Courthouse architecture

New York · Established MMXI

Representation for matters that cannot be handled twice.

A boutique firm of six partners advising closely held businesses, executives and families where the outcome is structural rather than incidental.

Practice areas

Five disciplines.

We decline more matters than we accept, so that the ones we take can be carried personally.

Firm philosophy

“A client should never learn the state of their own matter from opposing counsel. Everything else we do follows from that single standard.”

Adrian Vaughn · Managing Partner

Managing partner

Managing partner

Adrian Vaughn

Twenty-four years of commercial litigation and governance counsel. Previously a partner in the trial group of a national firm; founded Counsel in 2011 to practise at a deliberately smaller scale.

Admissions

New York · Connecticut · S.D.N.Y.

Education

Columbia Law School, J.D.

Recognition

Chambers-ranked, Commercial Litigation

Languages

English · French

Selected results

What can be described.

Injunction secured in 6 days

Emergency relief protecting a founder's controlling interest during an attempted board action.

$18M dispute resolved pre-suit

Shareholder deadlock at a family manufacturer settled through structured buy-out before filing.

Regulatory inquiry closed

A licensed financial services client cleared with no enforcement action following a nine-month review.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

“They told me the weakness in my own case before opposing counsel found it.”

General Counsel, industrial group

“Six days from first call to injunction. I have never seen a firm move like that.”

Founder, technology company

“Discreet to the point of invisibility, which is exactly what the family needed.”

Private client, family office

Insights

From the partners.

Confidential consultation

Describe the matter. A partner will respond within one business day.

COUNSEL · Etchture Co Demo