Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman

What Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman does

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP (d/b/a Lippes Mathias LLP) is a full-service business law firm headquartered in Buffalo, New York, with 230 attorneys practicing across 17 office locations in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1965, the firm serves publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals. Its core offerings span corporate transactional work (M&A, private equity, independent sponsor services), real estate, commercial litigation, environment and energy, banking and financial transactions, immigration, tax planning and controversy, health care, trusts and estates, employment, Indian law, insurance recovery, and intellectual property.

The firm's go-to-market is traditional direct attorney-client engagement, with no resellers or intermediaries; pricing is engagement-based (hourly, flat fee, or contingency depending on practice area) and not publicly disclosed. Distribution runs through the 17-office network, enabling regional, national, and international service — with the Buffalo base as headquarters and growing platforms in Florida (Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, West Palm Beach), Ohio (Cleveland), Illinois (Chicago), Texas (San Antonio), Oklahoma, Washington D.C., and the Greater Toronto Area. The firm has grown both organically (lateral hiring, with attorney count more than doubling from 110+ in 2020 to 230 by mid-2026) and through acquisitions of Fay Sharpe LLP (Cleveland, January 2023) and Andreozzi Bluestein LLP (Clarence, June 2023).

Brand and credential signals are strong relative to a firm of this size: ranked No. 204 on The National Law Journal's NLJ 500, 89 attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2026, 17 attorneys and 8 practice areas ranked in Chambers USA 2026, winner of The M&A Advisor's Deal of the Year for the Schneider Electric/Motivair transaction, and named Buffalo Business First 2025 Company of the Year. Leadership is structured around Managing Partner Kevin J. Cross, Chief Growth Officer Brian J. Bocketti, and COO/General Counsel Thomas J. Gaffney, with additional C-suite roles in legal and advisory functions.

Name

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman

Legal name

Lippes Mathias LLP

Website

https://lippes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman is a full-service US law firm with 230 attorneys across 17 offices serving companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, real estate developers, financial institutions, and governmental entities with corporate, M&A, litigation, real estate, tax, and regulatory legal services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Offices of Lawyers (54111)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border M&A Advisory (FSAEAGAH)

Keywords

• Corporate legal services
• Mergers acquisitions law
• Private equity counsel
• Commercial litigation
• Estate planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services Fees: The firm generates revenue through billing clients for legal services including corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, real estate, litigation, environmental law, immigration, tax, and other legal practice areas. Services are provided to publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman LLP is a full-service law firm delivering legal counsel across corporate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and independent sponsor work, commercial litigation, real estate, banking and financial transactions, environmental and energy law, immigration, tax controversy and planning, healthcare, trusts and estates, employment, insurance recovery, intellectual property, and Indian law. With 230 attorneys across 17 offices in the U.S. and Canada, the firm serves publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.

