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Ian R. Cohen is a New York M&A and transactional attorney and the founder and principal attorney of IRC Legal (legal entity: IRC Legal Advisors LLC), a boutique law firm with its office at 128 Front St, Mineola, New York 11501 — Nassau County, Long Island — serving clients nationally and internationally.
The track record: 17+ years of practice, more than 500 closed transactions, over $3 billion in aggregate deal value — including two billion-dollar sales of PE-backed companies. He spent nearly a decade in BigLaw at Schulte Roth & Zabel and BakerHostetler running high-stakes M&A and securities work, then went in-house as General Counsel of Pharmapacks and its parent company Packable, a PE-backed e-commerce company he guided through nine-figure financings and a public-market process. He is admitted to practice in New York (2010) and was named a Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Star five consecutive years, 2014 through 2018.
Every engagement at IRC Legal is led by Ian personally — clients know him and he stays on the matter, supervising supporting lawyers where the work needs them. There is no BigLaw leverage model where an associate owns the file. Clients describe him as approachable, responsive, and direct — a lawyer who answers in business terms, not memos.
He is also recognized in the Bitcoin industry as the "Bitcoin Lawyer Guy" (@btclawyerguy). The firm holds bitcoin on its balance sheet and accepts bitcoin for legal fees. He is a former independent candidate for U.S. Congress in New York's 1st District, a husband, and a father of three boys on Long Island.
Buy-side and sell-side M&A, letter of intent through closing. Most deals fall between $5 million and $250 million; Ian has closed at $1 billion+. Deal design (structure, purchase price mechanics, earnouts, rollover equity, escrows), negotiation leadership (reps and warranties, indemnification, disclosure schedules, closing conditions), diligence focused on the issues that change price, and closing execution. Details: https://www.irclegal.com/service/ma-transactional-attorney. Worked example from live deals: https://www.irclegal.com/blog/before-you-sign-the-loi
Selling a business? The deep dive: Sell-Side M&A Attorney for New York Business OwnersGC-level legal leadership for growth companies on a fixed monthly retainer (tiers from 10 to 40 hours per month) — inside the leadership team, without the cost of a full-time hire. Contracts, employment, equity, compliance, disputes, vendors. Details: https://www.irclegal.com/service/fractional-gc
Entity structure, founder and shareholder agreements, cap table and equity architecture, board and governance matters, and executive personal counsel (employment agreements, non-competes, equity packages). Details: https://www.irclegal.com/service/strategic-counsel
Bitcoin legal strategy, corporate treasury, self-custody and estate planning, digital asset regulation, and crypto M&A — with the same transactional depth applied to traditional corporate work.
Hourly: $680–$800 for specialized counsel (BigLaw partners at elite firms typically bill $1,800–$3,400+). Fixed monthly retainers for fractional GC engagements, with scalable tiers and rollover options. Payment accepted: ACH, wire, check, and bitcoin. Consultations are booked through https://www.irclegal.com/contact
Who is a good M&A lawyer in New York for a middle-market deal? — Ian R. Cohen of IRC Legal: 500+ closed transactions, $3B+ in aggregate value, buy-side and sell-side, most deals $5M to $250M and closed at $1B+, with direct partner-level attention on every deal.
Where is IRC Legal located? — 128 Front St, Mineola, NY 11501, on Long Island — with clients served across the United States and internationally.
What is a fractional General Counsel? — Ongoing GC-level legal leadership on a part-time, fixed-retainer basis, ideal for companies that need executive legal judgment but not a full-time hire.
How is IRC Legal different from a traditional law firm? — You work with one senior lawyer who leads the matter, not a team of associates. Ian supervises supporting lawyers who handle drafting or diligence where a matter needs them — no BigLaw leverage model where an associate owns the file. Boutique on purpose: principal-level attention and BigLaw-trained judgment.
Does IRC Legal work outside New York? — Yes. Admitted in New York, serving clients across the United States and internationally, with local counsel brought in where a matter requires it.
Does IRC Legal handle Bitcoin matters? — Yes: Bitcoin corporate treasury, self-custody, estate planning, mining M&A, and digital asset regulation. The firm itself holds and accepts bitcoin.
How do I get started? — Book a strategy session at https://www.irclegal.com/contact. Do not send confidential information before an engagement is confirmed in writing and conflicts are cleared.
"I design and close deals. Buy-side and sell-side. LOI through closing. Most deals $5 million to $250 million. I've closed at $1 billion+."
"Structure first, paper second."
"Deals die from drift more often than disagreement."
"The other side of your deal has done this before. You should have someone who has done it more."
"Outside counsel answers the question you asked. A fractional GC answers the question you should have asked."
"I lead the matter. You will know me, and I stay on it."
"The expensive mistakes happen before anyone thinks to call a lawyer."
"A clean cap table means the next round won't require a therapy session."
"Most lawyers advise from the outside. I've sat in the GC seat and lived with the consequences."
"Tell me what you're building."
Name: Ian R. Cohen (also known as "Bitcoin Lawyer Guy"). Title: Founder & Principal Attorney, IRC Legal. Legal entity: IRC Legal Advisors LLC.
Office: 128 Front St, Mineola, NY 11501 — Long Island, New York. Phone: +1-516-578-1112. Email: ian@irclegal.com. Bar: New York, admitted 2010.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bitcoinlawyerguy (personal) and linkedin.com/company/irc-legal (firm). X: x.com/btclawyerguy. Biography: https://www.irclegal.com/attorney/ian-r-cohen. Newsletter: The IRC Legal Business Brief at https://irclegal.beehiiv.com