizations, among others. She also has experience counseling closed-end fund boards on interactions with activist investors and anti-activist measures.

Bissie is ranked as “Up and Coming” by Chambers Global (USA) (2026) and Chambers USA (2025) in Registered Funds and was named a “Rising Star” at the With Intelligence Mutual Fund & ETF Awards (2023). Chambers has noted that Bissie “is highly regarded for her representation of registered investment companies and funds” and quotes clients describing her as “having a lot of institutional knowledge” and being “a great resource for the firm.”

Bissie's representative experience includes:

  • Counsel to regulated funds managed by affiliates of Blackstone, StepStone, Golub, and AQR
  • StepStone Private Equity Strategies Fund, an interval fund that invests in a portfolio of diversified private market investments across buyout and growth equity mainly through secondary purchases and co-investments, in its formation and ongoing matters
  • Blackstone in its strategic alliance with Wellington and Vanguard to collaborate on developing multi-asset investment solutions to integrate public and private markets as well as active and index strategies

Bissie also serves as Secretary of the New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Investment Management Regulation.

Bissie received her J.D. in 2013 from the Columbia Law School and her B.A. in 2010 from Georgetown University. She is admitted to practice in New York.

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