500 West Madison Street Suite 3700, Chicago, IL USA 60661
Jeff Hechtman’s practice is primarily focused on privately held businesses, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, private equity, venture capital, and financing transactions. He represents a variety of manufacturers, distributors, service companies, finance companies, financial services companies, private equity funds, venture capital firms, and other entities in transactional matters and as outside general counsel. Jeff also represents emerging companies in the technology, fintech, food and beverage, beauty and cosmetics, durable consumer products, digital marketing, and telehealth industries, as well as executives and high net worth parties with their employment, equity, investment, and transaction activities.
Jeff is a strategic advisor to leaders of privately held companies and their investors in making and implementing business decisions regarding a variety of governance, business and financial matters, disputes, and operating and growth activities. As outside general counsel, his experience spans the organization chart—from operations to the board decisions. Jeff’s responsibilities include governance and operational matters; strategic business, tax, and ownership planning; and structuring and negotiation of contracts, licenses, financings, employment matters, joint ventures, and strategic alliances, as well as structuring complex ownership and management transitions, incentive, and retention plans.
Jeff also acts as transactional counsel to numerous businesses, funds (private equity, venture capital, turnaround, mezzanine, and real estate), investor groups, lenders, executives, and family offices. In this role, he manages all aspects of transactions and integration.
Prior to joining the firm, Jeff was a partner in the Business and Finance Group, Managing Partner, and member of the Board of Directors at HMB Legal Counsel, a well-established, corporate-focused law firm based in Chicago, Illinois where he split his time between general counsel and transaction matters.
Jeff is listed in the 2026 and four years immediately preceding editions of The Best Lawyers in America® for Corporate Law. He was named a “Leading Lawyer” in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for Closely and Privately Held Business Law by Leading Lawyers magazine. Jeff was recommended by Legal 500 US in 2025 for Mergers & Acquisitions.
Experience
*Advise private equity firm in acquisitions (including debt financing components) and dispositions ranging from $30,000,000 to $185,000,000 for marketing consulting platform, digital marketing company, health care consulting company, HVAC design, consulting, and construction platform and serve as outside general counsel for portfolio companies.
*Represented venture capital firm in acquisitions of a cosmetics platform, a pet food platform, and a healthy snack platform and minority investments in food, beverage, and beauty products and as general corporate counsel with respect to numerous portfolio companies.
*Serves as outside general counsel to numerous specialty finance companies including litigation financing, warranty financing, and insurance premium financing, and advise on financing, mergers and acquisitions, contracts, joint ventures, and structure matters.
*Serve as outside counsel for numerous consumer products and services firms including food, beverage, beauty, and fitness companies including all mergers and acquisitions, financings, and structure matters.
*Advised turnaround fund as lead investor in $30,000,000 fourth and fifth layers of equity financing, including cram down, for a software company, acquisitions of textiles company, and food distribution company.
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick
Insights View All
Perspectives
Outside General Counsel Services
Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition-Search Funds
Venture Capital and Emerging Companies
Contracts & Commercial Agreements
University of Chicago Law School J.D. (1989)
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania B.S.E., Accounting (1986)
Illinois (1989)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Committee on LLCs, Partnerships and Unincorporated Entities, Member
Chicago Bar Association, Business Law – Private Equity Subcommittee, Co-Founder and Co-Chairman
Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Member
University of Pennsylvania, University Libraries Board of Overseers, Member
The Wharton School, Alumni Board of Advisors, Member
Certified Public Accountant – Illinois
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