Law firm capital solutions

Overview

For more than a decade, McDonald Hopkins attorneys have built a national reputation representing law firms and the institutions that provide them capital. Our team has deep experience advising other professional service firms and the institutions and the investors that partner with them (including physician practices). These transactions involve complex regulatory, ethical, and structural considerations, and McDonald Hopkins attorneys are uniquely equipped to navigate the rules that govern ownership, investment, taxes, and management arrangements. With the depth of experience across these sectors, McDonald Hopkins is well positioned to counsel clients involved in Management Services Organizations (MSOs) and investments in law firms.

Attorneys throughout our firm have considered the important issues and navigated resolutions to them, including:

• Mergers and Acquisitions – Our Mergers and Acquisitions Group provides advice on all types of strategic transactions to sponsors, professional service firms, and other clients involved in investments in law firms.
• Tax – Our Tax Group helps professional service firms and investors in those firms implement tax efficient structures involving MSOs and litigation funding arrangements, including structures to incentivize service providers with equity and equity-like compensation programs.
• Executive Compensation – Our Executive Compensation and Governance Group represents companies, management teams, executives, and service providers in connection with equity compensation programs, incentives, tax considerations, governance policies and practices, transitions, and other strategic transactions, including private equity transactions.
• Intellectual Property – Our Intellectual Property team advises clients involved in MSO transactions on safeguarding, licensing, and monetizing critical intellectual property assets, including brand, trademarks, proprietary know‑how, and name‑image‑likeness rights unique to professional service firms and their individual practitioners.
• Regulatory and Ethics – Our attorneys help clients navigate the regulatory and ethical issues involved with investments in law firms from non-attorneys, such as litigation funders, and many of the same issues are attendant in MSO structures.
• Capital Providers – Our attorneys have established long-term, trusted relationships with firms that invest in law firms through MSOs and otherwise, as well as relationships with investment banks that help law firms raise capital.

McDonald Hopkins’ attorneys collaborate with each other and their clients in a multi-disciplinary and transactional approach. We are the perfect fit for law firm investments and MSO transactions.