Corporate Counsel. George serves as corporate counsel to clients in a variety of industries regularly advises on matters of corporate governance, fiduciary duties, capitalization, finance, extensions of credit, collections, and business strategy. He performs contract work relating to supply chain issues, including preparing terms and conditions and negotiating supply agreements. George also represents buyers and sellers in a variety of industries in connection with merger and acquisition transactions.
Secured Transactions. George regularly represents banks, commercial finance companies, private equity firms, investors, and borrowers in all aspects of structuring, documenting, and enforcing secured loan arrangements and resolving defaults and intercreditor issues. George works on cross-border financing transactions. He also serves as legal counsel to parties in connection with factoring arrangements as well as debt purchase and sale transactions.
Administrative and Collateral Agents. George serves as legal counsel to administrative and collateral agents in connection with national secured and unsecured financing transactions. He also represents agents in bankruptcy cases, including In re Cineworld Group (Bankr. S.D. Tex. 2022), In re OSG Group Holdings, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del. 2022) (pre-pack), In re Claire's Stores, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.), and In re Belk, Inc. (Bankr. S.D. Texas 2021).
Finance and Securitizations. George provides structured finance representation to issuers and other participants in term and structured credit facilities involving a variety of financial assets, including equipment leases and consumer installment loans. He also performs work in connection with the delivery of transaction opinions in lending and finance matters, including true sale and substantive consolidation opinions. Additionally, George assists in the development and implementation of various financial products and programs on behalf of lenders and other service providers.
Loan Participations. George served as counsel for lead lenders in loan participations, and has handled participant disputes as well as the restructuring, workout, and foreclosure of participated loan projects.
Private Equity. George represents private equity firms and their portfolio companies in corporate acquisition matters as well as debt financing. George represented a consortium of private equity firms holding subordinated secured debt and equity instruments in connection with resolution of intercreditor disputes, renegotiation of a senior secured credit facility, and restructuring of debt in the Chapter 11 reorganization of In re M.A. Gedney Co. (Bankr. D. Minn.). George also represented Spell Capital Partners in connection with the acquisition of the Pearson Candy Company. George also represented Communications Systems, Inc. in November 2020 acquisition of the operating assets of privately held IVDesk which provides private cloud services.
Distressed Transactions and Workouts. George served as counsel to an agricultural lender in connection with complex distressed debt restructuring and sale transactions. As bankruptcy and restructuring counsel to a financial institution debtor, George was able to save the subsidiary bank from being closed by federal and state regulators through a recapitalization. He has served as wind down counsel to a major law firm that ceased. George regularly represents lenders, guarantors, and borrowers in out-of-court restructurings, workouts, forbearance agreements, and default matters.
Real Estate Developments. George has represented developers and owners of real estate projects in connection with complex transactions, including financing, recapitalization, restructuring and strategic transactions involving multi-lender and equity holder negotiations. He has represented one of the largest affordable housing project owners in the State of Minnesota and regularly advised its board of directors and management on various corporate governance, public and private finance matters, and strategic opportunities in furtherance of the organization’s mission. George has advised more than a dozen mixed-use, real estate projects impacted by the bankruptcy filings of In re EPIC Companies Midwest, LLC et al. (Bankr. D.N.D.) in addressing litigation, supporting businesses with liabilities management and refinancings, advising on material adjustments to capital structures and operational restructurings, and assisting with asset dispositions.
Litigation Management. George regularly represents clients across a broad spectrum of industries involved in corporate and commercial disputes in connection with the management and resolution of claims by working collaboratively with in-house corporate counsel and outside legal resources in a manner that leads to informed decision-making and greater control over both outcomes and costs. George serves in the role of trusted advisor to clients and regularly supervises litigation matters, guides strategy, and manages relationships to achieve a positive and efficient outcome for clients. He successfully defended a client in the equipment leasing industry from multi-million dollar UCC and breach of the peace claims asserted by the lessee and guarantor, obtaining a complete disposition of the matter on summary judgment. George also represents clients in connection with claims and issues relating to successor liability in acquisition transactions and lender liability claims as well as preferential and fraudulent transfer actions.
Secured and Unsecured Creditor Representation. George represents secured lenders and unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 cases and in various state court proceedings. He regularly advises credit departments on matters related to the extension of credit and recovery.
Equipment Leasing. George represents equipment lessors in connection with lease financing transactions, including default issues and protecting their claims and interests in various bankruptcy and collection proceedings, including In re HomeBanc Mortgage Corp. et al. (Bankr. D. Del.), In re S&B Surgery Center (Bankr. C.D. Cal.) and In re Winona Printing Co. (Bankr. D. Minn.). He also regularly represents equipment lessees in leasing transactions and dispute resolution matters.
