Industry Contacts
Related Practices
Our agribusiness team truly understands modern farming and the agricultural industry. We provide comprehensive legal services to agricultural cooperatives, corporations, LLC’s, individuals, landowners, farmers and other legal entities for services in various areas and matters, including the following:
- Business and Organizational Planning: INC, LLC, Series LLC, LLP formation, registered agent services, buy/sell agreements, equipment lease agreements, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, contracts
- Environmental/Energy Matters: discharge issues/water run-off, wetland regulations, pesticide application, hazardous materials, CERCLA, FIFRA, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), water rights, wind, solar and waste bi-products
- Insurance Services: liability defense, coverage disputes, equine liability issues, risk management consultation, litigation services
- Labor & Employment: OSHA, employee handbooks, policies and procedures, independent contractor agreements, wage and hour laws, EEOC, FMLA, human resources assistance, ADA, immigration, collective bargaining, workers’ compensation, termination and disciplinary litigation
- Estate & Business Planning: estate tax, family limited partnerships, succession planning, gift transactions, asset protection planning, wills and trusts
- Real Estate: farmland preservation, easements, land purchases, zoning and land use, ground leases, contracts for deed and Section 1031 exchanges (three corner exchanges)
- Construction: equipment leasing, the Uniform Commercial Code, expansion issues, and construction litigation
- Lending Services: loan agreements, security agreements, mortgages and deeds of trust, foreclosure protection, and guarantees
We have immediate access to subject matter legal professionals practicing in virtually any area of business law or litigation that an agribusiness entity might encounter. As a result, our team of agriculture law attorneys has the knowledge and support of professionals practicing in other areas including, but not limited to:
- Finance & Corporate Lending
- Transportation
- Product Liability
- Retail
Experience and Capabilities
Representative matters that our agribusiness attorneys have handled include:
- Crop overspray litigation
- Contaminated soil clean up litigation
- Succession planning for the business entity
- General counsel advice to grain industry cooperatives
- Illinois Department of Agriculture administrative law hearings
- Easements/field access/negotiation of utility easements
- Partition actions and family farm ownership disputes
- Equipment leasing and lease reviews
- Defense and prosecution of “nuisance/trespass” claims
- Lending/loan agreements, workouts, leases, purchases/sales, family limited partnerships
- Solar farm lease negotiations
- Wind farm construction litigation and turbine self- certification with FERC
- Cell tower lease negotiations
- Preparation of contract documents for Section 1031 exchanges
- Defense of liability claims, farm accidents and tractor accidents
- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) regulatory enforcement
- CERCLA/Super Fund litigation and regulatory enforcement
- Animals Running At Large Act litigation
- Equine law matters
- Genetic seed issues
- Grain elevator accidents (personal injury/death, property damage claims)
News & Press Releases
- Law360, May 28, 2019
- Law360, May 28, 2018
- October 27, 2017
- Equality Illinois, August 1, 2017
- The American Lawyer, August 2016
- Equality Illinois, July 8, 2016
- Above the Law, April 18, 2016
- Above the Law, April 13, 2016
Alerts
- December 4, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- November 18, 2020
- October 26, 2020
- October 22, 2020
- September 14, 2020
- September 10, 2020
- August 31, 2020
- August 26, 2020
- July 24, 2020
- July 1, 2020
- June 5, 2020
- May 27, 2020
- May 26, 2020
- May 18, 2020
- May 15, 2020
- May 14, 2020
- May 14, 2020
- May 11, 2020
- May 8, 2020
- May 5, 2020
- May 5, 2020
- April 30, 2020
- April 28, 2020
- April 23, 2020
- April 22, 2020
- April 17, 2020
- April 17, 2020
- April 17, 2020
- April 13, 2020
- April 10, 2020
- April 7, 2020
- April 6, 2020
- April 4, 2020
- April 3, 2020
- April 1, 2020
- April 1, 2020
- March 31, 2020
- March 31, 2020
- March 30, 2020
- March 30, 2020
- March 27, 2020
- March 27, 2020
- March 27, 2020
- March 27, 2020
- March 27, 2020
- March 26, 2020
- March 26, 2020
- March 26, 2020
- March 26, 2020
- March 25, 2020
- March 24, 2020
- March 24, 2020
- March 24, 2020
- March 24, 2020
- March 22, 2020
- March 20, 2020
- March 20, 2020
- March 19, 2020
- March 18, 2020
- March 7, 2016
Publications
- Indiana Bankers Association , December 4, 2018
Presentations & Events
- SmithAmundsen, Webcast, September 23, 2020