BakerHostetler (Search Funds Practice)
A dedicated search-fund and ETA practice inside an AmLaw-scale firm: deal counsel for search fund formations, acquisitions, and exits, with the team describing well over $1 billion of entrepreneurial transactions advised; Chicago-based partner Raam Jani leads.
At a Glance
- Pricing
- Custom pricing, Engagement-priced big-law rates; no fee schedule published. Budget accordingly against flat-fee searcher-focused shops.
- Best For
- Traditional and larger self-funded searchers whose deal size, investor base, or complexity justifies institutional counsel
- Roadmap Stages
- 7. Diligence & Financing
Pros and Cons
Pros
- One of the few large firms with a named, dedicated search-fund practice rather than generalist M&A
- Depth across the whole lifecycle: formation, acquisition, and exit, which matters to investor-backed searches
- Institutional bench for the issues small shops outsource (tax, benefits, IP, litigation)
Cons
- Big-law economics; small main-street deals can be over-lawyered here
- No published pricing, so cost discipline depends on scoping the engagement up front
- Less of the SBA-process hand-holding that self-funded first-timers need most
What Searchers Say
Named repeatedly in searcher-community threads about larger deals, alongside boutique searcher-focused firms for smaller ones. The practical split in the community: flat-fee searcher shops for sub-$5M SBA deals, a practice like this when investors and complexity arrive.
More Legal
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