Laura Schnaidt is the leader of Women in Funds, which she founded in 2017 with the goal of uniting and supporting women in the private funds industry and providing them with outstanding opportunities to excel in their careers.

Previously, Laura was Counsel in the investment management group at global law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where she advised fund clients on fund formation, operations and regulatory issues, as well as upper tier, management and dispute resolution issues. Prior to working at Paul, Weiss, Laura spent many years serving as senior in-house counsel (General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer) at several multi-billion dollar fund managers, including credit manager Blue Torch Capital and long/short equity hedge fund manager Marble Arch Investments, where she developed a deep understanding of issues relating to fundraising, fund formation and operations, regulatory compliance, employment/HR, tax/ERISA, and structuring of credit, real estate and long/short equity funds.

Laura started her legal career as an attorney in the corporate group at Shearman & Sterling LLP in New York. While in law school, she worked in the enforcement division of the SEC, asset management unit in New York. At the outset of her career and prior to law school, Laura worked at two multi-strategy, multi-billion dollar hedge funds, TPG-Axon and Ospraie Management.

Laura received a J.D., magna cum laude, from New York Law School and a B.A., from Columbia University. In law school, Laura was a member of the Center for Real Estate Studies, an editor on the Law Review and the recipient of numerous merit scholarships.

Laura is admitted to practice law in New York and is a member of the NYC Bar Association, where she served as a voting Committee Member of the Private Funds Committee from 2020-2023. Laura is the recipient of the 2021 NYC Urban Debate League Champion of Speech and Debate Award and since 2022 she has participated as a panelist in PLI’s annual hedge fund management course.

Laura Schnaidt, Founder

Joel Cohen, Strategy & Partnerships

Joel Cohen has been an essential ingredient in building Women in Funds into the thriving community that it is today. Since early days, Joel has supported Women in Funds with business strategy and advised on its growth, focusing on developing and growing the community, including leading our Experts & Insights Series, events, and our Champion sponsor relations. While not everyone can be lucky enough to be born a woman, Joel is a shining example of male allyship and you’ll find him at many of our events. Joel earned his law degree at Duke Law School and previously practiced in the Mergers & Acquisitions group at Skadden Arps. Joel is also the founder of TalksOnLaw, a trusted platform where legal experts can share their insight in a clear and accessible way — explaining the law through video.