61Hourglass Legal (hourglasslegal)
Joined 4 months ago from Highland Park, Illinois
Hourglass Legal Consulting, a specialist in corporate law based in Highland Park, Illinois, offers comprehensive legal services primarily focused on mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Established in 2013 by Tom Wippman, the firm caters to a diverse range of clients, including small and middle-market businesses, venture capital firms, and private equity-backed companies in sectors like business services, manufacturing, financial services, and for-profit education.
The firm is dedicated to providing strategic legal guidance that helps clients handle complex transactions and navigate challenging regulatory landscapes. With a low-overhead, focused approach, Hourglass Legal aims to streamline the legal process, ensuring efficient use of resources and minimizing legal drama. This strategy allows the firm to close approximately two transactions each month successfully.
Hourglass Legal’s expertise encompasses business formation, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, equity financings, and general commercial matters. Additionally, the firm offers daily corporate assistance, advising on corporate governance, contract negotiations, executive compensation, and labor and employment issues. It strives to help entrepreneurs, emerging growth .
companies, and investors achieve success through high-quality, practical legal and strategic advice. He and his team are committed to forming and maintaining strong relationships with their clients, guiding them through each phase and preparing them to negotiate high-value situations effectively.
He has held internal and external General Counsel roles for a diverse client base, including private equity firms, independent sponsors, startups, and established corporations. Previously, he served as Managing Director and General Counsel for Sterling Partners, a private equity firm with over $5 billion in assets under management. He was primarily responsible for structuring, documenting, and negotiating numerous buyout and sale transactions, follow-on investment opportunities, and executive compensation and employment issues.
His wide-ranging expertise helps reduce legal risks and expenses while enhancing growth by identifying and applying best legal practices. He has managed various operational and transactional issues, such as overseeing sales teams, negotiating vendor contracts, and resolving product liability issues, greatly aiding entrepreneurs and high-growth companies during their start-up and capitalization phases.
With an extensive career that enables him to provide substantial value, he excels in mergers and acquisitions, sales, reorganizations, and the strategic use of sophisticated debt and equity structures like warrants, options, and convertible debt. He also offers pragmatic management consulting to corporate executives, focusing on day-to-day operations and strategic challenges such as investment structuring and financing.
He holds a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and an A.B. in Economics from the University of Illinois. Hourglass Legal and he have earned consistent praise from clients for their hands-on, strategic approach, effectively leading to successful outcomes and solidifying long-standing client relationships.