Bill Hanigan

About Bill

Bill represents companies, boards, and individuals regarding agribusiness, renewable fuels, and other transactions. He regularly advises agricultural processors and supply chain participants about business development, financing, regulation, and reporting issues. Bill also assists clients regarding corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. He advises corporate officers, boards, and founders regarding governing documents and communications, navigating corporate finance opportunities, and assisting with the application of federal and state securities laws. He effectively designs the mergers of public companies, private companies, and nonprofit corporations. Bill’s main objective is to help managers execute within their business models.

Bill regularly advises about corporate financing, regarding private placement of equity and debt in the domestic and interstate marketplace. He manages initial public offerings and going private transactions. He advises both borrowers and financial institutions regarding conventional construction, revolving, and term financing commitments. Bill negotiates all forms of commercial contracts to help organizations meet their short and long-term financial targets. In addition, Bill assists clients in buying and selling important business assets.

Bill is a leading renewable energy lawyer and acts as general counsel to biofuels manufacturing companies with more than 1 billion gallons per year of ethanol and biodiesel production. Bill assisted with the development and capitalization of over 36 manufacturing facilities.

Representative Transactions

• Advised the financial institution financing a multi-state acquisition of fuel ethanol manufacturing and local carbon sequestration assets.
• Advising the suppliers of carbon to prospective interstate carbon sequestration pipelines.
• Advised one of the first successful soybean processor start-ups in fifty years
• Advised a feed supplier about the enforceability of liens finance, capital raising, and securities law compliance
• Advised various commodity processors and cooperatives regarding Internal Revenue Code § 199A.
• Represented the buyer of a biodiesel producer in California
• Advised a livestock processor regarding the enforceability of production contracts
• Represented the sellers of a fuel ethanol plant
• Represented a coalition of Iowa ethanol companies in a tax refund case
• Led the legal team acquiring a 55 mgpy ethanol manufacturing plant in Minnesota
• Advised a producer cooperative regarding the protection of its investment in a start-up technology company
• Represented a manufacturing company in its arbitration with a vendor
• Provided advice and analysis to a joint venture between a manufacturer and a food products technology company
• Represented a privately owned soybean technology and processing company in its reorganization and refinancing
• Advised a start-up life sciences research and development company regarding capital raising and securities law compliance
• Represented a livestock producer in a dispute with a vendor.
• Advised the seller of a cattle feeder company.
• Represented a joint venture between two Fortune 100 companies in their commercialization of new biofuel technology
• Represented a custom beef producer in its contract negotiation with a beef marketing company
• Represented a group of Iowa landowners in a dispute with the Iowa Utilities Commission.

Admissions

• Iowa
• Nebraska
• Minnesota
• US District Courts - Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa
• US Court of Federal Claims

Education

Legal: Creighton University School of Law, J.D.

Undergraduate: Creighton University, B.S., Accounting

Practice Areas

• Agribusiness
• Renewable Energy
• Corporate Finance and Securities Law
• Corporate Governance
• Mergers and Acquisitions
• Commercial Transactions