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PHILADELPHIA — Stradley Ronon was honored with the Partnership of the Year award in the Service Provider category as part of the 2026 Asset Management STAR Awards North America. Stradley Ronon was the only law firm recognized with the award, which honors strategic partnerships that bring together complementary capabilities to deliver enhanced outcomes for investors, clients or the broader market.

Stradley Ronon received the award for its work with Dimensional funds on an application that led to exemptive relief from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), allowing Dimensional Fund Advisors (Dimensional) to offer exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as a share class within a multiple-share-class structure (ETF share class). Stradley Ronon’s work builds on more than two decades of advising Dimensional funds and their independent trustees through regulatory change and product innovation, including their introduction of ETFs in 2020. Dimensional quickly became one of the largest active ETF sponsors based on assets under management. 

In the course of 2025, Stradley Ronon worked with Dimensional and Dimensional funds to negotiate the terms and conditions of ETF share class relief with the SEC. Stradley Ronon made several SEC filings on behalf of Dimensional and Dimensional funds, culminating in the SEC’s issuance of the exemptive order in November 2025. The finalized exemptive application subsequently became the template for such relief requests and was copied by more than 100 asset managers around the fund industry seeking similar flexibility. In addition to the exemptive order, Dimensional, with Stradley Ronon’s support, filed a registration statement for 13 dual-share-class products. Stradley Ronon also worked closely with Dimensional and Dimensional funds on the additional legal work necessary to launch their first ETF share classes in 2026. 

The Asset Management STAR Awards North America — developed in partnership with the Investment Management Education Alliance (IMEA) and supported by FT Live, Ignites and FundFire — recognize achievements across the institutional and retail investment management sectors and the service providers that support them. Stradley Ronon formally received the award on October 19 in Boston.

About Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies — from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations — achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices coast to coast, our lawyers seamlessly address the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.