We’re focused on helping entrepreneurs from formation to exit - allowing the business owners and leadership teams to focus on what they do best: Egan Nelson LLP

“At Egan Nelson, we pride ourselves on being both flexible and scalable.”

Egan Nelson LLP, or E/N, is a top-tier boutique law firm dedicated to delivering outstanding service, expertise, and value to its clients. The firm’s partners and attorneys bring a wealth of experience from leading major law firms, managing complex transactional matters and earning professional recognition as industry leaders. E/N was established with the aim of providing a nimble and cost-effective platform for its top-tier attorneys to maintain sophisticated legal practices. This approach allows the firm to offer clients more efficient, responsive, and hands-on services.

In addition to its in-house specialties, E/N utilizes advanced technology and taps into a broad international network of experienced specialist attorneys to ensure clients receive comprehensive legal counsel. The firm’s platform is not only more flexible and efficient than traditional large firms but also more scalable than typical boutique firms. This unique combination allows E/N to tailor its services to clients at various stages of development, accommodating the needs of early-stage startups as well as mature, multi-national corporations.

E/N is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

The Silicon Review reached out to founding partners Shane M. Egan and Thomas R. Nelson, and here’s what they had to say.

Interview Highlights

Mr. Egan, please tell us about the circumstances or events that led to the founding of Egan Nelson LLP.

Egan Nelson LLP was founded in 2009 by a group of “big law” lawyers who were looking to make a change. Wanting to apply a more entrepreneurial outlook to the practice of law, the lawyers decided to create a law firm on two basic principles: 1) keeping overhead costs lean so as to offer a more competitive cost structure and 2) providing a more personalized experience for clients.

Q. What are Egan Nelson’s key focus areas, Mr. Nelson?

Our firm is focused on corporate finance and transactional matters, including equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate reorganizations and spinoffs.  Our clients include startups, emerging growth companies and large established companies, as well as private equity firms, family offices, strategic acquirors, and investment funds.   We focus on helping business through their entire life cycle - inception to sale and everything in between—allowing the business owners and leadership teams to focus on what they do best: running the company.

Q. What strategies does Egan Nelson implement to exceed customer expectations, Mr. Egan?

From formation and early-stage transactions through complex high-stakes financings and exits, Egan Nelson combines highly experienced lawyers with our unique platform to provide responsive, efficient and high caliber legal services and counseling to our clients.

Q. Mr. Nelson, what can a client expect if they work with your firm? 

The feedback we get from clients is that they always feel like our attorneys “get it” – sharing the sense of urgency to close a transaction, and staying actively involved with the client over the years and developing a deep understanding of the client’s business and goals. The result is that high quality legal services are delivered to our clients in a timely and efficient manner.  Our clients really appreciate the value proposition we offer, and our best source of new business is from referrals from existing clients.

Q. Mr. Egan, tell us about the Egan Nelson team. What value do they bring to the firm?

Clients build long-term relationships with Egan Nelson because they need the specialized, high-impact senior counsel historically found only in the country’s largest firms, but they also expect the responsiveness, lean focus, and “hands on” culture of a boutique firm. Egan Nelson’s attorneys have “big law” experience and with the resources of the firm to provide their clients with more personalized attention and agile service.

Leadership | Egan Nelson LLP

Shane M. Egan, Partner: Shane Egan’s practice focuses on a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and asset sales, private equity and venture capital investments, fund formation and investment partnerships, corporate reorganizations and recapitalizations (including bankruptcy and workout transactions), joint ventures, business organizations, public securities offerings and private placements, securities compliance matters, and commercial real estate transactions. Mr. Egan has represented and counseled a broad spectrum of clients, including local companies and individuals, Fortune 500 companies, investment funds and their sponsors, and investment banking firms. Prior to founding Egan Nelson LLP, Mr. Egan practiced in the Dallas and New York offices of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

Shane earned a B.S. (1987) and an M.C.G. (1989) from Baylor University. He later attained a J.D. (1992) from Southern Methodist University.

Awards, Affiliations and Honors:              

• Member, Salesmanship Club of Dallas
• Best Lawyers in America (2016-2024)
• Texas Super Lawyers, Law & Politics Magazine (Published in Texas Monthly) (2006-2024)
• Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine (2005, 2017, 2021, 2022)
• Texas Rising Star, Law & Politics Magazine (Published in Texas Monthly) (2006)
• Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Thomas R. Nelson, Partner: Tom Nelson’s practice focuses on corporate and securities transactional matters, including equity and debt financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital investments, divestitures, joint ventures and strategic partnerships, corporate reorganizations and recapitalizations, private and public securities offerings, and public company reporting obligations. Tom regularly serves as primary outside counsel to companies in various high technology sectors, and works with entrepreneurs from entity inception through seed financings, venture capital financings, strategic partnerships, and eventual liquidity events, including initial public offerings, follow-on and secondary offerings, and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, Tom advises private equity and venture capital firms, investment banks and investment managers on securities offerings, investment partnerships, fund matters and portfolio investments, including PIPES, control investments, buyouts and other transactions. Tom also advises boards of directors and board committees with respect to corporate governance matters, including matters concerning fiduciary duties, conflicts of interest, board reviews and independent investigations. Tom’s transactional work includes financial restructurings, workouts and bankruptcy acquisitions.

He was previously a partner at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, LLP and Patton Boggs, LLP and during his legal career has been based in Austin, Dallas, and Silicon Valley, as well as Brussels and London where he focused on international mergers and acquisitions. Prior to law school, Tom was a certified public accountant at an international accounting firm.

Thomas earned a B.B.A. (1987) from the University of Texas at Austin. He also achieved a J.D. (1992) from Southern Methodist University.

Awards:

• Texas Super Lawyer, Law & Politics Magazine (Published in Texas Monthly) (2005, 2006)
• Best Lawyers under 40 in Dallas, D Magazine (2002) 

Publications and Speeches:

• “Sources of Capital – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” Southwest Venture Capital Conference
• “Early Stage Financing for Technology Companies,” Texas Institute for Continuing Legal Education
• “New Money in a Volatile Market,” TechBiz
• “Exit Strategies: IPOs, Mergers & Acquisitions and New Liquidity Strategies,” American Electronics Association Conference
• “Mergers and Acquisitions,” for Tech Ranch radio program, Austin, Texas

“From formation and early-stage transactions through complex high-stakes financings and exits, Egan Nelson combines highly experienced top-tier lawyers with a platform built to maximize responsiveness and the level of efficiency delivered to clients.”