Tim Nicholson

Shareholder

Industry focus

How I represent clients at Schwabe

As a corporate and real estate transactional lawyer, I have experience counseling those in the forest products, agriculture, and agribusiness sectors. My work includes mergers and acquisitions, secured financing, real property, commercial contract review and negotiation, board management, and governance matters. With more than a decade of experience in the agricultural sector before practicing law, I approach my client’s concerns with the industry knowledge and perspective needed to help them assess and manage the challenges ahead.

My transactional experience includes a broad range of activities, with special emphasis on negotiating and drafting of stock, asset, and real property purchase and sale agreements. In addition, I draft leases, employment agreements, supply agreements, services agreements, deeds of trust, mortgages, financing statements, and many other transactional documents my clients need to run their businesses.

For nearly 15 years, I farmed in the Willamette Valley and worked in the agribusiness sector. My family’s Oregon farm is one of the largest flower seed farms in the world and provides seeds throughout the United States and abroad. I also served in the U.S. Navy as an Operations Specialist and was honorably discharged in 2008.

Experience

  • Represented an agricultural lender in hundreds of secured financing transactions.
  • Served as buyer’s primary closing counsel, managing a team of eight attorneys, for a series of time-sensitive related transactions, including a $300,000,000 acquisition of over half a million acres of timberlands and related operational assets, a $90,000,000 follow-on acquisition of nearly a hundred thousand acres, and simultaneous financings.
  • Represented a timberlands company in its $225,000,000 sale and $325,000,000 acquisition involving hundreds of thousands of acres of investment-grade timberlands in California, North Carolina, and Virginia.
  • Represented an employee-owned Oregon agricultural supply company in its $60,000,000 equity sale.
  • Represented one of the nation’s largest organic agricultural producers in acquiring two processing facilities and multiple farming operations in Georgia and Florida.
  • Represented multiple forest products companies in mill acquisitions in Montana and Canada.
  • Represented an investment management company in its $90,000,000 sale of Southern Oregon timberlands.
  • Represented a public company in reviewing and negotiating various vendor, sales, information technology, privacy, confidentiality, and other commercial contracts.
  • Represented a national food processing company in a $55,000,000 equity sale transaction.

Education

  • Stanford University, Juris Doctor degree; Stanford Law Review, Articles Editor & ‎Member Editor
  • Oregon State University, Bachelor of Science degree, Agricultural Business ‎Management, minor in Writing, summa cum laude

Admissions

  • Oregon State Courts

Memberships

  • Oregon State Bar, Agricultural Law Section, Executive Committee (2022-Present)
  • Oregon State Bar, Business Law Section, Member
  • Oregon State Bar, Environmental & Natural Resources Law Section, Member
  • Oregon State Bar, Real Estate & Land Use Section, Member
  • Stanford Law Veterans Organization (2013-2016)

Awards

  • Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law (2022-2024), Mergers and Acquisitions Law & Real Estate Law (2024)
  • Military Excellence Award, United States Navy (2007)

Community Activities

Paul Lomio Veterans Legal Assistance Program, Development and Outreach (2014-2016)

Outside Interests

Enjoying the ground I helped farm for nearly 15 years.

Get in touch

Sign up

Ideas & Insights