A small, deliberate Arizona transactional practice.
Founded in 2005 in Phoenix. Family-run. Built for the long work of advising closely held businesses through every chapter, and the families behind them through every transition.
Crampton Law Firm, P.C. was formed in 2005 by Don P. Crampton and his daughter Liz to do one thing well: counsel Arizona business owners and their families through the legal decisions that shape a company's life, and a family's wealth.
That work has stayed close to its original shape. Business transactions are the spine of the practice: formation, financing, contracts, succession, sale. Around that spine, we build out the related work that closely held companies inevitably need: estate planning, asset protection, probate, and outside general counsel.
We stay small on purpose. The clients we take on get a senior lawyer's attention from the first call, the firm's full institutional memory of their company and family, and direct lines of communication for the years that follow. That's not a model that scales. But it's the one that makes sense for the work.
"Continuity matters. Many of our clients have been with the firm for fifteen or twenty years. The advice we give them today is shaped by the advice we gave them then."
How we work
Four principles we don't bend on.
Judgment over speed.
Most legal problems get worse when they're solved quickly and superficially. We move at the pace the work actually requires, and we tell you what that pace is up front.
The document has to do the work.
An agreement that doesn't survive contact with the real world isn't worth the paper. We draft for the dispute we hope never comes, not just the deal that's closing today.
Continuity matters.
Many of our clients have been with the firm for fifteen or twenty years. The advice we give them today is shaped by the advice we gave them then. That's a feature.
Plain words, when possible.
Legal writing should be clear enough that a smart non-lawyer can read it and understand what they just agreed to. We work hard on that.
What working with us looks like.
A short, deliberate process. No surprise invoices, no rotating-staff handoffs, no jargon for its own sake.
- Step01
Initial conversation
A 30-minute consultation. You tell us what's going on, we listen, we ask a few questions, and we tell you honestly whether we're the right fit. No charge, no obligation, fully confidential.
- Step02
Scope and engagement letter
Before any substantive work begins, we put the scope of the matter and the fee structure in writing. Flat fees where they make sense, hourly where they don't, and a clear monthly retainer for outside general counsel engagements.
- Step03
Active matter
You work directly with a senior lawyer from the first call onward. No junior-associate handoffs, no rotating staff. We respond to client communications within one business day as a standing rule.
- Step04
Ongoing relationship
For outside general counsel clients, monthly check-ins keep us ahead of the next issue. For project-based work, we hand off complete documentation and stay reachable for follow-up questions.
Where we do most of our work.
The firm's clients tend to share two things: closely held ownership, and a long planning horizon. The industries vary.
- Closely held manufacturers
- Professional services
- Medical and dental practices
- Real estate and development
- Construction
- Restaurant and hospitality
- Technology and software
- Family-owned businesses
- Retail and consumer brands
- Nonprofits and foundations
Talk to us about your business.
A consultation is the right place to start. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.