John M. Loder was born in 1958. He developed a legal career in Boston focused on investment-management and securities matters, building a long association with Ropes & Gray LLP and the institutional clients served by its investment-management practice.
Loder earned an A.B. in English History and Literature from Harvard University in 1980 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1983. His legal education was followed by admission to the Massachusetts bar and a professional career centered on corporate and investment-management law.
Loder joined Ropes & Gray LLP in 1984 and practiced there for nearly four decades, becoming a partner and co-head of the firm's investment-management practice. His work focused on investment advisers, mutual funds, hedge funds, private-equity firms, and investment-management activities and products of banks, broker-dealers, and insurance companies. He advised on the organization of SEC-registered and unregistered investment funds and advisory firms, representation of investment companies and their independent directors and trustees, mergers and acquisitions of investment advisers and funds, and governance, regulatory, compliance, and enforcement matters. During his career he served as counsel to hundreds of investment funds and their boards. He retired from Ropes & Gray at the end of 2023. Beginning in 2024, he served as an independent trustee and director of American Century funds, participating in board oversight committees including audit and compliance, corporate governance, portfolio, client experience, and technology and risk matters.
Co-headed the investment-management practice at Ropes & Gray LLP and advised investment advisers, mutual funds, hedge funds, private-equity firms, and other institutional investment-management clients.
Served for more than 35 years as counsel to investment companies, their independent directors and trustees, and asset-management firms.
Served as independent counsel to major mutual-fund and exchange-traded-fund complexes, including the Schwab Funds and ETFs Complex, Dodge & Cox Funds, and Artisan Partners funds.
(Co-authored the United States chapter with Jason E. Brown...)
2014(Co-authored with Elizabeth Loder. The article examines le...)
2004Attorney Jacob Comer described Loder as a highly knowledgeable and experienced lawyer, a generous mentor, and a professional whose conduct with colleagues and clients provided an example for others.
Quotes from others about the person
Jacob Comer described Loder as a mentor whose knowledge, professionalism, and interactions with colleagues and clients had a lasting influence on his own legal career.
After retiring from Ropes & Gray, Loder continued his work in the investment-management field through service as an independent trustee and director of American Century funds. At Ropes & Gray, he mentored attorney Jacob Comer, who credited Loder with influencing his decision to pursue investment-management law and described him as a continuing professional adviser.
