McKennon Shelton & Henn

What McKennon Shelton & Henn does

McKennon Shelton & Henn LLP is a Baltimore-headquartered boutique law firm founded in 2002 by former partners of the Piper & Marbury public finance department. The firm provides legal services across five core practice areas: Public Finance (its flagship, covering tax-exempt and taxable municipal bond counsel, securities law, and federal income taxation), Corporate and Securities (M&A, debt and equity financings, private placements, crowdfunding), Commercial Lending and Finance, Nonprofit and Faith-Based Organizations, and Post-Issuance Tax Compliance, with Litigation as a supporting practice. Its primary clients are Maryland state agencies, counties, municipalities, healthcare and higher-education authorities, and investment banking firms; secondary clients include nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and corporate entities ranging from startups to Fortune 500 issuers. Attorneys have participated in hundreds of bond issues totaling approximately $13 billion in principal over the firm's history, with the firm acting as bond counsel on roughly $4.7 billion of long-term issues in 2020.

The firm earns revenue through professional fees billed on an hourly or per-matter basis for legal representation, generated through a sales-led, relationship-based go-to-market anchored by reputation, Bond Buyer rankings, and referrals from institutional clients and underwriters. MS&H is MBE-certified through the Maryland Department of Transportation and describes itself as a woman- and minority-owned firm, which supports access to set-aside mandates. The firm is ranked #1 Bond Counsel in Maryland by dollar volume and has appeared in The Bond Buyer's top 10 nationally for bond counsel and special tax counsel; it is also repeatedly named among U.S. News & World Report's Best Law Firms.

The firm operates from two offices — Baltimore (headquarters, 401 East Pratt Street, Suite 2600) and Washington, DC (100 M Street SE, Suite 600, established in 2015 via combination with Stinson Law Group PLLC) — and conducts public finance work across more than 20 states and the District of Columbia. Headcount is approximately 12 attorneys (8 partners and 4 associates) with combined experience exceeding 200 years, including a Fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel. The firm is privately held as an LLP with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no public disclosures of revenue.

Name

McKennon Shelton & Henn

Legal name

McKennon Shelton & Henn LLP

Website

https://mshllp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McKennon Shelton & Henn LLP is a Baltimore-based boutique law firm (founded 2002) specializing in public finance and tax-exempt municipal bond counsel, serving Maryland state and local governments, authorities, nonprofits, and corporate issuers with approximately 12 attorneys across Baltimore and Washington, DC offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 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 - Professional Fees: The firm charges professional fees for legal representation in public finance, corporate, securities, commercial lending, and nonprofit law matters. As a boutique law firm, revenue is generated through billable hours and/or fixed fees for transactional and advisory services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

McKennon Shelton & Henn LLP is a boutique business law firm providing legal services across public finance (bond counsel, securities law, federal tax), corporate and securities (M&A, debt and equity financings), commercial lending and finance, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, post-issuance tax compliance, and litigation. The firm serves government entities, corporations, and nonprofits primarily in Maryland and the broader U.S. public finance market, with attorneys participating in hundreds of bond issues totaling approximately $13 billion in principal.

Product overview

McKennon Shelton & Henn LLP is a minority-owned law firm offering legal services across five core practice areas: Public Finance (municipal bond counsel and securities law), Corporate and Securities (transactions and business law), Commercial Lending and Finance, Nonprofit and Faith-Based Organizations, and Post-Issuance Tax Compliance. The firm also provides Litigation services. The Public Finance practice is the firm's flagship offering, ranked as the top bond counsel firm in Maryland, while the Corporate practice handles M&A, financings, and securities matters. All practice areas work collaboratively to serve clients in government finance, business transactions, and regulatory compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Finance

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked #1 bond counsel in Maryland by dollar volume (2020)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Stinson Law Group, PLLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2015McKennon Shelton & Henn combined forces with Stinson Law Group, PLLC, a boutique business law firm based in Washington, DC. SLG founder Sulee Stinson Clay joined MSH as a partner and Chair of the Corporate Group, and serves as managing partner of the newly constituted Washington, DC office. This combination expanded the firm's corporate practice and established a DC presence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hawkins Delafield & Wood LLP: The leading national bond counsel firm in the U.S., with deep public finance, securities law, and tax-exempt bond expertise. Directly comparable to MS&H as a bond counsel specialist serving government and nonprofit issuers.
• Kutak Rock LLP: Major national public finance firm consistently ranked among the top bond counsel firms by The Bond Buyer. Directly competes with MS&H in municipal bond counsel, special tax counsel, and issuer representation.
• Ballard Spahr LLP: AmLaw 200 firm with a significant public finance and tax-exempt bond practice. Directly comparable to MS&H's bond counsel and tax work; Kimberly Betterton joined MS&H from Ballard Spahr in 2021.
• Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP: Global AmLaw 100 firm with a market-leading public finance practice serving state and local issuers. Directly competes with MS&H for complex municipal bond counsel and special tax counsel mandates.
• Nixon Peabody LLP: AmLaw 200 firm with a substantial public finance practice serving public agencies, healthcare, and higher education issuers. Comparable to MS&H in municipal bond counsel and tax-exempt financing work.
• Locke Lord LLP: Full-service national law firm with a notable public finance group serving bond counsel and underwriter's counsel roles. Comparable to MS&H across municipal bond counsel and broader corporate/securities work.
• Greenberg Traurig LLP: Large national law firm with an active public finance practice representing issuers and underwriters in tax-exempt bond transactions. Competes with MS&H in bond counsel and special tax counsel mandates.
• Holland & Knight LLP: Major national firm with a longstanding public finance practice. Comparable to MS&H in serving state and local government issuers on bond counsel and securities matters.
• Ice Miller LLP: AmLaw 200 firm with a significant public finance and municipal advisory practice serving Mid-Atlantic and Midwest issuers. Comparable to MS&H in bond counsel and tax-exempt financing.

Regional players

• Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLP: Maryland-based regional law firm with a public finance practice group from which MS&H hired partner Damian Mark in 2014. Closely comparable as a Mid-Atlantic peer in public finance and corporate law.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MSHLLP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mckennon-shelton-henn-llp
• Xx.com/MSHLLP2015

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 McKennon Shelton & Henn