Chapter 11 Debtor Representation. As bankruptcy, corporate, and M&A counsel to Chapter 11 debtors in In re Polaroid Corp. et al., George oversaw the auction and sale of assets in a contested section 363 sale that generated in excess of $87.6 million for the benefit of creditors. George also represented American Bancorporation in its Chapter 11 as bankruptcy and M&A counsel, resulting in the sale of the debtor's subsidiary, American Bank of St. Paul, and confirmation of a plan that provided a substantial return to the holders of Trust Preferred Securities.
Chapter 11 Trustee and Receiver Representation. George served as counsel for the Chapter 11 Trustee and Receiver in connection with the Thomas Petters Ponzi scheme and related bankruptcy cases of In re Petters Company, Inc. et al. (Bankr. D. Minn.), which involved claims in excess of $3.8 billion and the prosecution of over 200 "claw-back" actions commenced on behalf of the Trustee. Advised state-court receiver appointed to administer a family of cannabis companies in connection with various federal and state lien matters.
Distressed Sales. George serves as bankruptcy and M&A counsel to buyers in Section 363 sales throughout the country, including In re Bended Page, LLC (d.b.a. Tattered Book Cover) (Bankr. D. Colo.), In re Genmar Holdings, Inc. (Bankr. D. Minn.), In re Hitchcock Industries, Inc. (Bankr. D. Minn.), In re Fleming Co. (Bankr. D. Del.) and In re Remington Outdoor Co. (Bankr. N.D. Ala.). Recently, he represented Barnes & Noble in connection with the purchase of an independent book chain in a bankruptcy proceeding. He also advises buyers and sellers on all aspects of distressed sale transactions, including sales in the context of a receivership and under Article 9 of the UCC.
Creditors' Committees. George served as co-counsel to the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, as well as the designated litigation representative, in the Chapter 11 proceeding of In re Intrepid U.S.A., Inc. (Bankr. D. Minn.), which, along with its affiliated debtors, was one of the largest home health care providers in the United States.
Nonprofits. George serves on the board of directors of a number of nonprofit organizations and also provides legal representation to nonprofits, including with respect to corporate governance, finance and contract matters. He currently serves as finance, corporate, and M&A counsel to a large affordable housing provider and nonprofit corporation and its affiliated project portfolio companies.
Cooperatives. George represents cooperatives and other business clients in matters relating to capital formation, governance, credit, and contracts.
Agriculture. George represents ag-based lenders and operators in connection with the extension of credit and enforcement of remedies in connection with credit transactions. He represented a secured lender in a $250 million loan involving a one hundred thousand acre farming operation. He also has represented a multi-entity farming operation consisting of 25,000 acres in a complex loan workout.
Energy Industry. George has worked on a number of project finance initiatives, including debt and equity financing matters, for clients in the energy sector. George has represented ethanol lenders, bondholders, and creditors in ethanol bankruptcy cases and complex workouts throughout the country, including In re Aventine (Bankr. D. Del.), In re Gateway Ethanol, LLC (Bankr. D. Kan.), In re Northeast Biofuels, LLC (Bankr. N.D.N.Y.), In re Pine Lake Corn Processors, L.P. (PLCP) (Bankr. D. Iowa), In re Otter Tail Ag Enterprises, LLC (Bankr. D. Minn.) and NEDAK Ethanol, LLC (Nebraska). George has also represented lenders and borrowers in the energy industry, including Wells Fargo Energy Capital, Inc., in the oil and gas Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of In re Mountain Divide, LLC (Bankr. D. Mont.).
Consignment Transactions. George represented major consignment vendors in the Chapter 11 retail bankruptcy proceedings of The Sports Authority, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del.), which involved litigation and appeals relating to the rights and priorities of various parties with respect to consignment inventory.
Landlords. George represented landlords and landlord groups in various bankruptcy matters throughout the country, including In re Brooks Brothers Group, Inc. (Bankr. D. Del. 2020), In re CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) (Bankr. S.D. Tex. 2020), In re Tailored Brands (Men’s Warehouse/Jos A. Bank) (Bankr. S.D. Tex. 2020), In re Sun Country Airlines (Bankr. D. Minn.), In re WorldCom (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.), In re Allegiance Telecom (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.), In re 2nd Swing, Inc. (Bankr. D. Minn), In re Video Update (Bankr. D. Del.) and In re VICORP (Baker's Square) (Bankr. D. Del.).
Project Finance. George works on multiple aspects of project financing initiatives in a variety of industries, including projects that involve investment capital and municipal bond financing.