New strategic advisory practice pairs 250+ transactions of deal leadership with AI-powered execution, serving CEOs, boards, general counsel, VC firms, and PE firms across the full deal lifecycle.

LONDON, NEW YORK and LISBON, Portugal, March 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Stella Legal today announced the launch of its dedicated M&A Advisory Division, a strategic advisory practice purpose-built for both the buy- and sell-side of mergers and acquisitions. According to PitchBook, 2025 was the second-largest deal year in history with $4.9 trillion in global M&A value, but the way most transactions get executed has not changed much in 20 years.

"The deal market has evolved, and it's time for the deal infrastructure to evolve as well," said Tyson Ballard, CEO and Co-founder of Stella Legal. "What's been missing is a practice that brings deal judgment and AI execution together. That's what we built."

"The deal market has evolved, and it's time for the deal infrastructure to evolve as well. Everyone talks about AI transforming M&A. But look at how most deals actually run: the same manual diligence playbook, the same sampling approach, the same post-close surprises," said Tyson Ballard, CEO and Co-founder of Stella Legal. "The technology exists to do this differently. What's been missing is a practice that brings deal judgment and AI execution together in the same room, on the same timeline, accountable to the same outcome. That's what we built."

THE PEOPLE BEHIND STELLA LEGAL'S M&A DIVISION

Stella's M&A Division is co-led by two senior advisors, Richard Harroch and Lou Andreozzi, who bring both the pattern recognition earned over hundreds of deals and the intellectual honesty to rethink how it is done.

Harroch has been inside the deal room on over 250 mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances across internet, software, and technology companies. As Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, he led transactions ranging from early-stage venture exits to complex cross-border deals. Previously, he was a corporate and M&A partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and he co-authored the 1,500-page Bloomberg treatise on M&A of privately held companies.

Andreozzi has built and led some of the most consequential legal technology platforms in the industry. As CEO of LexisNexis North American Legal Markets, he ran a $1.2 billion division of Reed Elsevier, acquiring the industry's top electronic filing companies, the leading legal CRM, and the practice management tools that became standard infrastructure for law firms worldwide. He then became Chairman of Bloomberg Law, overseeing its expansion into a credible third force in legal research. He is currently a Board Director of Insight Global, Integreon, and Angeion Group, as well as a strategic advisor to multiple legal technology companies.

Harroch and Andreozzi have operated on both sides of the table across hundreds of transactions. They don't just understand how deals close. They understand how they can fall apart and how to reduce risk. Their appointment signals that Stella Legal is building institutional-grade M&A advisory with an AI-native foundation.

WHAT THE M&A DIVISION DELIVERS

Stella's M&A Division operates across the full deal lifecycle. Here is what that looks like in practice.

For buyers, AI is embedded directly into the diligence workflow as the operating layer. Contract portfolios are analyzed semantically, not scanned by keyword. Change-of-control clauses, assignment triggers, liability structures, non-standard terms, and conflicting obligations are identified across entire data rooms in days, not weeks. Deal teams get complete risk visibility before they sit down to negotiate. The difference isn't just speed. It's that nothing material gets missed because someone ran out of time.

For sellers, the division prepares founder-led businesses, growth companies, and PE-backed portfolio companies for market with the same rigor buyers will apply during diligence. Contract hygiene, legal positioning, and data room readiness are addressed before the process begins. Sellers who do this negotiate from strength. They control the narrative and protect value through close instead of discovering problems that erode it.

The division also provides strategic advice and assistance to CEOs and management teams. These services include transaction positioning, M&A pitch decks, management presentation preparation, management protection and incentives, letter of intent negotiations, data room and due diligence issues, and deal execution and closing.

Stella Legal has delivered more than 150 legal transformations across 16 countries and five continents. The firm's global team of over 100 advisors brings deep expertise in contract AI, CLM implementation, and legal operations design. The M&A division extends that infrastructure into the transaction itself.

ABOUT STELLA LEGAL

Stella Legal is a global AI transformation partner for enterprise legal, procurement, and transaction teams. The firm designs and implements AI-powered operating models that accelerate deal execution, reduce risk, and improve contract performance across the full lifecycle. Stella Legal operates where legal expertise, technology, and deal strategy converge. Learn more at www.stella-legal.com. Follow Stella Legal on LinkedIn.

Media Contact

Sean Hojnacki, LIMELIGHT, 1 201-455-7196, [email protected], https://limelightgrowth.com/ 

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SOURCE STELLA LEGAL