What Dinse does

Dinse is a Burlington, Vermont-based law firm founded in 1917 that serves businesses, institutions, and individuals across the New England region. The firm operates as a Vermont professional corporation (Dinse P.C.) under a traditional partnership ownership structure, with Shap Smith Jr. serving as Managing Partner. Dinse delivers legal services across 14 practice areas — including Litigation, Business/Corporate, Healthcare, Education, Employment, Real Estate, Tax, Estate Planning, Banking & Finance, Intellectual Property, Immigration, Environmental, Appellate, and Employee Benefits — and specializes in vertical industry practices including higher education, healthcare (hospitals, ACOs, physician practices), food and beverage, renewable energy, nonprofit, and real estate development. The firm cites long-term institutional relationships, including one client engagement extending back to the 1950s, and claims to serve as primary legal advisor for most of Vermont's colleges and universities.

The firm's go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based, driven by referrals, peer recognition (Chambers & Partners, Best Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, Super Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers), and community involvement rather than proprietary technology or marketing automation. Technology infrastructure is minimal: the firm maintains a WordPress website and uses LawPay for online invoice and retainer payments, but no proprietary legal technology platform, app, API, or AI tooling is disclosed. Revenue is generated through traditional hourly billing for professional services, with fees varying by practice area, attorney seniority, and matter complexity; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The firm employs 30 attorneys supported by paralegals and administrative staff, and has shown measured growth through recent lateral hiring (two associates added in 2025) and shareholder promotions. Operating geography is regional, concentrated in Vermont and New England, with no disclosed offices, subsidiaries, or M&A activity outside the home market. The firm has no external investors, parent company, or funding rounds — ownership rests with attorney shareholders. Notable institutional signals include alumni such as founder Warren R. Austin (first U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations), and recognition of attorneys as Fellows of the American College of Trial Lawyers and members of the American Law Institute.

Name

Dinse

Legal name

Dinse P.C.

Website

https://dinse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dinse is a Burlington, Vermont-based law firm founded in 1917 providing legal services across 14 practice areas and eight industry verticals to businesses, institutions, and individuals primarily in Vermont and New England. The firm operates under a traditional partnership ownership model with 30 attorneys.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Hourly Billing: Traditional hourly billing for legal services including litigation, corporate transactions, estate planning, healthcare law, and other practice areas. Attorneys bill clients for time spent on matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dinse is a law firm providing integrated legal services to businesses, institutions, and individuals across 14 practice areas (Appellate, Banking & Finance, Business, Education, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Employment, Environmental, Estate Planning & Administration, Healthcare, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Real Estate, and Tax) and 8 industry verticals (Education, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Renewable Energy, Real Estate, Technology & Software Development). Engagement is delivered by an integrated team of attorneys and support staff based in Burlington, Vermont.

Product overview

Dinse is a law firm offering a comprehensive suite of legal services organized by practice area and industry focus. The firm operates as a single integrated legal practice rather than a platform with separate products or modules. Practice areas include Appellate, Banking & Finance, Business, Education, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Employment, Environmental, Estate Planning & Administration, Healthcare, Immigration, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Real Estate, and Tax. The firm serves clients across industries including Education, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, Philanthropy, Renewable Energy, and Technology & Software Development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Legal Services - Appellate

Quantifiable outcome

• One client relationship extends back to the 1950s, demonstrating exceptional client retention

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Downs Rachlin Martin: Vermont-based full-service law firm of comparable size with similar multi-practice offering serving New England businesses and institutions—Dinse's most direct head-to-head competitor in the Burlington market.
• Sheehey Furlong & Behm: Vermont full-service law firm with a similar size profile and comparable practice breadth serving businesses, institutions, and individuals across the region—directly competes for the same client base.
• Paul Frank + Collins: Burlington, Vermont-based law firm with comparable size and similar general business practice, competing for the same mid-market Vermont institutional clients.
• Murphy Sullivan Kronk: Vermont-headquartered law firm offering similar business, real estate, and litigation services to a comparable regional client base.
• Gravel & Shea: Burlington, Vermont-based law firm providing comparable transactional, litigation, and regulatory services to Vermont businesses and individuals.

Regional players

• Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer: New Hampshire/Vermont regional full-service firm with comparable size and similar practice mix serving New England institutions; closest out-of-state comparable.
• Pierce Atwood: New England regional law firm serving similar institutional and business clients across Vermont and broader New England with overlapping practice areas.

Emerging players

• Vermont Law School Legal Aid Clinic: Adjacent Vermont-based legal services provider in education/regulatory practice; not a commercial peer but operates in the same Vermont legal services ecosystem and shares talent pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• Baker Donelson: Larger multi-state law firm with comparable practice areas (healthcare, education, energy, business) and broader geographic reach—relevant peer for evaluating how Dinse competes against expanding regional/national firms.

Others

• Vermont Bar Association: Professional membership organization governing Vermont attorneys; relevant ecosystem peer for understanding the regulatory and reputational environment in which Dinse operates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dinselaw
• Xx.com/dinselaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Dinse