Patricia Volhard is head of the firm’s European Funds Regulatory practice. She is based in the London and Paris offices, and also spends substantial time in the Frankfurt office.

She is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department as well as its Private Equity and Funds/Investment Management Groups. She is also part of the firm’s core group of ESG partners. Her practice focuses on advising private funds and fund managers on structuring and setting up funds for a European investor base. She also advises on European financial regulatory aspects for fund managers and corporates, including on SFDR, CSRD, CSDDD and other ESG-related regulation.

Ms. Volhard is one of Europe’s leading private funds regulatory lawyers and has played a prominent role in the ongoing development of the area. She is Chair of Invest Europe’s Financial Services/Regulatory Working Group, a member of its SFDR working group, and former Chair of its Tax, Legal & Regulatory Committee. She is also a member of the Investment Management Consultative Working Group of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). In Germany, she is a member of the Board of the BVK, and heads its Legal Committee. In the UK, she is a member of the regulatory committee of the BVCA.

Ms. Volhard has been named amongst Europe’s most influential lawyers by Financial News and by Private Equity News, and has also been consistently recognised by the major legal directories as a leader in her field. She is recommended by JUVE (2023/24), where she receives praise for her “unbelievable knowledge of the law and of market standards,” and where sources note “she negotiates calmly but unerringly in the interest of her clients.” The Legal 500 UK (2025) recognises her for her regulatory practice, where clients note that she is “the best funds regulatory lawyer in Europe” and that she has “extensive knowledge of the latest regulatory developments.” The Legal 500 ranks her in its Hall of Fame, describing her as “an absolute expert”, and “a real partner” who delivers “excellent solutions.” Who’s Who Legal also names her as one of the foremost investment management lawyers in Germany and has stated that she is “first-rate on regulatory advice in relation to the management of private funds to clients.” She is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers & Partners, which describes her as a “market-leading lawyer”, and quoting clients saying “Patricia Volhard is outstanding. Very few people see as much as she does”. She is said to be a “top-notch regulatory expert for funds matters in the EU,” who “has a firm grasp of the European regulatory environment and can quickly summarise the relevant issues.” Ms. Volhard is also listed by Expert Guides in its Best of the Best list for investment funds, as well as in its annual Women in Business Law list.

Ms. Volhard is regularly invited to speak at major private equity conferences, and has commented in the media and written numerous articles relating to various aspects of her practice. Recent publications include “The Latest ESG Legislative Developments in the EU and the UK and How They Affect Fund Sponsors,” BVCA Policy & Technical Bulletin (November, 2024); “Debevoise & Plimpton on Navigating US and EU Regulatory Differences,” New Private Markets (September, 2024); “Addressing ESG Considerations in the M&A Context,” GLI Mergers & Acquisitions 2024 (July, 2024); and “European Union Finally Adopts Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive,” Compliance & Enforcement (June, 2024).

Ms. Volhard studied law in Frankfurt/Main, Strasbourg, and at the London School of Economics, where she obtained her LL.M. in 1999.

Ms. Volhard is admitted to practise in Germany and France, and speaks fluent German, French and English.