What Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC does

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is a regional law firm (Professional Limited Liability Company) founded in 1946 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, that operates five offices across Vermont (Brattleboro, Burlington, Montpelier, St. Johnsbury) and New Hampshire (Lebanon). The firm delivers full-service legal counsel through 15 practice areas — including Business Law, Litigation, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Energy Law, Captive Insurance, Data Security & Privacy, Commercial Real Estate, Tax Law, White Collar Defense, Telecommunications Law, Environmental Law, Government Affairs, Trusts & Estates, and Business Succession Planning — and seven industry verticals (Captive Insurance, Commercial Finance, Commercial Real Estate, Complex Land Use & Development, Food & Beverage, Health Care, and Renewable Energy). DRM serves a client mix ranging from small locally based Vermont and New Hampshire entities to multinational corporations (including special US counsel work on a CHF 125M Swiss credit facility and representation of an AIG Global Real Estate affiliate in the Stowe Mountain Resort sale to Vail Resorts), as well as high-net-worth individuals on estate planning matters.

DRM generates revenue through professional services billed primarily on hourly rates for attorneys and paralegals, with rates varying by practice area, attorney seniority, and matter complexity; some transactional matters may involve fixed or flat fees, and retainers are used. The firm's go-to-market is enterprise field sales via direct relationships, referrals, and industry reputation, supported by content marketing (specialty blogs, client alerts), HR Cafe webinars, active LinkedIn/Twitter/YouTube presence, and PR through local business media. Leadership is partner-led with Will Dodge as CEO and Managing Partner, Timothy Copeland Jr. as Deputy Managing Partner, and Patricia C. Komline leading the Government and Public Affairs group; the firm is employee/partner-owned with no disclosed external institutional investment.

On the technology dimension, DRM operates as a traditional professional services firm without proprietary AI, API, or platform products. Practice management is conducted through standard legal tools, and the firm's website functions as the primary client-engagement and content-distribution surface. The firm has accumulated substantial intangible assets over its 75+ year history, including a captive insurance practice that has represented more than 100 organized and operating Vermont single-parent and group captive insurance companies, an intellectual property practice handling 2,000+ USPTO trademarks plus 1,500+ international marks and thousands of patents over the past two decades, and a track record of significant litigation results (including a $3.66M federal jury verdict ranked the 61st largest in the U.S. in 2019).

Name

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC

Legal name

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC

Website

https://drm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is a 75+ year-old regional law firm operating five offices across Vermont and New Hampshire, delivering full-service legal counsel across 15 practice areas and 7 industry verticals to businesses, institutions, and high-net-worth individuals in northern New England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

White-Collar Defense & Investigations (BPAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Privacy, Consent & Data Protection Management (BPAEAPAF), Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Managed Services (BPAEADAJ), Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA) (HDADAFAH)

Keywords

• Legal advisory services
• Business law counsel
• Captive insurance law
• Commercial litigation services
• Intellectual property law

Headquarters

HQ city

Brattleboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 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: DRM generates revenue through legal services billed primarily on hourly rates for attorneys and legal professionals. Services span multiple practice areas including business law, litigation, intellectual property, energy law, captive insurance, labor and employment, tax law, and more. The firm provides services to diverse clients from small local businesses to large corporations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is a regional law firm providing full-service legal counsel across 15 practice areas and 7 industry verticals to businesses, institutions, and individuals in Vermont and New Hampshire. Core offerings include corporate/business law, litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment, energy law, captive insurance, data security and privacy, commercial real estate, tax law, white collar defense, telecommunications, environmental law, government affairs, trusts and estates, and business succession planning. Services are billed primarily on hourly rates, delivered through five office locations and supported by attorneys with direct business management experience.

