About me

Address: New York: One Bryant Park, Bank of America Tower, New York, NY 10036-6745

Areas of Focus: Credit Funds; Seeding Transactions; Fund Formation; Fund Manager Transactions; Private Funds Liquidity Solutions; Institutional Investors; Evergreen Funds

Biography:
Ira focuses his practice on representing sponsors and investors in complex hedge, credit and private equity funds. He provides counsel to private fund advisers on international investment platforms, including in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Ira’s clients include market-leading global asset managers, start-ups, and mid-sized and larger managers.
Ira has extensive experience counseling established, global investment advisers, as well as start-up managers on most aspects of their operations and regulatory compliance matters. He advises investment fund managers faced with complex restructurings, succession planning, crisis/conflict resolution and consent solicitations.
Ira’s practice includes advising clients on the structuring of arrangements between investment managers’ principals, seeding transactions, co-investment and secondary transactions, and LP-side investments in private funds.
Ira’s principal areas of practice include:
- All aspects of the structuring, formation and closing of hedge, private equity and hybrid investment funds.
- Counseling private fund advisers in connection with international investment platforms with a particular focus on Europe, Asia and Latin America.
- Assisting managers with fundraising from a global institutional investor base in conjunction with international offices throughout the firm and local counsel in select jurisdictions.
- Advising fund managers regarding non-U.S. registration, reporting and compliance matters in conjunction with local counsel.
- Providing advice to non-U.S. investment advisers regarding U.S. private offerings, SEC registration and related matters.
- Negotiation of platform arrangements between private fund managers and commercial banks, placement agents and similar parties.
- Private tender offers for interests in unregistered investment funds.
- Negotiation of managed account arrangements and single-investor funds.
- Registration of investment advisers under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
- Counseling advisers in connection with various forms of inquiries and examinations by the SEC and other regulators.
- Structuring and negotiation of economic and governance arrangements among fund manager principals.
- Implementation of carry-plan documentation and other incentive arrangements.
- Secondary market transactions involving hedge and private equity fund interests.
Ira also has experience as an expert witness in court proceedings involving private fund matters and has been certified by a federal court as an expert in the operation of private investment funds/advisers and private fund legal practice.
Prior to rejoining Akin, Ira was a partner in the New York office of another leading global law firm.

Representative Work:
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Credentials:
Education: J.D., New York University School of Law, 1999; B.A., University of Cincinnati, 1996 (magna cum laude)
Bar Admissions: New York, 2000

Recognitions:
- Chambers Global , USA Hedge Funds, 2022-2026.
- Chambers USA , Hedge Funds, 2021-2026.
- The Legal 500 , Investment Fund Formation & Management—Alternative/Hedge Funds, 2021.

Affiliations:
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Insights:
- Chambers USA 2026 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices  (June 4, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2026-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Emerging Manager Minute (June 2, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/emerging-manager-minute
- SEC Issues Final Order Increasing Qualified Client Thresholds (May 5, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/alerts/sec-issues-final-order-increasing-qualified-client-thresholds
- 2026 Perspectives in Private Equity: GP Stakes Investing in a Maturing Market (March 31, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/2026-perspectives-in-private-equity-gp-stakes-investing-in-a-maturing-market
- Chambers Global Recognizes Akin’s Lawyers and Practices in 2026 Edition (February 12, 2026): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-global-recognizes-akins-lawyers-and-practices-in-2026-edition
- Chambers USA 2025 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices (June 5, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2025-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Chambers Global Recognizes Akin’s Lawyers and Practices in 2025 Edition (February 14, 2025): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-global-recognizes-akins-lawyers-and-practices-in-2025-edition
- Chambers USA 2024 Recognizes Akin Lawyers and Practices (June 6, 2024): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/awards-and-accolades/chambers-usa-2024-recognizes-akin-lawyers-and-practices
- Akin Continues Hedge Fund Growth with Ira Kustin Rejoining Firm  (February 1, 2024): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/press-releases/akin-continues-hedge-fund-growth-with-ira-kustin-rejoining-firm
- Beyond the Master-Feeder: Managing Liquidity Demands in More Flexible Fund Structures (May 25, 2017): https://www.akingump.com/a/web/57965/aoioT/hflr_beyond-the-master-feeder-managing-liquidity-demands-in-more.pdf
- Enforcement Actions by the SEC – Cases from 2015 Provide Guidance for Private Fund Advisers (Q1 2016): https://www.akingump.com/en/insights/articles/enforcement-actions-by-the-sec-cases-from-2015-provide-guidance