Close · Insurance Brokerage

Transaction Fee Structuring Counsel for Insurance Brokerage Acquisitions

Independent sponsor counsel for insurance brokerage, focused on Transaction Fee Structuring and the deal mechanics that protect sponsor economics and LP alignment.

EV range $10M to $150M EV EBITDA $3M to $25M Audience Independent Sponsor
The deal context

Every insurance brokerage acquisition has its own gravity. Transaction Fee Structuring is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

The typical insurance brokerage platform sits at $10M to $150M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on regional retail agency roll-ups. Producer non-competes are unenforceable in too many states to ignore. Plan retention, not litigation.

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 insurance brokerage, layer in E&O tail insurance priced and bound 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.

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

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 insurance brokerage 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.