Close · Dental Practice Management

Dental Practice Management Transaction Fee Structuring: An Independent Sponsor's Counsel

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors structuring dental practice management transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $10M to $130M EV EBITDA $2.5M to $22M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

An independent sponsor closing dental practice management transactions in the $10M to $130M EV range has a defined set of moves at the Transaction Fee Structuring stage. Most of them are not in a generic M&A textbook.

The typical dental practice management platform sits at $10M to $130M EV with EBITDA in the $2.5M to $22M range. The thesis runs on DSO buy-up under an MSO. Insurance mix dictates valuation. Read the PPO contracts before the EBITDA.

The moves

How Transaction Fee Structuring actually gets structured.

  1. Disclose the fee in the LP commitment letter and the LPA, with no surprises at close.

  2. Set platform transaction fees at 2 to 3 percent of enterprise value, add-on fees at 1 to 2 percent.

  3. Build an LP-approval threshold above which a one-time vote is required.

  4. Treat the fee as a closing distribution, paid before working capital adjustments.

  5. In dental practice management, layer in MSO model documented per state as part of the Transaction Fee Structuring workstream.

The common mistake

Hiding the transaction fee in closing costs. LPs find it, and you lose the next deal.

Jason's take
"Charge the fee. Disclose the fee. Defend the fee. The LP either funds the model or does not."
Jason Powell · Transaction Fee Structuring
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

After close, the call list for refinancing, recapitalization, and growth equity gets short and known. Jason carries that list.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
TALK TO JASON

An LOI on the desk, a dental practice management target, and a Transaction Fee Structuring question worth a real conversation.

Twenty minutes of practitioner-grade input from a securities attorney whose first move is to read the deal, not the engagement letter.