Pre-LOI · Logistics & Distribution

LOI Negotiation Counsel for Logistics & Distribution Acquisitions

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors negotiating logistics and distribution transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $12M to $140M EV EBITDA $3M to $22M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

The economics on a logistics and distribution platform deal usually hinge on a handful of structural decisions. LOI Negotiation is one of them.

The typical logistics and distribution platform sits at $12M to $140M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $22M range. The thesis runs on regional acquisitions of brokerages, 3PLs, and last-mile operators. Fuel-volatile years make for clean entry multiples. Read the math, not the narrative.

The moves

How LOI Negotiation actually gets structured.

  1. Cap the exclusivity at 60 days, with one 30-day extension you control.

  2. Name the earnout, the rollover percentage, and the management fee in the LOI itself, not later.

  3. Reserve QofE and rep-and-warranty insurance as buyer expenses, paid at close.

  4. Build a no-shop carve-out for inbound strategic bids above a threshold.

  5. In logistics and distribution, layer in earnout indexed to gross margin, not revenue as part of the LOI Negotiation workstream.

The common mistake

Letting the seller's counsel draft the first LOI. The frame of reference sets every fight that follows.

Jason's take
"An LOI is not a non-binding nicety. It is the deal, in skeleton."
Jason Powell · LOI Negotiation
Capital after close

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

The capital that opens up post-close, from refinancing to growth equity to strategic exit, runs through a small set of Wall Street relationships. That network is built in.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
ENGAGE THE PRACTICE

LOI Negotiation for Logistics & Distribution, on independent sponsor terms.

Independent sponsor counsel that already speaks fluent deal-by-deal economics, structures clean LPAs, and travels with capital markets relationships for what comes after close.