Referral & Local Counsel

Boutique securities work fits into many existing matters as co-counsel rather than primary counsel. Outside counsel at full-service firms regularly run into matters that need a securities specialist, a parallel SEC inquiry on an otherwise corporate matter, a Wells process triggered by a transaction, a Form TCR question from a senior executive, a comment letter for a trade association client, without the internal capacity or securities depth to staff it.

Rather than passing the matter or building a temporary in-house team, the referring firm can engage this firm as co-counsel for a defined scope on clear terms.

Engagements are documented up front. Scope, deliverables, billing relationship (whether direct to the client or pass-through), communication channels, and the boundary between the two firms' responsibilities are all written down before work begins.

Conflicts are run at the start. Engagement letters reflect both relationships clearly, including any fee-splitting arrangements that need to comply with Virginia Rule 1.5(e) or DC Rule 1.5(e) on division of fees between lawyers not in the same firm.

Senior securities and enforcement judgment, Wells submissions, SEC settlement work, FINRA and SRO matters, internal investigation oversight, Form TCR drafting, PPM scoping, comment letter strategy, delivered as the specialist component of a broader engagement that the referring firm continues to lead.

The client's relationship continues to run through the referring firm.

Local counsel in Virginia and the District of Columbia is also available where pro hac vice admission, filing requirements, or jurisdiction-specific procedural questions require it.

Local counsel engagements are similarly scoped: defined responsibilities for filings, appearances, and local procedure, with the lead firm continuing to drive substantive strategy.