Cooperative Law

Roberts Kaplan is one of the few experienced and established law firms practicing cooperative law in the Pacific Northwest. We have organized and represent a range of agricultural, telecommunication, and commercial supply cooperatives, including Oregon’s largest processing, marketing, and farm supply cooperatives. We also represent, counsel, and are involved with associations serving these cooperatives, such as the Agricultural Cooperative Council of Oregon and the National Council of Farming Cooperatives.

Understanding the unique interplay of state and federal laws affecting cooperatives, including the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act and the Capper-Volstead Act, our Cooperative Law Practice Group is able to advise clients on how to take full advantage of the benefits offered under those rules, including Subchapter T of the Internal Revenue Code and the Oregon Cooperative Corporation Act, which was drafted by an attorney practicing with us in a predecessor of Roberts Kaplan.

We provide our cooperative clients advice in the following areas:

Cooperative Formation and Corporate Organization – Advising cooperative managers and directors in the formative stages to assure their Articles of Incorporation and corporate bylaws ground the cooperative in durable cooperative principles in full compliance with applicable law, including cooperative tax matters.
Cooperative Corporate Governance – Assisting cooperatives in establishing and embedding cooperative principles and practices in the cooperative’s governing documents and policies in a manner that is conducive to the cooperative’s corporate culture.
Agribusiness Issues – Assisting agricultural industry clients with regulatory compliance and real estate transactional matters.
General Business Representation – Assistance in determination of entity, general contract negotiations and drafting, sales and distribution agreements, real estate transactions, employment agreements, regulatory compliance and compliance with organizational formalities.
Corporate Finance – Advice regarding public offerings, private offerings, credit facilities, venture capital investments, and securities law compliance.
Mergers and Acquisitions – The acquisition or disposition of public or private companies through mergers, stock transactions or asset purchase and sale agreements.

In addition, our Cooperative Law practice group maintains its comprehensive knowledge regarding the business and political climates affecting the agricultural, commercial supply and telecommunications industries.