Seasoned advisors who translate complex tax code into plain-English decisions — before the ink dries.
The value of this firm
is its people.
Each advisor carries a specific track record, a specific network, and the specific instinct that comes from sitting across from the IRS, the acquirer, or the heir.
CPA · Former IRS Senior Counsel · 28 Years
Eleanor Hartwell
Founding Partner
The best deal structure is the one that survives the next administration.
Eleanor spent eleven years inside the IRS Office of Chief Counsel before crossing the table permanently in 2009. She has shepherded $4.1 billion in mid-market acquisitions through tax structures that held through three administrations. CFOs seek her out specifically for the morning of closing — when a single clause can cost eight figures.
JD · Wharton MBA · Family Office Specialist · 22 Years
Marcus Osei-Bonsu
Senior Partner
Wealth that outlasts you requires decisions made before you feel the urgency.
Marcus leads our family office practice with a philosophy forged during a decade at a $3.2B single-family office in Houston. He is the advisor who gets the 10pm call when a patriarch's estate plan collides with a surprise liquidity event. His gift is translating fiduciary complexity into language three generations can agree on.
CFA · Series 65 · Venture & Founder Advisory · 16 Years
Priya Nambiar
Partner
Founders who plan their first exit fund their best work. Founders who don't fund everyone else's.
Priya joined Counsel after six years advising the finance functions of Series B and C companies in the Bay Area. She is the grown-up in the room when a founder hits eight figures and realizes their cap table, their taxes, and their estate plan have never spoken to each other. Her clients describe her as the person who asks the question the room was afraid to ask.
The decisions
behind the numbers.
M&A Advisory
Healthcare TechnologyStructured a $340M acquisition for a healthcare SaaS company — zero post-close tax surprises.
Succession Planning
Real Estate / Family OfficeNavigated a four-generation family office through a $180M real estate portfolio transition in 14 months.
Founder Liquidity
Fintech / VentureAdvised a fintech founder through secondary sale, QSBS maximization, and trust structuring — $62M outcome.
All case details anonymized per client agreement
Structured exits since 2016
Across 47 mid-market transactions
Founder liquidity events advised
Series B through IPO-adjacent
Generational wealth restructured
Across 19 multi-generational family offices
Client retention over five years
Because the second call matters as much as the first
The situations
that require the right room.
Each practice area is staffed by advisors who have lived inside it — not generalists who read about it.
M&A Advisory
Acquisition structure, tax positioning, and post-close integration.
We sit in the room during diligence, not just at signing. Our M&A practice covers buy-side and sell-side structuring, earnout negotiation, and the tax treatment decisions that define whether a deal creates or destroys value after the wire clears.
Wealth Restructuring
For family offices navigating complexity across generations.
When a portfolio has outgrown the estate plan that created it, we rebuild the architecture — trusts, entities, charitable vehicles — to reflect where the family is going, not where it started.
Succession Planning
Leadership transitions that preserve what was built.
We advise on business succession from both the operational and tax sides — ownership transitions, key-person arrangements, and the shareholder agreements that prevent the conversations nobody wants to have later.
Founder Advisory
From first liquidity event through long-term wealth strategy.
Founders who just crossed eight figures often discover their equity strategy, their tax exposure, and their estate plan have never spoken to each other. We introduce them — and build a structure that works across the next chapter.
The right advisor
picks up when you call.
We keep our client list deliberately short. What follows is not a form — it's an introduction. Tell us what's on the table. We'll tell you honestly whether we're the right room.
We don't take every engagement. We take the ones where we can change the outcome.
A named partner reviews your note within one business day.
A 30-minute call — no pitch deck, no junior associate.
A candid assessment of whether we're the right fit.
Or reach us directly
advisory@counsel-group.com