Business & Tax Co-Counsel
Business formation, M&A, buy-sell agreements, entity restructuring, and the tax planning that surrounds each. Full attorney + CPA analysis from one desk.
For Counsel
A Private Page for Texas Attorneys
Peer referral.
Co-counsel. Standing support.
For litigation, family-law, PI, and general practice firms whose clients arrive with business, tax, trust, or restructuring matters outside your primary practice.
A Note to Counsel
A quiet
professional courtesy.
Fellow member of the Bar — thank you for finding this page. It is unlinked from our main navigation because it is not for the public. It is a candid brief for other Texas attorneys on how this firm accepts, handles, and (where appropriate) shares matters with referring counsel.
Darryl V. Pratt has practiced in Texas since 1997 as both an attorney and a CPA. The firm handles business, tax, trust, probate, elder-law, and Chapter 7 / 11 / Subchapter V matters as principal counsel — and stands available as co-counsel or Of Counsel support for firms whose clients present matters outside their primary practice area.
Fee-division arrangements are structured in strict compliance with Texas Disciplinary Rule 1.04(f). Engagement letters and joint-responsibility acknowledgments are furnished before any work begins.
Referral Capacity
Matter types
accepted as principal or co-counsel.
Trust, Probate & Estate Matters
Complex trust drafting, probate administration, guardianship, elder law, and the coordinated tax planning that most litigation and family-law practices are not resourced to handle.
Chapter 7, 11 & Subchapter V
Business and individual bankruptcy — restructuring, liquidation, and the Sub V small-business reorganization. Admitted to N.D. and E.D. Texas Bankruptcy Courts since 2001.
Cross-Border & Immigration-Adjacent Tax
Pre-immigration tax planning, EB-5 investor structuring, and U.S.–India / South Asian family matters coordinated with in-country counsel of record.
Arrangement Options
Four ways
we work with referring counsel.
- 01
Straight Referral
You send the client. We handle the matter as principal counsel. Client relationship transfers to LSC. Standard arrangement for matters entirely outside your practice area.
- 02
Co-Counsel Engagement
We serve as co-counsel on discrete tax or business-law aspects of a matter you continue to lead. Joint engagement letter. Fee division per Rule 1.04(f) with client consent in writing.
- 03
Of Counsel / White-Label Support
For firms without in-house tax or business capacity, we serve quietly as your firm's tax and business attorney — deliverables in your firm's letterhead where the client relationship warrants.
- 04
Ongoing Referral Relationship
Some Texas firms send us their tax-adjacent, business-succession, and Chapter 11 matters as a standing arrangement. Retained counsel status; priority scheduling; annual case review.
Ethics & Compliance
Rule 1.04(f)
by the letter.
Nothing informal. Nothing verbal-only. Every referral relationship documented in a way both firms can defend to the State Bar without hesitation.
- All fee-division arrangements strictly comply with Texas Disciplinary Rule 1.04(f) — division in proportion to services performed, or by written agreement of joint responsibility, with written client consent, and only where the total fee is reasonable.
- Written engagement letters and, where required, joint-responsibility acknowledgments furnished before any work commences.
- No client capture — where you have a continuing relationship with the client outside the referred matter, we return the client to you at matter close, without follow-up solicitation.
- Conflict checks run within two business days of any referral. Prior clearances retained for reference.
- Malpractice coverage current and disclosed on request. Copies of the firm's declarations page furnished to referring counsel.
Peer Introduction
Send a
peer referral.
For discussion of a specific matter, an ongoing referral arrangement, or Of Counsel support. Darryl will respond personally within two business days.
Direct Line
For time-sensitive matters, referring attorneys are welcome to call the firm directly. Darryl personally answers between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central.