# BakerHostetler (Search Funds Practice)

A search-fund practice inside a large law firm.

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.

- Category: Legal
- Pricing model: Custom Pricing
- Where it fits: Diligence & Close the Deal
- Website: https://www.bakerlaw.com/services/business/search-funds/

## At a Glance

The institutional option: right when your deal or [cap table](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/cap-table) outgrows a boutique, oversized for a typical first SBA acquisition.

## What It Costs

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](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/searcher) whose deal size, investor base, or complexity justifies institutional counsel

## Pros and Cons

- Pro: One of the few large firms with a named, dedicated [search-fund](https://searchspheresource.com/glossary/search-fund) practice rather than generalist M&A
- Pro: Depth across the whole lifecycle: formation, acquisition, and exit, which matters to investor-backed searches
- Pro: Institutional bench for the issues small shops outsource (tax, benefits, IP, litigation)
- Con: Big-law economics; small main-street deals can be over-lawyered here
- Con: No published pricing, so cost discipline depends on scoping the engagement up front
- Con: 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.

## Compared With

- Which kind of deal counsel does your acquisition actually need? (https://searchspheresource.com/resources/compare/smb-law-group-vs-bakerhostetler-search-funds.md)
- A legal bill you can budget, or a bench deep enough for a complicated deal? (https://searchspheresource.com/resources/compare/barlow-williams-vs-bakerhostetler-search-funds.md)

## Sources

- https://www.bakerlaw.com/services/business/search-funds/
- https://searchfunder.com/post/lawyer-recommendations-for-3-8m-deal

Also on this site: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/category/legal.md
Source: https://searchspheresource.com/resources/bakerhostetler-search-funds
Last checked: 2026-09-20

Site index for machines: https://searchspheresource.com/llms.txt