growing your business
Overview
Cooperatives face complex legal issues and they need a legal team that understands their industry and organizational structure to help find creative and cutting-edge solutions. Our Cooperative Law group is a recognized national leader in the field of cooperative law. Our lawyers are committed to working as a team with clients in order to achieve the strategic objectives of each unique business.
We have more than 45 years of experience working with local and regional agricultural cooperatives, rural electric cooperatives, purchasing cooperatives, consumer cooperatives, worker cooperatives and start-up organizations across the nation. We serve industries such as agriculture, energy and utilities, purchasing, consumer, housing, professional services and healthcare. We also represent other agriculture-related organizations such as commodity promotion groups, cooperative banks and cooperative trade associations.
Our experience spans project development and finance, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, labor, employment and employee benefits, environmental, land use and permits, securities, international and trade regulations, construction contracts, intellectual property and licensing, FERC and other regulatory matters. We also know the areas unique to cooperatives, including formation and organization, voting rights and governance, antitrust/Capper Volstead Act and tax issues.
Experience
Client Achievements
- Pacific Northwest Farmers Cooperative Combines with Cooperative Agricultural Producers
- Land O’Lakes merging with United Suppliers to create stronger company
- CHS raises funds in preferred stock offering
- Achieving the impossible, mink farm loan goes from hairy to sleek
- Wholesale power supplier Tri-State refinances $1.59 billion and increases credit facility
- American Legend Cooperative
- Associated Milk Producers, Inc.
- CHS Inc.
- CoBank
- GROWMARK, Inc.
- Land O’Lakes, Inc.
- Menomonie Market Food Co-op
- Mid-States Distributing Company, Inc.
- Outpost Natural Foods
- People’s Food Cooperative
- Southern MN Beet Sugar Cooperative
- Tri-State Generation & Transmission Cooperative, Inc.
Industries & Practices
Energy & Natural Resources
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceFood, Beverage & Agribusiness
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceFranchise & Distribution Law
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practicePublic-Private Partnerships
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practice- Benefits & Compensation
- Energy & Natural Resources
- Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
- Franchise & Distribution Law
- Labor & Employment
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Public-Private Partnerships
- Real Estate & Land Use
- Tax