Product overview

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC is a regional law firm offering comprehensive legal services through a unified platform of practice areas. The firm's core offerings span 15 distinct legal practice areas including Business Law, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Energy Law, Captive Insurance, Data Security & Privacy, Commercial Real Estate, Tax Law, White Collar Defense, Telecommunications Law, Environmental Law, Government Affairs, Trusts & Estates, and Business Succession Planning. Services are delivered across multiple industries including Captive Insurance, Commercial Finance, Commercial Real Estate, Complex Land Use & Development, Food & Beverage, Health Care, and Renewable Energy, with offices in five locations throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Law Corporate legal services for businesses including entity formation, commercial lending, mergers and acquisitions, tax planning, and executive compensation.
• Intellectual Property IP protection services including trademarks, patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and software licensing across various technology sectors.
• Litigation Civil litigation services handling complex commercial disputes, white collar defense, personal injury, and professional liability matters.
• Labor & Employment Law Employment law services representing employers exclusively, including labor relations, employment litigation, and management training.
• Energy Law Legal services for commercial energy transactions, infrastructure siting, renewable energy projects, and regulatory compliance.
• Captive Insurance Captive insurance legal services including formation, regulatory compliance, tax planning, and reinsurance matters for Vermont and multi-state domiciles.
• Data Security & Privacy Privacy compliance, data breach response, security policy development, and regulatory guidance for businesses.
• Commercial Real Estate Commercial real estate transactions, land use, permitting, environmental compliance, and real estate litigation services.
• Tax Law Federal and state tax planning, controversy resolution, tax credit transactions, and business entity tax structuring.
• White Collar Defense & Government Enforcement Defense of entities and individuals in government investigations, fraud allegations, False Claims Act matters, and regulatory enforcement.
• Telecommunications Law Telecommunications regulatory compliance, wireless infrastructure siting, site acquisition, and telecom litigation services.
• Environmental Law & Hazardous Materials Environmental compliance, land use planning, hazardous materials regulation, and environmental litigation services.
• Government Affairs Vermont legislative lobbying, public policy advocacy, nonprofit management, and public relations services.
• Trusts & Estates Estate planning, trust administration, probate, charitable giving, and family wealth transfer planning services.
• Business Succession Planning Business transition planning including buy-sell agreements, tax-efficient ownership transfers, and family enterprise succession.

Quantifiable outcome

• Represented more than 100 organized and operating Vermont single-parent and group captive insurance companies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pierce Atwood LLP: Maine/New Hampshire-based regional full-service law firm of similar size and practice breadth, serving New England businesses across energy, real estate, litigation, and corporate law. Closely comparable to DRM as a competing northern New England mid-size firm.
• Bernstein Shur: Portland, Maine-based regional full-service firm with offices across northern New England. Comparable practice mix including business law, litigation, and government affairs, competing for similar regional clients.
• Verrill Dana LLP: Maine-based regional full-service firm with New England footprint across corporate, litigation, energy, and real estate practices. Directly comparable in scale, geography, and practice mix.
• Sheehan Phinney Bass + Green PA: Manchester and Concord, New Hampshire-based full-service firm serving businesses across northern New England. Closely comparable regional peer with overlapping practice areas and similar enterprise client base.
• McLane Middleton PA: New Hampshire-based regional law firm with offices in Manchester, Concord, Portsmouth, and Woburn. Similar size and practice breadth competing directly for Vermont/New Hampshire business clients.
• Preti Flaherty Beliveau & Pachios LLP: Maine-based regional full-service firm with offices throughout northern New England including Vermont. Directly comparable in regional scope and mid-size firm positioning.
• Primmer Piper Eggleston & Cramer PC: Vermont-based regional firm headquartered in Burlington with offices in Manchester and Washington DC. Directly competes with DRM in core Vermont markets across business, real estate, and litigation practices.
• Dinse P.C. Burlington, Vermont-based full-service law firm of similar size serving businesses and individuals across Vermont and northern New England. Head-to-head competitor for the same regional client base.

Broad incumbents

• Nixon Peabody LLP: Larger New England-based national firm with offices across the U.S. Competes for the same enterprise clients as DRM on bigger matters while offering broader geographic and specialty coverage.
• Sidley Austin LLP: Global Am Law 50 firm with a Boston office serving New England enterprise clients. Represents the upper bound of competition — DRM wins when clients want regional cost and personal service, loses when scale and global reach matter.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/drm_attorneys
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChWY-uHIHRa1jIFeFNo6hEA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/284800

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC