Elliott Cowan, Member

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  • I am passionate about providing exceptional legal services and personal attention to our clients.

    "Your expertise, your attention to detail and the way you were available to us at almost any day, any hour were beyond all expectations!” -Mark R.

Contact

ecowan@gfrlaw.com
410-576-4108
410-576-4108 (fax)

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Over more than three and a half decades, Elliott has developed a sophisticated and broad-based commercial practice, including M&A and other business transactions; commercial real estate transactions; entity formation; business “divorces" and restructurings; owner agreements; employment agreements, independent contractor and consulting agreements; noncompete agreements; licensing and protection of intellectual property; marital property settlement agreements; dispute resolution; business contracts; succession planning and inter-generational transfers; and corporate, partnership, and limited liability company law.  

Elliott often serves as general counsel to his clients.  He enjoys getting to know his clients and their businesses and forming long-term relationships.  Elliott currently serves as general counsel to a prominent mid-size Maryland accounting firm, a mid-size Maryland civil engineering firm, and an international educational accreditation organization. 

Elliott believes strongly in providing excellent client service as promptly and efficiently as possible.  Elliott handles a wide range of complex matters on his own, resulting in a substantial cost savings to the client.  At the same time, he recognizes the benefit of bringing in other attorneys when needed, for consultation or occasionally more extensive involvement, such as in the fields of tax, employment, employee benefits, real estate, litigation, environmental and health care regulation.

Elliott’s practice includes a focus on commercial transactions within various professions and industries.  One in particular is health care.   Elliott represents health care providers at all levels, from solo practitioners to large group medical practices, substance abuse treatment centers, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, nursing homes, weight loss centers, hospitals, health systems and even joint ventures of health systems. 

Prior to joining Gordon Feinblatt in 1985, Elliott served as an Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., in the Division of Market Regulation where he participated in the oversight of the then rapidly evolving securities clearance and settlement system.

Elliott double majored in Government and Economics at Oberlin College, received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law, and earned a Diploma in European Integration from the University of Amsterdam.

Representative Matters

Health Care

  • sale with rollover equity of a multi-site physical therapy practice to a private equity sponsored buyer
  • purchase of a combined primary care and urgent care medical practice
  • sale to a hospital of an OB/GYN medical practice
  • sale to a hospital of a surgical medical practice
  • sale to a private equity buyer of an anesthesiology medical practice with an exclusive hospital contract
  • expansion of a national hospitalist medical practice with exclusive hospital contracts
  • sale to a hospital of an ophthalmology practice
  • joint ventures between a medical weight loss company and various hospital partners
  • sales of nursing homes
  • sale to a hospital of a gastroenterology medical practice with an interest in an associated ambulatory surgery center
  • purchase of an ambulatory surgery center
  • sale of a minority interest in an ambulatory surgery center
  • sale to a public company by a group of physician owners of a controlling interest in an ambulatory surgery center
  • joint venture among four hospital systems for the purchase of an interest in a Medicare Advantage plan
  • sale to a private equity buyer of a medical practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders
  • admission of new partners into various medical practices
  • purchase of a chiropractic practice
  • sale of an orthotics manufacturing business
  • purchase of residential treatment centers for developmentally disabled individuals
  • sale of an animal hospital
  • sale of a podiatric practice
  • sale of a dental practice
  • purchase of a podiatric practice
  • purchase of a general surgery practice
  • negotiate restructuring of ownership of two ambulatory surgery centers
  • purchase of a multi-site primary care practice
  • general counsel to an outpatient mental health clinic

 

Other

  • negotiation of commercial leases
  • purchase of commercial office buildings
  • sale of commercial warehouse and office buildings
  • purchase of an industrial property on the Baltimore waterfront, including a pier, a tank farm and a liquid asphalt storage business located on the property
  • master services agreements to establish ongoing commercial relationships which contemplate statements of work for individual projects
  • sale of a plumbing services company
  • sale of an industrial construction company that installs water and sewer lines, electrical boxes, traffic signals, and similar infrastructure
  • sale of an industrial container recycling company
  • sale to a private equity group of an alcohol ignition interlock device manufacturer
  • purchase of a communications and event management company
  • purchase of destination management company
  • purchase of a controlling interest in several prepared food franchisees
  • purchase of restaurant franchises
  • contract development for a global network of destination management companies
  • sale of a financial planning practice
  • bank loan document review and negotiation
  • holding company restructures and other tax-free reorganizations
  • sale of a fastener manufacturing company
  • sale of an automated sorting machine manufacturer
  • purchase of a motocross track
  • sale of a technology testing and certification company
  • sales and purchases of international computer automated design software reseller businesses
  • marital settlement agreement which involved the ownership of a major league baseball team and internationally known literary works
  • marital settlement agreement which involved the ownership of a national broadcasting conglomerate
  • marital settlement agreement which involved the ownership of a funeral home business
  • sale of a commercial lawn equipment retailer
  • sale of an automated car wash facility
  • sale of three franchise specialty food stores
  • purchase of a plumbing service company
  • sale to private equity of a franchisor of IT training services
  • negotiate executive compensation arrangements for public company senior executive
  • sale to private equity of a jewelry and pawn business
  • license agreement for an artificial intelligence software platform

Honors

AV Preeminent rating in Martindale-Hubbell®

Named to TheBest Lawyers in America®for Corporate Law and Corporate Compliance Law since 2013

News

Professional and Civic Involvement

Elliott's public service has included pro bono representation of, and service on the boards of directors of, charitable, civic and other tax-exempt organizations. He has served as chairman of the board of a nonprofit nursing home in Ellicott City, MD; as an officer and director of a nonprofit arts organization in Baltimore City, MD; and as president and a director of a nonprofit school in Columbia, MD.

Member, American Bar Association

Member, Maryland State Bar Association

Publications and Lectures

Contact

ecowan@gfrlaw.com
410-576-4108
410-576-4108 (fax)

Teams

Business
EMERGE
Health Care
Mergers & Acquisitions
Real Estate
Securities
Technology & Intellectual Property

Education

J.D., University of Maryland School of Law, 1982
Diploma in European Integration, University of Amsterdam, 1983
B.A., Oberlin College, 1979

Bar Admissions

Maryland, 1983
District of Columbia, 1984