Question 1

Are you an M&A attorney?

Accepted Answer

Yes. I am a New York M&A and transactional attorney. Buy-side and sell-side, letter of intent through closing, typically $5 million to $250 million, and I have closed at $1 billion+. 500+ transactions and more than $3 billion in aggregate value, including two PE-backed exits.

Question 2

Do I work with you or an associate?

Accepted Answer

I lead the matter. You will know me, and I stay on it. Drafting, diligence, and other work may be done with lawyers I supervise. You will not be handed a deal team you have never met, and I do not run a BigLaw leverage model where a second-year owns the file and I appear at the end.

Question 3

How do I get started with IRC Legal?

Accepted Answer

Book a strategy session at irclegal.com/contact. We talk through what you are buying, selling, or running, whether I am the right lawyer, and how to engage. Do not send confidential information until we have an engagement in writing and conflicts are cleared. I usually reply within one business day.

Question 4

Does IRC Legal handle mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. M&A is the core of the practice: buy-side and sell-side, plus equity and debt financings, joint ventures, and the commercial work around a deal. I design the structure, run the negotiation, and close.

Question 5

What is fractional general counsel and when does it make sense?

Accepted Answer

Fractional GC is ongoing GC-level legal leadership on a fixed monthly retainer, without hiring a full-time general counsel. It fits when legal is landing on the CEO's desk, outside-firm spend is climbing, or a raise, sale, or acquisition is coming. Tiers are typically 10 to 40 hours a month.

Question 6

How is IRC Legal different from a traditional law firm?

Accepted Answer

You work with one senior lawyer, not a team of associates. I came up at Schulte Roth & Zabel and BakerHostetler, then sat in the GC seat at Pharmapacks and Packable. Boutique on purpose: principal-level attention, BigLaw-trained judgment, rates that are not $1,800 an hour.

Question 7

What types of clients does IRC Legal work with?

Accepted Answer

Founders selling the company they built. Buyers acquiring a platform or an add-on. PE-backed operators. Growth companies raising Seed through Series C. Executives who need personal counsel tied to the job. Technology, e-commerce, SaaS, fintech, and digital assets are a large share of the book. New York and nationwide.

Question 8

What is your pricing model?

Accepted Answer

Hourly for deals and discrete projects. A fixed monthly retainer for fractional GC. We pick the structure on the first call so you know the number before we start.

Question 9

How do your monthly retainers work?

Accepted Answer

You buy a set number of hours each month for a fixed fee, usually 10 to 40 hours. That covers GC work. Unused hours may roll on some tiers. If a deal blows past the retainer, we scope that separately.

Question 10

What are your hourly rates?

Accepted Answer

$680 to $800 an hour, depending on the matter. Elite-firm BigLaw partners on the same work typically bill $1,800 to $3,400+. You get me at the lower number, not an associate at a high one.

Question 11

Where is IRC Legal based and who is the founder?

Accepted Answer

IRC Legal is a New York boutique at 128 Front St, Mineola, NY 11501, on Long Island. I serve clients in New York, nationally, and internationally. Ian R. Cohen is the founder and principal attorney. Admitted in New York in 2010. Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Star, 2014 through 2019.

Contact IRC Legal

Ian R. Cohen

The Office