Morrison Cohen LLP | Independent Sponsors

Purpose-built to empower independent sponsors at every stage.

Independent sponsors face distinct challenges – raising capital deal-by-deal, aligning investors and management teams, and executing transactions efficiently without the infrastructure of a committed fund. These challenges require experienced counsel who understands the timing and constraints, as well as the economic and structural considerations of sponsor-led transactions.

Morrison Cohen delivers institutional-quality private equity and M&A guidance tailored to the way independent sponsors work. With one of the most active middle-market transactional practices in the United States, we partner with first-time and emerging sponsors, as well as established players, to help source, structure, negotiate and close complex deals. We understand the economic and relational dynamics that define independent sponsor transactions and help you navigate every step with clarity and impact.

We advise independent sponsors on all aspects of sponsor-led investing, including:

Platform acquisitions and add-on transactions
Deal-specific equity raises and co-investment structures
Promote and carried interest economics
Rollover equity and management incentive plans
Governance, control rights and investor alignment
Acquisition financing and lender negotiations

Our goal is simple: to help you close the right deals, with the right partners, on the right terms.

Strategic, senior-level partnership

Independent sponsors often face compressed timelines and evolving investor expectations with limited margin for error. Our engagements are structured to provide direct access to senior partners who stay deeply involved throughout each transaction, from initial structuring to closing.

Because our rate structures also allow us to regularly represent founder- and family-owned businesses in strategic transactions with financial sponsors, we bring a 360-degree understanding of the issues and sensitivities that matter most to sellers.

Clients benefit from:

Streamlined deal teams aligned with your workflow
Integrated tax, executive compensation, employment and credit finance capabilities
Market-tested insights into investor and lender expectations
Practical, goal-oriented guidance grounded in extensive middle-market experience
Effective, repeatable documentation frameworks
A legal team that operates as an extension of the sponsor’s deal team
Flexible fee arrangements aligned with deal outcomes

This partner-driven model ensures efficient decision-making, seamless coordination and advice that reflects both the legal and commercial realities of sponsor-led deals.

Supporting sponsors as they scale

Independent sponsors often evolve quickly – pursuing add-on acquisitions, building repeat relationships with investors and lenders, or transitioning toward a committed fund model. We support you through every stage of that evolution.

We take a curated, strategic approach to relationship building by working alongside family offices, private investors, lenders, credit funds and investment bankers active in sponsor-led transactions. Many of our clients begin their journey with a first platform acquisition and continue working with us through multiple transactions as their track record and ambitions expand.

Whether you’re sourcing your first deal or scaling into a more institutional structure, we support sponsors as their strategies and structures evolve and are committed to helping build momentum and long-term value.