Ellenoff Grossman & Schole

What Ellenoff Grossman & Schole does

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is a New York City-headquartered, mid-sized law firm founded in 1992 by Douglas S. Ellenoff, Barry I. Grossman and Allen Schole. The firm has grown from its original three founding practices into 19 practice areas and now fields more than 125 lawyers across offices in New York (60,000 sq ft at 1345 Avenue of the Americas), Orange County, California and Los Angeles, California. Its core franchise is capital-markets transactional work, where it represents issuers, investment banks, placement agents and underwriters on IPOs, SPAC formations, de-SPAC business combinations, PIPEs, registered directs, secondary offerings, M&A, and ongoing SEC compliance for an active roster of over 80 public companies (including roughly 15-20 Chinese issuers served by a 10-attorney Mandarin-speaking Pan-Asia team).

The firm is best known for its SPAC practice: it pioneered the now-standard SPAC structure in 2010 and has worked on nearly 40% of all SPACs over the last decade, ranking #1 by SPAC IPO volume in 2022 and 2024, #2 in 2023, and #1 in North America by de-SPAC deal volume in 2025. It is also #1 in PIPEs/Registered Directs on the placement-agent side and #3 in US IPOs in 2022. Beyond capital markets, it maintains significant litigation, securities enforcement defense, labor and employment, real estate, intellectual property, hospitality, immigration, cannabis and corporate restructuring practices, with the trial practice having been substantially expanded via the January 1, 2026 combination with Kaplan Rice LLP.

Economically, EGS operates a traditional professional-services fee model, billing hourly or via flat-fee structures (the latter offered as a long-standing client courtesy), across transactional, advisory and litigation matters. The firm has no public funding, no external institutional investment and no disclosed revenue, holding equity among its partnership. Client acquisition is relationship-driven and reputation-led, supported by league-table rankings, published legal alerts, conference participation (e.g., DealFlow Discovery) and inbound web inquiries.

Name

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole

Legal name

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

Website

https://egsllp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is a New York-headquartered, 125+ lawyer law firm founded in 1992 that serves issuers, investment banks, underwriters and placement agents with capital-markets work (SPACs, IPOs, PIPEs, M&A) and ongoing SEC compliance for 80+ public companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Securities law services
• SPAC legal counsel
• Capital markets law
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Corporate law firm

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Legal Fees – Corporate & Securities: The firm earns fees as legal counsel on IPOs, SPAC formations and de-SPAC transactions, PIPE/Registered Direct financings, M&A transactions, and ongoing SEC compliance for public companies. Fee arrangements include hourly billing, flat fee arrangements (offered for 25 years as a courtesy), and fixed-fee per transaction structures depending on deal complexity and client relationship.
2. Legal Fees – Litigation: The firm charges legal fees for trial and litigation services including securities enforcement actions, commercial disputes, white collar defense, and arbitration proceedings.
3. Legal Fees – Additional Practice Areas: Revenue from additional practice areas including Labor & Employment, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Immigration, Estate Planning, Tax, Cannabis, and Bankruptcy/Corporate Restructuring. Fee structures vary by matter type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is a full-service New York-based law firm providing legal counsel to public and private companies, investment banks, underwriters, placement agents, and financial sponsors. The firm specializes in capital markets transactions (IPOs, SPACs, PIPEs, Registered Directs, M&A) and securities law compliance, supported by 19 practice groups spanning corporate/securities, litigation, labor & employment, real estate, intellectual property, immigration, tax, and cannabis. The firm has over 125 lawyers and has represented more than 80 public companies at any given time.

