Unique Legal Issues in Agricultural Financing: The $340 Billion Industry That Few Talk About But Everyone Benefits From

John devotes himself to understanding clients' goals and uses a practical approach to bring them to reality. John approaches each transaction as a partner to the client he is serving. Clients have come to rely on John with confidence they will receive efficient, high-quality legal services. He has been a trusted advisor to some of the nation's leading financial institutions handling a broad array of real estate, commercial and agricultural finance matters for over 30 years. At a time when legal fees are top of mind for all parties involved in a transaction, John’s approach of identifying the major issues and working efficiently toward common, workable goals in a timely manner serves clients well

Philip Kirkpatrick, CIPP/US, CIPM, has extensive experience in corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions and commercial finance. He is currently Associate General Counsel for Rabo Agrifinance, Inc., a leading financial services provider for agricultural producers and agribusinesses in the United States. He supports Rabo Agrifinance's legal and compliance teams on privacy and information related governance matters, including advising on security incident management and work place privacy.

Kirkpatrick received his BS degree in Political Science from Truman State University, his MBA from University of Missouri-St. Louis and his JD from Syracuse University. He is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Illinois, Missouri and Washington.

Justin Burns OF COUNSEL Justin Burns was born and raised in the farming communities of the Columbia River Basin in Oregon, where his father worked as a farm and ranch real estate appraiser and broker. So it’s not surprising that agricultural and real estate finance have become his default settings. In other words, he doesn’t have to start from square one when it comes to understanding the unique issues of and approaches to those areas of law.

After graduating from Oregon State University and receiving his law degree from Willamette University College of Law, Justin worked at firms in Pendleton and Portland, Oregon and Denver, Colorado before operating his own law firm. He now lives in Denver, Colorado and is licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, and Colorado.

Drawing on a lifetime of professional experience and personal knowledge, Justin continues to work primarily in agricultural finance and real estate. He represents clients in a broad array of transactions including the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and financing of agricultural operations of all sizes. His practice also includes commercial transactions and occasional litigation in general real estate development and investment, tribal government relations, insurance, and other related areas.

Over the course of helping his wife raise their five young and active sons, Justin has developed some useful skills—lightning fast reflexes, uncanny peripheral vision, and the ability to concentrate in the presence of loud noises and unexpected flying objects—that also come in handy in the legal profession. During the rare interludes when he is not driving one or more of them to or from baseball practice, Justin likes to exercise outdoors in quiet and secluded locations.