Hourglass Legal

Corporate Law

Hourglass Legal Consulting is a premier firm specializing in corporate law. It delivers exhaustive legal services to diverse mergers and acquisitions (M&A) clientele. The firm caters to small and middle-market companies, venture capital entities, and private equity-backed firms across sectors, including business services, manufacturing, financial services, and for-profit education.

The firm offers strategic legal guidance, enabling clients to effectively maneuver through complex transactions and regulatory frameworks. With a streamlined, precision-focused approach that minimizes unnecessary legal complications, Hourglass Legal promotes cost-effectiveness in legal expenditures. The firm completes approximately two transactions monthly.

Founded by Tom Wippman in 2013 and located in Highland Park, Illinois, Hourglass Legal draws on his 40 years of M&A expertise. His extensive background in operations, finance, and law has been instrumental in achieving optimal results for clients, establishing his reputation as a trustworthy, confident, and skilled leader.

Services Provided by Hourglass Legal

Hourglass Legal's expertise spans business formation, mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, equity financings, and general commercial matters. The firm also addresses daily corporate needs, advising on corporate governance, contract negotiations, executive compensation, and labor and employment issues.

The firm aims to support entrepreneurs, emerging growth companies, and investors in reaching their business goals by offering top-quality, practical legal and strategic advice. He and his team build tight-knit professional relationships with clients, guiding them through each phase to effectively prepare for and negotiate high-stakes deals.

About Tom Wippman

He has served as internal and external General Counsel for diverse clients, including private equity firms, independent sponsors, startups, and large corporations. He formerly held the Managing Director and General Counsel role at Sterling Partners, a private equity firm overseeing assets worth over $5 billion. His primary responsibilities included structuring, documenting, and negotiating his clients’ buyout and sale transactions, follow-on investment opportunities, and executive compensation and employment matters.

His expertise encompasses leveraging optimal legal practices to reduce legal risks and costs while enhancing growth. He has managed various operational and transactional challenges, such as overseeing sales representatives, negotiating vendor contracts, resolving product liability issues, and supporting leading entrepreneurs and high-growth companies through the startup and capitalization phases.

His vast experience allows him to significantly contribute to team efforts in discovering and maximizing growth opportunities while mitigating legal issues. He is exceptionally skilled in mergers and acquisitions, sales, reorganizations, and utilizing sophisticated debt and equity structures such as warrants, options, and convertible debt. Additionally, he offers invaluable management consulting to corporate executives navigating strategic and operational challenges.

He earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and an A.B. in Economics from the University of Illinois.

Lauded by Clients for a Hands-On and Strategic Approach

Tom Wippman and Hourglass Legal Consulting consistently receive high client praise for securing successful outcomes. Known for his extensive legal knowledge and genuine business advisory, his exceptional interpersonal skills and efficiency in transaction handling are particularly valued. His strategic insight and advocacy in complex negotiations have proven critical in achieving favorable terms and reaching deal closures. His thorough and expert legal guidance is indispensable, particularly in M&A transactions, making him and Hourglass Legal trusted partners in their clients’ continued and future business endeavors.