Joseph Spina is a versatile transactional attorney who has advised on well over $50 billion in aggregate deal volume. Known by clients as a dealmaking “Swiss Army knife,” Joseph brings an unusually broad and integrated skill set across M&A, capital raising, private fund and SPV formation, and transaction-driven tax structuring. Drawing on both a well-credentialed legal background and firsthand private equity experience, he delivers commercially pragmatic, end-to-end counsel that aligns legal execution with investors’ strategic, financial, and tax objectives.
Widely regarded as a rising star in the dealmaking community, Joseph was named an Emerging Leader by The M&A Advisor™, an honor recognizing top M&A professionals under 40 who are reshaping the future of the industry through innovation, impact, and leadership.
Joseph serves as a trusted advisor to private equity funds, independent sponsors, search fund entrepreneurs, and other strategic investors, as well as founder-led and family-owned businesses navigating sale processes. His practice spans buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, equity financings, and other strategic investments, and he regularly counsels clients on structuring considerations, incentive equity, rollover transactions, and tax-efficient deal mechanics, as well as platform and services-organization (MSO/DSO) structures commonly used in regulated healthcare acquisitions. Joseph is also particularly active in the ETA and SBA-backed acquisition market, advising searchers and sponsors on acquisition structures, investor alignment, lender-driven constraints, and execution risk across the full deal lifecycle.
Joseph is the lead drafter of PACT (Partnership Acquisition Commonsense Terms), a widely adopted set of standardized deal documents for investor-backed small and middle-market acquisitions. Often described as the “SAFE for ETA,” PACT has become the market baseline for aligning search fund entrepreneurs and investors in SBA-backed transactions, helping streamline negotiations and accelerate closings (www.ETAPACT.com).
Earlier in his career, Joseph worked on high-profile matters representing clients such as the Government of Puerto Rico, Apollo Global Management, Remington Arms Company, Capital One Bank, Franklin Templeton, and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. He now focuses his practice on lower middle-market transactions, with a particular emphasis on representing independent sponsors, search fund entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized business owners.
Prior to joining Cullen and Dykman, Joseph worked at a private equity firm managing approximately $3 billion in assets, where he focused on middle-market investments across the consumer, services, industrials, and healthcare sectors. He began his legal career at a leading international law firm.
Representative Experience
Selected Independent Sponsor & ETA/SMB Transactions
- Northland Ag & Turf – Represented Ekpyrosis, an independent private equity sponsor, in its strategic control investment in one of the Midwest’s largest John Deere and power sports dealership platforms.
- Terso Solutions – Represented Ekpyrosis, an independent private equity sponsor, in a joint venture transaction with RFID inventory solutions company.
- Accelerated Fleet Services – Represented truck and trailer repair services company in sale to private equity backed platform.
- Etna Industrial Partners – Represented independent private equity sponsor, in acquisition of prominent U.S. importer and distributor of premium European beers from an ESOP.
- Hirezon Corporation – Represented an HR-technology SaaS provider serving the higher education sector in its sale to a private equity firm.
- Allied Roofing Partners – Outside counsel and advisor to independent private equity sponsor in standing up national residential roofing investment platform.
- Carefree Services Group – Outside counsel and advisor to regional HVAC investment platform.
- Seal Tex – Represented commercial kitchen repair services company in sale to consortium of private investors.
- Integris Asset Partners – Represented boutique investment firm in acquisition of property management company.
- QC Hospitality – Represents investment group specializing in acquiring boutique hospitality assets in Central New York.
- Next Century Self Storage – Represents independent private equity sponsor in capital raise and executing build-out of self-storage facility investment platform.
- Brevoort Capital Partners – Represented independent private equity sponsor in capital raise and executing build-out of professional services investment platform.
- Next Steps Investments – Represented self-funded searcher in acquisition of Texas based property management franchise.
- Lucky Paws – Represented self-funded searchers in acquisition of New York based pet grooming retail chain.
- AP Imaging – Represented self-funded searcher in acquisition of Miami based commercial printing business.
- Inkify – Represented self-funded searcher in acquisition of Boston based commercial printing business.
- Printmoz – Represented Springbok Equity, a search fund, in acquisition of commercial printing business.
- Around the Clock Trucking – Represented self-funded searcher in acquisition of New York based logistics business.
- Seekircher Steel Window – Represented self-funded searchers in acquisition of vintage steel window restoration company.
- VanLife Outfitters – Represented Haggin Family Ventures in acquisition of outdoor lifestyle brand.
- NDS Technologies, Inc. – Represented Allucent Group, a search fund, in acquisition of scientific glassware manufacturer.
Selected Large Cap/Middle Market Transactions
- Remington Arms Company – Represented firearms manufacturer in comprehensive sale process, which resulted in a series of transactions yielding an aggregate purchase price of $157 million.
- Power Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) – Represented Puerto Rico’s power authority in its Title III proceeding to restructure the utility’s debt and restore power to the territory’s residents in the wake of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico – Represented the Puerto Rico Fiscal Agency and Financial Advisory Authority, as representative of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, in the restructuring of the territory’s debt obligations.
- Fieldwood Energy – Represented secured lender, Franklin Templeton, in the reorganization of oil and gas exploration and development company, which won M&A Advisor’s Turnaround Award for “Restructuring of the Year (Over $1B to $5B)” in 2019.
- Coso Operating Company – Represented geothermal operator in $1 billion power project leveraged lease financing, the largest geothermal project financing completed at the time.
- Castex Energy – Represented Capital One, National Association, as agent bank in prearranged restructuring of oil and gas company.
- Verso Corporation – Represented paper manufacturer in $2.4 billion restructuring transaction.
Selected Early-Stage/Outside GC Representations
- StatMuse, Inc. – Outside general counsel and advisor to the artificial intelligence backed sports statistics start-up.
- Shareholder Ventures – Outside general counsel and advisor to leading capital provider and investor of self-funded search transactions.
- Stake Networks – Represented venture capital backed fin-tech company in strategic acquisition of Circa Labs, a rental payment company.