Product overview

Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman is a full-service law firm operating as a unified platform offering comprehensive legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm provides corporate transactional services including Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, and Independent Sponsor Services alongside litigation capabilities covering commercial disputes, construction, and employment matters. Core service pillars include Real Estate, Banking & Financial Transactions, Tax Planning & Controversy, Health Care, Environment & Energy, Immigration, Trusts & Estates, and Indian Law/Tribal Interests. The firm also offers supplementary knowledge resources through its Corporate Blog and Immigration Blog. With 230 attorneys across 11 U.S. office locations plus a Toronto office, the firm serves publicly and privately owned companies, private equity and venture capital firms, independent sponsors, family offices, real estate developers, financial institutions, municipalities, governmental entities, and individuals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Practice Provides legal counsel on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, corporate governance, partnerships, and general corporate matters for publicly and privately owned companies.
• Mergers and Acquisitions Handles acquisition financing, deal structuring, due diligence, and transaction closing for lower to middle market deals across various industries.
• Private Equity Advises private equity firms, independent sponsors, and family offices on fund formation, portfolio company investments, and deal execution.
• Independent Sponsor Services Provides legal support for independent sponsor deal structures, including direct deals, SPV formations, and deal-by-deal capital deployment.
• Real Estate Practice Represents owners, developers, investors, and corporate clients in commercial real estate transactions, land use, and development projects.
• Litigation Practice Handles commercial litigation, construction litigation, employment litigation, insurance recovery, and white-collar criminal defense matters.
• Environment & Energy Practice Provides counsel on environmental compliance, regulatory matters, project development, brownfield remediation, and renewable energy transactions under federal and state environmental laws.
• Banking & Financial Transactions Offers lender and borrower-side representation in commercial loan transactions, SBA financing, acquisition financing, and real estate-secured transactions.
• Immigration Practice Handles business immigration, family-based immigration, consular processing, and cross-border matters for individuals and corporations.
• Tax Planning & Controversy Provides tax planning, tax controversy defense, tax collection defense, and white-collar criminal tax defense services.
• Health Care Practice Advises health care providers on regulatory compliance, FDA matters, medical product research and development, and health care transactions.
• Trusts & Estates Practice Offers estate planning, trust administration, elder law, and probate services for individuals and families.
• Employment Practice Handles employment law matters including management-side employment litigation, labor relations, and workplace compliance.
• Indian Law / Tribal Interests Represents tribal interests in tribal, state, and federal courts and arbitrations, including tribal environmental matters and government relations.
• Insurance Recovery, Counseling & Litigation Advises policyholders on insurance coverage analysis, claims handling, and litigation against insurers.
• Intellectual Property Practice Provides intellectual property litigation, trademark registration, and IP counseling services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89 attorneys recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Panther Service GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Apex Plumbing partnered with Panther Service Group (PSG), a Florida-focused plumbing, HVAC and electrical services platform, with the transaction bringing together Apex Plumbing's established multi-trade presence in the Tampa Bay market with PSG's resources and growth infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harter Secrest & Emery LLP: Buffalo-based full-service business law firm of comparable size serving similar middle-market corporate, M&A, and litigation clients in Western New York. Direct geographic and practice-area competitor.
• Phillips Lytle LLP: Buffalo-headquartered full-service law firm with similar practice mix including corporate, M&A, real estate, and litigation. Comparable size and overlapping client base in New York state.
• Hodgson Russ LLP: Buffalo-based full-service law firm with comparable attorney count and practice areas. Direct competitor for corporate, M&A, and government matters in the same geography.
• Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC: New York-based full-service law firm of similar size with strong corporate, M&A, real estate, and employment practices. Comparable mid-market business client base and multi-office footprint.
• Barclay Damon LLP: New York-based full-service firm formed by merger of Hiscock & Barclay and Damon Morey, with comparable multi-office footprint and similar practice mix including corporate, litigation, and real estate.
• Thompson Hine LLP: Cleveland-based full-service business law firm with comparable size and corporate/M&A focus. Relevant peer given Lippes Mathias' Cleveland office acquired from Fay Sharpe.
• Goldberg Segalla LLP: Multi-office full-service law firm with comparable attorney count and similar practice areas including corporate, litigation, and insurance recovery. Overlaps with Lippes Mathias in insurance recovery and commercial litigation practices.
• Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel LLP: Buffalo-based full-service law firm offering corporate, real estate, litigation, and tax services. Direct geographic competitor in Western New York.
• Roetzel & Andress LPA: Ohio-based full-service law firm with similar size and practice mix including corporate, M&A, real estate, and litigation. Comparable mid-market business client base.

Broad incumbents

• Nixon Peabody LLP: Larger Am Law 200 full-service firm with a national and international footprint (including a Toronto office) and broader practice areas. Overlaps with Lippes Mathias in corporate, M&A, real estate, and PE matters but operates at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lippes-mathias-wexler-friedman-llp
• Xx.com/LippesMathias
• Facebookfacebook.com/285733494917286

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman