Why Do You Need a Buy Sell Agreement Lawyer

Buy Sell Agreement Lawyer

A buy-sell agreement is a legally binding contract between the owners of a business where they agree on what happens to a partner’s shares in the event of life-changing situations that may result in chaos that could potentially ruin the business and bankrupt its owners, assuring the remaining owners that the business will carry on […]

Victory for Hemp

Illinois Hemp Ban

Illinois Hemp Ban Overturned in Rural Oakland The City of Oakland tried to ban hemp farming inside its city limits by claiming authority under the Illinois Municipal Code section regarding Urban Agricultural Areas. Collateral Base represented the prejudiced farmer and had the municipal ordinance tossed by an Illinois Court. Because the City of Oakland is […]

Agriculture Bankruptcy & Marshalling of Assets

Marshaling

General marshaling principles. The equitable doctrine of marshaling rests upon the principle that a creditor having two funds to satisfy his debt should not be permitted to arbitrarily prejudice a junior creditor who may resort to only one of the funds. Meyer v. U.S., 375 U.S. 233, 236, 84 S.Ct. 318, 11 L.Ed.2d 293 (1963).  Bankruptcy and […]

Justifiable or Reasonable Reliance Under Section 523 of the Bankruptcy Code

justifiable reliance 523 code

Was your reliance justifiable  or reasonable when lending money to a dishonest debtor that. later ends up in bankruptcy. Collateral Base Attorney Tom Howard recently helped our client win a $1.8 million dollar verdict in a bankruptcy case out of the Central District of Illinois. The case, liura v. Brady (In re Brady), concerned several […]

Filing Financing Statements and Determining Priority

Determining Priority of Perfected Security Interests

Determining Priority in Perfected Security Interests Who’s on first? This question decides what creditor gets paid, and what becomes an unsecured creditor whose best option is to recover pennies on the dollar for the money loaned to a business that purportedly had collateral. Priority to collateral needs determination to see who can seize it in […]

What is an Agricultural Lien under the UCC?

agricultural security interests (1)

What is a UCC Agricultural Lien As we detailed in our introductory article on security interests, a security agreement gives a creditor some form of legal right over the property of a creditor. While this definition is fairly straightforward, there are all kinds of quirks which are unique to agricultural liens. Under the 2001 amendment […]

How Do You Perfect a Security Interest in Agriculture?

farmers in bankruptcy

A “security agreement” is defined by the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as “an agreement that creates or provides for a security interest.” 810 ILCS 5/9-102(a)(74). A security agreement is “effective according to its terms between the parties, against purchasers of the collateral, and against creditors.” 810 ILCS 5/9-201(a). Or, put simply, a security agreement gives […]

Banking For Cannabis Companies in Illinois

cannabis banking services

Cannabis companies are notoriously tricky clients for banks and credit unions. An innovative program in Illinois hopes to fix that. Cannabis is a classic example of an “underbanked” industry. The tangled and contradictory web of state and federal laws have convinced many banks that cannabis simply isn’t worth the trouble. Illinois hopes to fix that. […]

An Attorney’s Guide to LLC Operating Agreements

Illinois LLC Operating Agreements

If you’re an entrepreneur looking to form a limited liability company (LLC), it’s important to understand the importance of creating an LLC operating agreement. This legal document outlines how your LLC will operate and helps protect your business and its owners. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to create […]

How To Raise Money Through A Private Placement Memorandum

private placement memorandum

A PRivate Placement Memorandum (PPM) is a complex legal document that provides great detail into a company and offers a portion of its ownership for sale to an investor, often an Accredited Investor as defined under Regulation D for the SEC.  Private Placement memorandums could be used to raise capital when a company cannot otherwise […]