Private equity firm Uplift Investors has added another law firm to its growing legal services platform, continuing its strategy of partnering with litigation practices through a management services organisation (MSO) model, according to a report by Reuters.
The MSO structure is designed to comply with US restrictions on non-lawyer ownership.
The Connecticut-based firm has brought Georgia personal injury practice John Foy & Associates into its portfolio company Orion Legal, marking the third law firm to join the platform. Orion Legal operates as an MSO, providing administrative and operational services while leaving legal ownership and control with the law firm’s principals.
Under the arrangement, Orion Legal will deliver non-legal support functions to the firm—including marketing, finance, technology, and back-office operations—in exchange for service fees. The structure is intended to separate legal services from administrative functions, enabling outside investment into operational infrastructure without violating prohibitions on fee-sharing with non-attorneys.
John Foy & Associates will remain independently owned and led by founder and CEO John Foy, who will also join Orion Legal’s National Advisory Board. The board includes representatives from other participating firms such as Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers in Louisiana and Hughes & Coleman Personal Injury Lawyers, which operates across Kentucky and Tennessee.
Commenting on the partnership, Foy said the collaboration is expected to enhance the firm’s operational capabilities, allowing attorneys to remain focused on client work while the business side of the practice is strengthened.
Uplift managing partner Doug Rosenstein said the expansion of Orion Legal increases the platform’s ability to invest in shared services, technology, talent development, and broader operational infrastructure across its network of law firms.
Uplift Investors was founded by Rosenstein alongside managing partners Will Hausberg and Bradley Skaf, all former executives at Gridiron Capital. The firm positions itself as a middle-market private equity investor and lists Orion Legal as one of its key portfolio platforms.
Orion Legal was established by Chad Dudley, co-founder of Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, and is structured to centralise non-legal business operations for affiliated firms while preserving compliance with professional rules governing law firm ownership.
The MSO model has gained traction in the US legal sector as a workaround to restrictions that prevent non-lawyers from holding equity in law firms or participating in legal fee revenue. By separating administrative services into an externally funded entity, firms can access private capital indirectly while maintaining compliance with professional conduct rules.
