Hamburger Law Firm

What Hamburger Law Firm does

Hamburger Law Firm (legal entity The Hamburger Law Firm, LLC) is a privately held boutique law firm founded in 2000 by Brian Hamburger in New Jersey and headquartered in New York. The firm provides legal counsel to the wealth management industry across six practice areas: prospective and emerging advisors launching RIAs; established investment advisors and wealth management firms navigating regulatory matters; fintech entrepreneurs; securities personnel transitioning between firms or into independence; broker-dealers and private funds (hedge, real estate, private equity, venture); and financial institutions including RIA custodians and family offices. Its work spans securities and investment advisory regulation, business transactions, employment transitions and restrictive covenants, governance, commercial disputes, and regulatory examinations and enforcement defense. The firm operates as a relationship-based professional services business with quote-based hourly and fixed-fee pricing determined by engagement scope, complexity, and attorney expertise; revenue is generated by billable attorney time rather than through technology productization. Distribution is direct: clients engage the firm through referrals, industry reputation, and thought leadership, anchored by Brian Hamburger's media presence and proprietary events such as the MarketCounsel Summit.

The firm's competitive position is built on three pillars: deeply specialized regulatory expertise accumulated over 24+ years, founder Brian Hamburger's industry stature (IA25 and InvestmentNews Icons & Innovators, CNBC contributor), and an affiliated consultancy, MarketCounsel Consulting (also founded and led by Hamburger), that delivers ongoing compliance management to the same client base. This legal-plus-compliance pairing is distinctive within the RIA legal services niche. Operating geographies are stated as national with clients across the U.S.; physical presence now includes New York (headquarters and principal mailing address at 228 Park Ave S, PMB 51917), Beaverton, Oregon (expedited mail processing at 9450 SW Gemini Dr, PMB 51917), and a Florida office in Palm Beach serving Florida-resident clients. Headcount is reported at 11-50; there is no disclosed revenue, no external funding, no parent company, no patents, and no AI or technology product layer. The senior attorney team consists of Brian Hamburger (Chief Counsel), Sharron E. Ash (Chief Counsel, Litigation), Daniel A. Bernstein (Chief Counsel, Regulatory), Robert S. Lipsey (Chief Counsel, Business Transactions), and Jonathan P. Macy (Counsel, Business Transactions).

Name

Hamburger Law Firm

Legal name

The Hamburger Law Firm, LLC

Website

https://hamburgerlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hamburger Law Firm is a boutique law firm founded in 2000 that provides securities, regulatory, employment, and business-transaction legal counsel to investment advisors, broker-dealers, fintech entrepreneurs, and financial institutions in the wealth management industry, operating from offices in New York, Oregon, and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth management legal services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Securities legal services
• Investment advisor law
• Wealth management counsel
• RIA legal counsel
• Regulatory compliance law

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: The firm provides legal counsel and representation to investment advisors, broker-dealers, fintech entrepreneurs, and financial institutions. Revenue is generated through professional legal services, likely billed on hourly rates or fixed fees for specific engagements such as regulatory compliance, business transactions, employment transitions, and litigation matters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Hamburger Law Firm is a boutique law firm providing specialized legal counsel to the wealth management industry. The firm's core offerings include investment and securities law representation, business transaction advisory (corporate formation, governance, M&A), employment transition counsel for wirehouse advisors moving to independence, regulatory compliance and examination representation, broker-dealer and private fund formation, and litigation defense in securities-related controversies. Core clients are investment advisors, broker-dealers, fintech entrepreneurs, securities personnel, and financial institutions.

