Overview
Gunster represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a broad range of transactions across industries. Our team combines sophisticated deal experience with a practical, client-first approach focused on responsiveness, top-quality work product, value, efficiency, and achieving our clients’ strategic objectives. While we are based in Florida—increasingly a hub for private equity sponsors—we handle transactions throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Our Clients
Our clients include private equity sponsors ranging from emerging funds and middle-market firms to prominent national and global sponsors, and their portfolio companies. We also advise independent sponsors, family offices, hedge funds and alternative asset managers on investment strategies, secondary transactions and related matters spanning diverse sectors.
Our Services
Gunster’s private equity team supports clients at every stage of the investment lifecycle, representing them in transactions of all sizes, from smaller add-on and bolt-on acquisitions to larger platform acquisitions. We strive to provide top-tier service and work product at a cost advantage over large national firms.
We help private equity firms acquire and grow new portfolio companies, support portfolio companies in acquiring and building out their platforms with additional strategic acquisitions and guide them through exits and divestitures, full and partial sales, carveouts, recapitalizations and various liquidity solutions. Moreover, we assist with loan and other financing documents in connection with private equity transactions.
Clients also rely on us to support their portfolio companies with advice on day-to-day matters, including contracts, equity arrangements, employment and executive compensation arrangements, corporate governance, regulatory compliance and technology issues.
Collaborating seamlessly with our tax, lending and finance, employee benefits, environmental, real estate, technology and other practice groups, we work toward delivering comprehensive, fully integrated solutions to support clients’ short- and long-term business strategies.
Why Gunster
Gunster works to offer private equity clients the benefits of sophisticated counsel typically associated with large national firms, paired with the value, local knowledge and client focus of a Florida-based firm. Our team includes lawyers who have practiced at some of the world’s best-known law firms, and we routinely work alongside and across the table from national law firms on complex deals. Our team includes Certified Public Accountants and holders of MBA degrees.
Clients also choose to work with us because we:
- Focus on getting deals done efficiently, cost-effectively and with minimal disruption, without sacrificing sophistication, service, speed or responsiveness
- Take time to understand each client’s investment approach and transaction preferences, and work seamlessly as an extension of their team
- Possess deep industry and regional insight to enhance deal strategy and post-closing success
- Offer a flexible engagement approach based on whether a sponsor prefers a lawyer-led process or to remain hands-on at every stage
- Prioritize responsiveness and seamless process management, proactively addressing challenges to keep transactions on track
Whether handling a transformative platform acquisition or a strategic add-on transaction, we make every effort to scale our teams to fit the transaction, help clients grow their investments and maximize returns at every stage, and efficiently and effectively execute deals.