Product overview

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is a full-service law firm (not a software product company) that provides comprehensive legal services across 19 practice areas. The firm specializes in capital markets transactions, particularly SPACs, PIPEs, IPOs, and alternative public offerings. Key service areas include Corporate & Securities, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financing Transactions, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Real Estate, and specialized practices for Blockchain/Digital Assets, Cannabis, and Pan Asia clients. The firm has over 125 lawyers and has been recognized as a top-ranked SPAC law firm in the U.S.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate & Securities Legal Services Comprehensive legal counsel for public and private companies on securities law, capital markets, IPOs, PIPEs, registered directs, crowdfunding, venture capital, life sciences, going private transactions, dual and cross listings, investment funds, reverse mergers, and blockchain/digital asset matters.
• SPACs and Alternative Public Offerings Legal representation for SPAC IPOs, de-SPAC transactions, business combinations, and alternative public offerings including reverse mergers and other non-traditional paths to going public.
• Financing Transactions Registered Direct and PIPE offerings, public company secondary offerings, at-the-market offerings, and rights offerings for capital formation.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Legal advisory for mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, business combinations, joint ventures, strategic investments, de-SPAC transactions, auction sales, tender offers, leveraged buyouts, and restructurings.
• Pan Asia Practice Cross-border legal services for Chinese and Asian enterprises in U.S. capital markets including IPOs, secondary offerings, SPACs, reverse mergers, PIPEs, and going private transactions.
• Hospitality Industry Legal Services Employment, labor relations, corporate, IP, real estate, and immigration legal services tailored for restaurants, hotels, gaming, casinos, and hospitality employers.
• Real Estate Legal Services Commercial leasing, development, financing, distressed real estate, joint ventures, funds, sales, acquisitions, and real estate litigation.
• Trial and Litigation Practice Commercial and corporate litigation, securities enforcement actions, white collar criminal defense, regulatory defense, real estate litigation, construction litigation, sports litigation, and energy contract disputes.
• Corporate Governance and Investigations Representation of corporate boards, special committees, and individuals in internal investigations, regulatory investigations, and derivative litigation.
• Broker-Dealer Regulation Legal services for broker-dealers including formation, membership applications, registration, regulatory compliance, SEC/FINRA investigations, and enforcement proceedings.
• Labor & Employment Wage and hour litigation, discrimination claims, collective bargaining, employment agreements, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, EEOC compliance, and workplace investigations across industries.
• Intellectual Property Domestic and international patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret protection, IP litigation, licensing, and e-commerce matters including AI applications.
• Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Design and maintenance of employee benefit programs, equity plans, retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and executive compensation arrangements.
• Tax Federal, state, and international tax planning, tax credits including low-income housing tax credits, and transaction-related tax structuring.
• Estate Planning Comprehensive estate planning from wills to complex trust arrangements, charitable contributions, succession planning, and estate administration.
• Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Out-of-court and in-court restructurings, distressed M&A, asset and debt purchases, claims trading, debtor-in-possession financing, and bankruptcy litigation.
• Immigration Employment-based and family-based immigration including H-1B, L-1, E-2, EB-1, EB-5 visas, PERM applications, and consular processing.
• Cannabis Regulatory, licensing, corporate, M&A, labor, IP, real estate, litigation, and tax services for cannabis and psychedelics companies.
• Blockchain, Digital Asset and NFT Legal services for blockchain, digital asset, and NFT matters under the firm's Corporate & Securities umbrella.

Named customers10 records

Segments8 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.

• Doug Ellenoff (EGS SPAC Market Commentary)minorOthers · 15 January 2026Doug Ellenoff, co-founder of EGS, serves as a key market commentator and forecaster for SPAC market trends, providing market insights and forecasts to industry publications and events. His commentary appears in AJG (Artemis) articles and industry reports on SPAC market conditions.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pryor Cashman: Mid-sized NYC full-service firm with a comparable mix of corporate/securities, M&A, litigation, and real estate work for public and private companies — overlapping client segments and practice areas.
• Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: Multi-office U.S. law firm with substantial corporate, securities, M&A, and capital markets practices serving public companies and financial institutions — comparable breadth of transactional and regulatory work.
• Loeb & Loeb: NYC-based full-service law firm with deep corporate/securities, M&A, and capital markets practices serving public companies, underwriters, and emerging-growth issuers — directly comparable in client base and transactional focus.
• Graubard Miller: Mid-sized NYC law firm with a similarly concentrated focus on SPAC formations, de-SPAC transactions, and capital markets work for small- and mid-cap issuers — EGS's most direct head-to-head competitor in the SPAC league tables.

Broad incumbents

• Latham & Watkins: Global AmLaw leader with a dominant capital markets, M&A, and securities litigation practice — competes with EGS for large-cap IPOs, de-SPACs, and complex cross-border transactions.
• Sullivan & Cromwell: Elite NYC firm renowned for capital markets, M&A, and SEC enforcement work — competes with EGS for issuer-side securities mandates and large cross-border IPOs.
• Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom: AmLaw 5 global firm with one of the largest M&A, capital markets, and corporate governance practices in the world — a broad incumbent that competes with EGS on larger SPAC, IPO, and M&A mandates.
• Kirkland & Ellis: Largest U.S. law firm by revenue with a market-leading M&A and capital markets practice — competes with EGS for sponsors, financial sponsors, and large de-SPAC transactions.
• Davis Polk & Wardwell: Premier NYC-based corporate/securities law firm with a top-tier capital markets and M&A practice — competes with EGS for high-profile securities mandates and SEC enforcement matters.

Emerging players

• Richardson & Patel: Smaller NYC-based firm historically active in SPAC formations and capital markets work — a niche emerging player competing with EGS in the SPAC and small-cap IPO space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ellenoff-grossman-&-schole-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Ellenoff Grossman & Schole