Overview
Rafael Stone co-chairs the firm’s Investment Management practice group and advises over 30 public pension funds located throughout the United States, in all aspects of public pension fund alternative investments.
Rafael's practice focuses on U.S. and international private equity, hedge funds, infrastructure, real estate, opportunistic funds and direct investments. In his role as Co-Chair of the Investment Management practice, Rafael has successfully navigated through a significant number of workouts and overseen litigation involving disputes between our investor clients and the fund managers. He has practiced in this area since 1989. In 2015, Rafael was named to The National Black Lawyers Top 100 list, a professional honorary association recognizing preeminent black lawyers nationally. Rafael is a frequent speaker at alternative investment conferences across the country.
Representative Clients:
Lead counsel and member-in-charge of:
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- 3M Employee Retirement Income Plan Trust
- Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System
- Arizona State Retirement System
- California Public Employees' Retirement System
- Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund
- Educational Retirement Board of New Mexico
- Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas
- Employees Retirement System of Texas
- Fresno County Employees' Retirement Association
- Indiana Public Retirement System
- Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System
- Kansas Public Employees Retirement System
- Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension Plans
- Los Angeles Water and Power Employees' Retirement Plan
- Maryland State Retirement and Pension System
- Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board
- Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System
- New Hampshire Retirement System
- New York City Pension Funds and Retirement Systems
- New York State Common Retirement Fund
- New York State Teachers' Retirement System
- Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago
- Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho
- San Francisco City and County Employees Retirement System
- Seattle City Employees' Retirement System
- Teacher Retirement System of Texas
- West Virginia Investment Management Board
Professional Activities
American Bar Association
King County Bar Association
Loren Miller Bar Association
National Association of Public Pension Attorneys
Pension Real Estate Association
Real Estate Executive Council, Leadership Advisory Board
Washington State Bar Association
Community Activities
- Africa Investor, Advisory Board
- African American Heritage Foundation
- Member, 1992-Present
- Chair, 1992-1996
- Blethen Corporation, Board of Directors
- Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac Airport Policy Advisory Group
- Seattle Times Corporation, Board of Directors
Admissions
- Washington, 1973
- Arizona, 2010
- District of Columbia, 2000
- New York, 2000
Education
- J.D., University of Washington School of Law, 1973
- B.A., University of Washington, 1970
Honors & Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America© Private Funds / Hedge Funds Law, 2023
- Savoy Magazine, Most Influential Black Lawyers list, 2022
- Chambers Global (USA) Leading Individual, Investment Funds: Investor Representation, 2021-present
- Chambers USA (Nationwide) Leading Individual, Investment Funds: Investor Representation, 2019-present
- Washington Super Lawyers list, 2002-2005
- The National Black Lawyers – Top 100, 2015
- Top Lawyer, Seattle Metropolitan magazine, 2010
- Who’s Who in American Law, 1984-Present
- Washington State Bar Association Affirmative Action Award, 1996, co-recipient with Foster Pepper PLLC
- Martindale-Hubbell AV rating
