For Business & M&A Attorneys
You know how to close a business sale.
The Council gives you the full play.
The right attorney for the Exit Council is one who has handled business acquisitions and understands that the legal structure is inseparable from the tax outcome. If you've spent your career papering deals that should have been structured differently, you understand the problem we're solving.
One attorney per market. Most metros are still open.
Who This Is For
The profile of a Council attorney.
Council attorneys are business and M&A attorneys — not estate planners, not real estate closers. You have experience structuring asset sales, stock purchases, and earnout arrangements. You've drafted purchase and sale agreements for operating businesses and you understand the difference a deal structure makes to the seller's net.
Many of the business sales you've worked on involved real estate — because they usually do. Whether it's a manufacturing facility, a retail location, or a commercial building attached to the operating company, real estate is a significant component of most business exits. You're comfortable with that complexity.
You're the kind of attorney clients call when the deal matters, not the kind who gets the file after every decision has been made. If that's your practice, the Council has a seat for you.
You're a fit if you've handled:
- ✓Asset purchase agreements for operating businesses
- ✓Business acquisitions with real estate as a deal component
- ✓LOI review and deal structure advice at the letter stage
- ✓Purchase price allocation negotiations
- ✓M&A transactions in the $1M–$30M range
- ✓Multi-party closings involving brokers, CPAs, and lenders
The Problem Worth Solving
Most business attorneys are called in after the damage is done.
A seller accepts an LOI. The structure is a straight asset sale at full market value. Nobody has looked at the tax picture, the purchase price allocation, or whether the real estate should be handled separately. The attorney gets the file and is asked to paper a deal that was already poorly structured.
At that point, you can't meaningfully help your client. You can draft clean documents, but the outcome is already determined. The seller is going to walk away with far less than they should. You know this, and your client will figure it out later.
The Exit Council exists to fix the sequence. With a coordinated advisory team including the attorney, CPA, and wealth strategist at the beginning, the structure is right before anyone signs anything.
The standard sequence
- ✕Seller lists the business
- ✕Buyer engagement — no attorney, no tax advice
- ✕LOI signed — deal structure locked
- ✕Attorney called in to 'paper the deal'
- ✕Tax hit lands at closing — seller shocked
The Council sequence
- ✓Seller submits — attorney engaged immediately
- ✓Tax exposure evaluated before listing
- ✓You review the LOI before it's signed
- ✓Deal structure optimized from the start
- ✓You draft agreements that reflect the full strategy
What This Means for Your Practice
More complex work. Stronger client relationships. Premium fees.
You're in the deal from day one
Council attorneys are engaged before the LOI is drafted. You advise on deal structure, asset classification, and tax treatment before anyone signs anything. Your legal judgment shapes the entire transaction — not just the paperwork.
The work is substantively more interesting
Coordinated business exits are complex. They involve multi-party coordination, creative structuring, and detailed PSA language that integrates tax strategy while remaining buyer-neutral. This is the kind of work that builds a practice reputation.
Your clients exit with dramatically more
A business seller who works with a Council attorney ends up with a better outcome — not because the deal was bigger, but because the structure was smarter. Clients remember the attorney who got them there. That generates referrals.
You're backed by a coordinated team
You don't work alone. The CPA handles the tax math. The wealth strategist manages the capital post-close. You handle the legal structure. Everyone does their job well because the process is designed to make coordination natural — not an afterthought.
A Seat at the Table
One attorney per market. That's not a limitation — it's a commitment.
The Council operates as a curated network. When a business owner submits in your metro market, you are the attorney on their deal. Not one of three names on a referral list. You.
This exclusivity works both ways. The referral flow is yours. The client introduction is yours. In exchange, the Council expects you to execute at the level this work requires — early engagement, coordinated collaboration, and outcomes that make your clients' exit the most strategically sound financial decision of their lives.
If that's the kind of practice you want to build, we'd like to talk.
What the Council provides
- ✓Exclusive lead flow in your metro market
- ✓Coordinated referral from the Council platform
- ✓Pre-built deal frameworks and PSA template language
- ✓Collaboration with vetted CPAs and wealth strategists
- ✓Access to the Council's attorney resource library
- ✓Early engagement — you're in before the LOI
Apply Now
Your metro may still be open.
The Exit Council has 110 metro markets. Each has one business attorney seat. We review your background, confirm availability, and walk through the Council model on a call.
No commitment required to apply. If the fit is right, we move fast.
Apply for Your MetroCommon questions from attorneys
Do I need M&A experience, or is general business law sufficient?
We're looking for attorneys who have handled business acquisitions — not necessarily large-market M&A, but real transactions where you've drafted purchase agreements, advised on deal structure, and worked through the legal mechanics of a business sale. Solo practitioners and boutique firm partners are a good fit.
What does 'real estate experience' mean in this context?
Most business sales involve some real estate component — a commercial property owned by the business or its principals. You don't need to be a real estate attorney, but you should have experience coordinating with commercial real estate counsel or handling transactions where real property was part of the deal.
What does the coordination look like in practice?
The Council introduces the advisory team to the seller at the initial review stage. You, the CPA, and the wealth strategist all have defined roles. The attorney's role is deal structure and legal drafting. There's no ambiguity about who does what.
Am I expected to refer clients to the Council — or the other way around?
Both. The Council sends you leads from business owners in your market. You also bring your existing clients into the Council model when their situation fits. It works as a two-direction relationship.
Ready to be in the deal from the start?
Apply for your metro and we'll be in touch within one business day.
Apply for Your Metro