Product overview

Hamburger Law Firm is a boutique law firm offering a unified suite of legal services focused on the wealth management industry. The firm provides securities and investment advisor regulation, business transactions, employment transition counsel, and regulatory controversy representation. Its affiliated consultancy, MarketCounsel Consulting, provides complementary compliance management services. Together, they serve the entire lifecycle of wealth management businesses from startup advisors through established financial institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Prospective & Emerging Advisors legal services Legal counsel and representation for financial advisors launching or transitioning to an independent RIA, covering exit strategies, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, TROs and injunctions, entity formation, governance, contract negotiations, and succession planning.
• Established Investment Advisors legal services Legal representation for the country's leading investment advisors and wealth management firms on regulatory compliance, client agreements, ERISA and fiduciary responsibilities, service provider contracts, policies and procedures, regulatory examinations, business governance, and civil litigation.
• Entrepreneurs & Fintech legal services Legal counsel for entrepreneurs in the financial technology space on business combinations, securities transactions, equity and debt financing, commercial disputes, and tax planning.
• Securities Personnel legal services Counsel for employees of brokerage firms, banks, and trust companies on exit strategies, employment contracts, restrictive covenants, TROs and injunctions, employment controversies, and settlement negotiations when transitioning firms or pursuing independence.
• Broker-Dealers & Private Funds legal services Legal counsel for broker-dealers and private funds (including hedge funds, real estate funds, private equity funds, and venture funds) on formation, organization, structuring, compliance, dissolution, wind-up, and service provider agreements.
• Financial Institutions legal services Legal representation for leading financial institutions including independent investment advisers, broker-dealers, RIA custodians, and family offices on service provider arrangements, compliance meetings, regulatory inquiry response, enforcement action representation, private placements, venture financing, and blue sky compliance.
• MarketCounsel Consulting (affiliated) An affiliated consultancy that works side-by-side with the Hamburger Law Firm to provide business and regulatory compliance consultancy and a compliance management platform to the country's preeminent independent investment advisors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eight WealthManagement Industry Awards in eight years
• +1 more outcomes

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.

• MarketCounsel ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarketCounsel Consulting is an affiliated consultancy that works side-by-side with the Hamburger Law Firm. Together they provide business and regulatory compliance consultancy to the country's preeminent independent investment advisors. MarketCounsel offers an industry-leading robust and proactive compliance management platform. Brian Hamburger is founder, president and CEO of MarketCounsel Consulting and founder and chief counsel of the Hamburger Law Firm.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young: Mid-size law firm with a dedicated investment management practice representing investment advisers, mutual funds, broker-dealers, and private funds on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters — the most direct comparable to Hamburger Law Firm's wealth-management focus.
• Seward & Kissel: Boutique financial-services law firm representing investment advisers, investment companies, broker-dealers and hedge funds. Closely comparable positioning to Hamburger Law Firm in terms of niche specialization and client base within the wealth-management ecosystem.
• Schulte Roth & Zabel: Prominent investment management and hedge funds practice advising on fund formation, regulatory compliance, and investment-adviser matters. Comparable in deep wealth-management specialization, though significantly larger scale.
• Vedder Price: Mid-size law firm with a dedicated investment-management practice advising advisers, broker-dealers, and private funds on regulatory and transactional matters. Closely comparable client base and niche focus to Hamburger Law Firm.

Broad incumbents

• Dechert LLP: Global law firm with a strong investment-management practice serving RIAs, mutual funds, and broker-dealers. Overlaps with Hamburger Law Firm on investment-adviser regulatory and transactional work but at much broader scale.
• Sidley Austin LLP: Global law firm with a leading investment-management practice advising on fund formation, adviser regulation, and securities matters. Overlaps with Hamburger Law Firm's regulatory and securities practice as part of a much wider full-service platform.
• Willkie Farr & Gallagher: Major law firm with a well-known asset-management practice advising RIAs, private funds, and broker-dealers. Comparable on the investment-management and private-fund formation work, with broader reach across M&A and corporate matters.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: International law firm with a recognized investment-management practice serving advisers, funds, and broker-dealers. Comparable in securities and adviser regulatory work, though at significantly larger scale and full-service breadth.
• Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath: Full-service law firm with a notable asset-management practice advising RIAs, fund boards, and broker-dealers. Overlaps with Hamburger Law Firm on regulatory and transactional work for wealth-management clients.

Others

• MarketCounsel Consulting: Affiliated business and regulatory compliance consultancy sharing founder Brian Hamburger and offering compliance-management services to independent investment advisers. While not a direct legal competitor, it is the closest ecosystem partner and a primary referral channel into Hamburger Law Firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hamburgerlaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hamburgerlaw
• Facebookfacebook.com/hamburgerlaw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Hamburger Law Firm