Is your M&A transaction at risk because your legal team isn’t truly business-minded? What if the right law firm could not only protect your deal—but actively make it better?
In this episode, Chad Gottlieb, Partner at Darrow Everett, joins Patrick Stroth to share how a business-first approach to law is transforming M&A outcomes for founders, private equity firms, and independent sponsors in the lower middle market.
In this episode you’ll discover…
- Why being “proactive, not reactive” is the most important principle any M&A attorney can live by
- How Darrow Everett grew from fewer than 20 attorneys to nearly 70—fueled by responsiveness and white-glove service
- The waterfall mechanics mistake that nearly derailed a deal—and how Chad’s team caught it in time
- Why lower middle market sellers are often blindsided by post-closing indemnity obligations—and what to do about it
- How Seller Protect (the new rep and warranty product from Lloyd’s of London) is finally making M&A insurance accessible for deals under $30 million
- What AI, secondary transactions, and pre-IPO activity mean for the M&A landscape heading into 2026
