Meet the Team
Dean Street Law is a boutique corporate law firm focused on mergers and acquisitions and the corporate legal work that supports business owners, acquisition entrepreneurs, and investors. We bring Big Law experience and an entrepreneur’s perspective to transactions and corporate projects, with a defined scope of work, a time tested and innovative process, and clear communication.
Laura DiFrancesco, Esq.
FOUNDER | CORPORATE & M&A ATTORNEY
Since founding Dean Street Law, Laura has closed $10B+ in transactions. Specializing in mergers and acquisitions, she speaks at ETA conferences, classes and clubs. She also founded Flourish Coworking Space, Ethereal Farms, Laura DiFrancesco LLC, and authored Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition: A Legal Guide to Buying a Small Business and Acquisition Insights.
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Sarah McCoy Montanez
LEGAL ASSISTANT
Sarah graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in 2025 and is a 2L at Duquesne University's Thomas R. Kline School of Law. She assists with corporate matters and supports firm operations including hiring and team coordination.
Molly
OFFICE SUPPORT DOG
Molly cheers everyone on and helps them have a great day. She comes in the office smiling and tail wagging, ready to tackle the day.
Karen Spencer, Esq.
M&A ATTORNEY
Karen co-founded Searchfunder and is now the creator of the VAULT channel for entrepreneurs. She received her Master of Science in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. Karen is a registered patent attorney, receiving her B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Chemical Engineering.
Allison Jones
LEGAL ASSISTANT
Allison is a Boston College graduate and 1L at Washington University School of Law, leading contract drafting, document review, and workflow coordination processes. She supports firm operations with respect to training and developing standard operating procedures.
Bear
RETIRED OFFICE SUPPORT DOG
Bear was by our side during it all - undergrad as Laura triple majored, her JD & MBA, working in Big Law, founding Dean Street Law and frolicking around the farm.
Rachel Choi
LEGAL ASSISTANT
Rachel is a junior at Boston College, leading contract drafting, document review, and workflow coordination. She supports firm operations with respect to training, developing standard operating procedures, overseeing hiring, conducting performance tracking, and maintaining administrative systems.
Laura Lin
LEGAL ASSISTANT
Laura assists with due diligence across mergers and acquisitions and other corporate matters. She also supports firm operations, including team coordination, hiring and performance tracking.
Your Deal Team
Most transactions require a coordinated team. We staff matters intentionally to best support our clients and enable our team to enjoy life outside of work.
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Attorney-led strategy, negotiation, and documentation
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Coordinated due diligence and closing checklists
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Clear communication and time tested, innovative processes
Careers at Dean Street Law
We’re building a high-performance corporate law team focused on private-company M&A and corporate law. Take a look at our open postitions and join us today.
SENIOR M&A ATTORNEY
SECURITIES ATTORNEY
EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY
TAX ATTORNEY
COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY
CORPORATE LAW PARALEGAL
LEGAL ASSISTANT
CORPORATE LAW INTERNSHIP
PR & MARKETING INTERNSHIP
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION INTERNSHIP
Our Corporate Law Services
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Dean Street Law represents clients buying, selling, and investing in privately held businesses nationwide, with a focus on lower middle market M&A and entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA). We advise on the full transaction lifecycle—from LOI and legal due diligence through definitive agreements and closing.
Typical transactions include:
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Asset purchases and equity (stock/membership interest) purchases
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Mergers and reorganization transactions
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Management buyouts (MBOs) and internal succession planning
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Carve-outs of business lines or divisions
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Joint ventures and strategic partnerships
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Transactions involving seller financing, earnouts, rollover equity, and escrow/holdback structures
CORPORATE LAW
In addition to M&A, we advise owners, operators, and investors on stand-alone corporate matters that support growth and reduce friction in future transactions, including:
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Entity formation, restructuring, and corporate governance (reformation of corporations, limited liability companies, general support in restructuring)
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Commercial contracts (customer/vendor agreements, MSAs, licensing, terms)
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Finance and fundraising (debt, equity, note offerings, investor terms)
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Real estate (leases, purchase/sale support)
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Fractional general counsel (support for corporate law needs)
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Intellectual property (trademark, assignments, licensing, brand protection strategy)
Representative Transactions
BUY SIDE
ACQUISITION OF A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMPANY (STOCK PURCHASE, ETA, SBA, FORGIVABLE SELLER NOTE, LEASE)
In this transaction, we helped the buyer navigate purchasing a business with existing litigation, a litigation escrow, and tailored indemnification whereby the parties allocated the risk of this and other matters.
ACQUISITION OF AN INDUSTRIAL HEATING MANUFACTURER (ASSET PURCHASE, ETA, SBA, F-REORGANIZATION)
Here, we helped the buyer acquire their platform company they plan to expand upon. We also completed a post-closing F-Reorganization for tax and intellectual property purposes.
ACQUISITION OF A TELECOMMUNICATIONS MANUFACTURING BUSINESS (ASSET PURCHASE, ETA, SELF-FUNDED, LEASE)
We assisted the buyer in acquiring a distressed business while negotiating the lease for a relocation and indemnification for successor liability on a tight timeline to close due to liquidity needs.
SELL SIDE
SALE OF A REGIONAL ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING COMPANY (ASSET SALE, REAL ESTATE SALE, SBA, TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT, SELLER NOTE)
In this sale of the business and associated real estate, we helped our client navigate the change of ownership of a licensed business, which necessitated a post-closing transition services agreement.
SALE OF A TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FIRM (STOCK SALE, LEASE, ROLLOVER EQUITY, F-REORGANIZATION, DEFERRED SALES TRUST)
During this sale, Dean Street Law diligently assisted the client throughout not only the sale of the business, but also completed a pre-closing F-Reorganization and Deferred Sales Trust to minimize the tax burden of the sale
SALE OF AN INTERIOR DESIGN BUSINESS (STOCK SALE, SELLER FINANCED)
In this sale to a business associate, we focused on negotiating a fair transaction to preserve the long standing relationship of the parties. In light of the trust between the parties, the seller was the primary lender for the transaction.