Jay Baris
Norm Law, LLP, an AI-native law firm focused on institutional clients, has appointed veteran securities attorney Jay Baris as Partner in its Investment Funds practice, strengthening the firm’s capabilities in fund regulation, governance, and financial services advisory work.
Baris joins Norm Law after more than three decades at Sidley Austin LLP, where he served as Partner and later Senior Counsel in New York. His practice has centered on advising mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, business development companies, and other investment vehicles on regulatory compliance, governance structures, and transactional matters.
The firm said the addition of Baris reflects its continued effort to build out senior-level expertise across investment funds, private equity, real estate, and corporate transactions as it scales its AI-enabled legal services platform for institutional clients.
“Jay brings exceptional depth in registered funds and financial services regulation, an area central to many of our institutional clients,” said Mike Schmidtberger, Chairman of Norm Law. “His experience strengthens what Norm Law can deliver to asset managers and financial institutions as we continue building an AI-native model around senior legal expertise.”
Baris’s work has included advising financial institutions and fund boards on mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, exemptive relief applications, compliance with the Investment Company Act of 1940, and broader regulatory matters involving securities law. He has also provided counsel to fintech companies on emerging issues related to digital assets and evolving regulatory frameworks.
He has been recognized in Chambers USA and Chambers Global for his work in registered funds, underscoring his standing within the investment management legal community.
Norm Law positions itself as an “AI-native” law firm designed to integrate legal expertise with artificial intelligence systems developed in collaboration with Norm Ai, its affiliated technology platform. The firm said its model is intended to enhance the speed, consistency, and scalability of legal services delivered to institutional clients.
The firm has been actively expanding its senior bench of practitioners as it builds out its platform-driven legal services model. Recent hires include former Sidley Austin chairman Mike Schmidtberger and private equity attorney Bill Mone, reflecting a broader strategy of combining experienced legal leadership with AI-enabled workflows.
Baris said Norm Law’s approach represents a structural shift in how legal services are delivered to financial institutions.
“Throughout my career, I’ve advised funds, advisers, and fund boards on matters where judgment, process, and consistency are essential,” Baris said. “Norm Law is the future—it is building a new AI-native model that incorporates those elements and is revolutionizing how law firms deliver legal services to financial industry clients.”
Norm Law’s Investment Funds practice serves asset managers, fund sponsors, and financial institutions navigating complex regulatory frameworks across U.S. and global markets. The firm said its focus includes supporting fund formation, governance structures, regulatory compliance, and transactional activity within the investment management sector.
Parent company Norm Ai develops AI systems designed to operate in regulated environments, including legal and compliance workflows for financial services firms. The company said its technology underpins Norm Law’s operations and is used by organizations representing more than $30 trillion in assets under management.
Norm Ai has raised over $140 million from investors including Blackstone, Bain Capital, Vanguard, Citi, New York Life, TIAA, Coatue, Craft Ventures, and other institutional backers, as it builds AI systems intended to automate and structure complex legal and regulatory processes.
Norm Law said its ongoing expansion reflects rising demand from institutional clients for legal services that combine traditional expertise with technology-driven efficiency, particularly in areas of financial regulation, fund structuring, and compliance oversight.