Gary Fitzpatrick

Gary Fitzpatrick is a partner with Brown & Streza, LLP and co-leads the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice. He brings a rare combination of tax and estate planning experience, in-house operational leadership, and transactional dealmaking that few M&A lawyers can offer.

Gary began his legal career representing high-net-worth individuals, families, and closely held businesses in sophisticated tax, succession, and estate planning matters. Early in his career, he helped establish the first Orange County office of Freeman, Freeman & Smiley, where he advised business owners and families on income tax planning, wealth transfer strategies, governance, and business succession.

Gary later transitioned from private practice into executive leadership roles, serving as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for multiple companies. Working directly with founders, executives, and boards of directors, he gained firsthand experience managing the operational, financial, and strategic challenges businesses face as they grow, acquire companies, raise capital, and prepare for liquidity events.

Today, Gary leverages both perspectives in his practice at Brown & Streza, working closely with the firm’s tax, trust, and estate planning attorneys on sophisticated planning strategies for business owners while also handling the transaction itself. His experience allows him to help clients not only execute transactions but also design and implement the tax-efficient structures that maximize and preserve wealth before and after a sale. That combination also means Gary brings more than legal analysis to a deal: having sat on the other side of the table as an operator, he helps clients weigh the practical business decisions a transaction inevitably raises, guiding them hands-on through the process in a way that protects both the deal and the business itself.