J Russell Rain

J Rain is the attorney behind Rain Law Firm LLC, a business law and attorney-led escrow practice focused on franchise transfers, franchise resales, closely held business sales, and related transaction support.

J holds a JD/MBA from Case Western Reserve University and is admitted in Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii, and handles transactions in California via Co-Counsel. The firm works with buyers, sellers, brokers, lenders, franchise teams, and business owners who need practical legal guidance, secure escrow handling, clear closing documents, and organized transaction coordination.

Rain Law Firm’s core work includes franchise transfer escrow, business sale escrow, asset purchase agreements, LOIs, closing statements, bills of sale, assignments, releases, entity authority, lender conditions, tax and notice issues, secure wire procedures, and post-closing reconciliation. The firm is built for the middle of the deal, where details such as approvals, signatures, lien releases, landlord consents, tax clearances, and verified funds movement determine whether a closing stays on track.

J’s background combines legal training, business operations, M&A experience, technology, and entrepreneurship. Before founding Rain Law Firm, he worked in IBM’s Mergers and Acquisitions legal department on acquisition integration, business case development, due diligence, contract migration, and strategic coordination across partners, suppliers, and customers. In M&A at IBM, he helped develop strategies for commercializing intellectual property and technologies created for the U.S. Government.

Before practicing law, J co-founded and grew a marketing analytics consulting company that reached significant annual revenue and a substantial employee base before its acquisition in 2001. That business background shapes the way Rain Law Firm approaches transactions: practical, organized, commercially aware, and focused on getting the deal closed without losing sight of risk, role, or compliance.

J has been a member of the Oregon State Bar since 2006 and has also served the profession through the Client Security Fund, Local Professional Responsibility Committee, and Oregon State Bar House of Delegates. He brings a broad perspective to his work, informed by business ownership, corporate M&A, technology commercialization, and experience living and working in varied communities in the United States, Europe, and Canada.