Russell I. Shapiro

Russell Shapiro is a member of the firm’s Corporate Group, an area in which he has practiced for his entire career, focusing in particular on mergers and acquisitions. Russell's industry insight and his clients' diverse business objectives have shown him that every transaction demands its own solutions. As a result, he is committed to listening to his clients, understanding their business, and designing transactions to meet their specific strategic goals. Russell’s more than three decades of successful practice in this area have allowed him to serve as an expert witness in merger disputes.

Russell's insight on tax and finance issues is deepened considerably by his status as a certified public accountant, giving him a nuanced understanding of his clients' needs and the ability to craft the most effective tax and finance strategies. Russell’s background has led him to develop especially deep experience representing accounting firms, where he regularly assists with partnership agreements, mergers and acquisitions, and the enforcement of restrictive covenants. He performs similar work for other professional services firms, including law firms, consulting firms and investment banks.

In the last several years, Russell has worked on a number of nationally recognized accounting firm mergers, including PKF O'Connor Davies & private equity firms Investcorp and PSP Investments, Marks Paneth and CBIZ; Berdon and Citrin Cooperman; Lurie and EisnerAmper; Baker Tilly and Henry+Horne; and Aprio and Aronson, and many others. Russell has compiled a list of resources for accounting firms here.

Russell also serves as outside general counsel to a variety of privately held companies that average between $20 million and $500 million in sales.

After serving more than a decade as the head of LP’s Corporate & Securities practice, Russell is now serving as Chair of the firm’s Transactional Practice Area.

Accounting Firm Resources:

• From Regional to National: How Private Equity Is Helping Smith + Howard Achieve its Strategic Plan. Click here to listen.
• Russell Shapiro Talks with Sikich CEO Chris Geier About Its Minority Investment from Private Equity. Click here to listen.
• Cherry Bekaert's CEO Michelle Thompson Talks Private Equity in Accounting with LP's Russell Shapiro. Click here to listen.
• A Master Class in Leadership: A Conversation with Allan Koltin. Click here to listen.
• Supporting Firms: A Conversation with BDO Alliance USA Executive Director Michael Horwitz. Click here to listen.
• Leading and Growing a Firm: A Conversation with Aprio Managing Partner Richard Kopelman. Click here to listen.
• A Conversation with BDO USA LLP Chief Operating Officer Steve Ferrara. Click here to listen.
• A Conversation with Practice Management and M&A Expert Allan Koltin (2023). Click here to listen.
• A Conversation with Practice Management and M&A Expert Allan Koltin (2021). Click here to listen.
• Levenfeld Pearlstein knows accounting firms. Click here to view our collection of resources for accounting firms and the people who run them.
• Inside Public Accounting Newsletter All in Agreement: Best Practices for Keeping Partner Agreements Current and Relevant