Uplift Investors announced that Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers will join Orion Legal MSO as a partner firm, marking another step in Orion’s expansion of its national platform for plaintiff law firms. The transaction builds on Orion’s original partnership with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers and is designed to strengthen the managed services network supporting firms across North America.
As part of the deal, Lee Coleman, co-founder and managing partner of Hughes & Coleman, has been named Chair of Orion’s National Advisory Board. The board is intended to give partner firms a role in guiding strategy and operations across the platform. Coleman is widely recognized in the personal injury legal industry and is seen as an innovator in the modern law firm business model.
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Founded in 1985, Hughes & Coleman is a major personal injury law firm serving Kentucky and Tennessee. The firm says it has recovered more than $2 billion for clients and operates 10 offices. Its practice areas include auto accidents, truck crashes, motorcycle accidents, defective medical products, nursing home abuse, slip and fall cases, and wrongful death claims.
Under the partnership, Orion will provide Hughes & Coleman with non-legal operational support services such as marketing, finance, technology, talent, and administrative infrastructure. The goal is to allow attorneys to focus more fully on client advocacy and legal results while Orion handles business operations. Orion will also provide the same operational support services to Ron Bell Injury Lawyers, a New Mexico firm that partnered with Hughes & Coleman in 2008. The companies said there will be no change in ownership or control of either law firm.
Uplift Investors described the move as part of its strategy to build the MSO of choice for high-performing plaintiff firms nationwide. Orion CEO Chad Dudley said the addition of Hughes & Coleman strengthens the platform and supports its mission to provide the infrastructure firms need to deliver better client outcomes. Coleman said the MSO model represents a major shift for the industry because it enables scale and investment in support functions while lawyers remain focused on legal work.
Holland & Knight LLP served as legal counsel to Orion, and Samson Partners Group acted as financial advisor. English, Lucas, Priest & Owsley, LLP represented Hughes & Coleman.
Uplift Investors is a Darien, Connecticut-based private equity firm focused on services businesses and business model-centric investing. Orion Legal MSO supports plaintiff law firms with operational services intended to improve efficiency, scale, and client service while maintaining firm autonomy and compliance. Ron Bell Injury Lawyers, founded in 1982 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, joined with Hughes & Coleman in 2008 and handles cases involving crashes, nursing home abuse, wrongful death, slip-and-fall injuries, and drunk driving-related incidents.
