Law Firm M&A | MSO Advisory | Thought Leadership

Frederick Shelton is one of the nation’s leading authorities on law firm M&A, MSOs, and strategic business models. As CEO of Shelton & Steele, he advises groups seeking to leave BigLaw and start their own firms,  and small to mid-market firms on how to align with capital partners, scale or merger - without sacrificing their culture, autonomy, or identity. 

Frederick started his career recruiting associates and then partners and while he has focused on M&A and MSO transactions for years, he still works with certain, high-priority attorneys individually, from time to time.  

With over 25 years of experience in the legal sector, Frederick has served as Chief Marketing Officer for a multifaceted law firm, Executive Director of a patent boutique, and Director of Legal for a 2,000+ employee company. His rare combination of operational and strategic insight makes him a trusted advisor to firms navigating complex growth decisions.

“Over 20% of the firms we advise are counseled not to pursue an M&A or MSO option - at least not initially. There are many situations in which a firm needs to make strategic changes internally, in order to successfully position itself for acquisition or entrance into an MSO model. We guide firms through those adjustments." Frederick Shelton

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Thought Leadership

Frederick is widely recognized as a futurist of the legal profession. His predictions have consistently preceded market reality:
 

• He published an AALM article that predicted the rise of Virtual Lawyering - a year before COVID made it reality.
• His AALM article predicted that AI would be the game-changing tech for the profession of law, three years before Chat GPT was released.
• He predicted in American Lawyer Magazine, that Legal MSO's would become a billion dollar industry before Catalex, Certum Group, Burford Capital and McDermott, Will & Schulte made their public announcements.
• He forecasted the arrival major players in the Alternative Business Structure (ABS) law firm space, and then validated this trend in an AALM article when KPMG entered the space.

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Recent Publications and White Papers

"The Legal MSO is the Future of Law" Mr. Shelton's quote in American Lawyer, May 2024
"The Legal MSO: Less Work, More Wealth—and the End of Law Firms as We Know Them" Attorney at Law Magazine, July 2025

"The Legal MSO: The Next Billion Dollar Industry" American Lawyer, October 2025

"Understanding the 5 Types of Legal MSO's" Law360, December 2025

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White Papers:

“Legal MSOs: What Law Firms Must Know Before Engagement” Frederick Shelton & Ayven Dodd, 2025. A strategic guide for firms exploring the MSO model and capital-backed partnerships. Available to represented clients.
“Law Firm M&A: The Essential Guide for the Acquired Side” Frederick Shelton, 2024. A comprehensive playbook for equity partners evaluating mergers with larger firms. Available to represented clients.

His articles and insights have been featured dozens of times in Forbes, Bloomberg Law, Success Magazine, Law360, American Lawyer Media, and Authority Magazine. He currently writes for Attorney at Law Magazine and the Street Smart Law Blog (links below). 

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​Humanity

Frederick’s professional success is grounded in a personal journey of resilience. Once a homeless teenager, his life changed when a minister gave him shelter until he was old enough to join the U.S. Navy. That act of compassion inspired Shelton & Steele’s guiding motto:

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“All ships rise with the tide. We shall not endeavor to have the largest ship. We will be the tide.”

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Because life once gave Frederick a break, Shelton & Steele is committed to

paying it forward—through diversity in leadership, mentoring, and

philanthropy. Today, 60% of Shelton & Steele is diverse, and 75% of the firm’s

senior management comes from diverse backgrounds. Shelton & Steele also 

provide free career & Rainmaking consulting to diverse and veteran attorneys.

Passion

Frederick’s commitment to growth extends beyond the

boardroom. He is an active philanthropist, donating both

resources and time—from serving meals at St. Vinny’s Bistro,

which feeds more than 400 homeless people per hour, to

championing ESG initiatives across the profession.

A competitor by nature, Frederick is also an avid league

tennis player who has qualified multiple times for USTA State,

Sectional, and National Championships. He is a writer, an

artist, and a former paid stand-up comedian who has

performed at iconic venues such as The Comedy Store and

Mandalay Bay Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.