Michael T. Krueger

Partner

Blending financial acumen with in-depth legal experience, clients rely on Mike Krueger to create solutions that fuel business opportunities, minimize risk and accomplish strategic objectives to meet their short and long-term goals.

A former in-house counsel and business owner, Mike understands the ever-challenging role of avoiding potential legal and financial landmines within a company. He leverages this experience serving as general counsel for many clients who are focused on expanding their operations, products, and services by navigating them through these needs, while staying in sync with regulatory changes and technological advancements. Mike works with companies at every stage of the business life cycle to handle acquisition, sale, negotiation and exit strategies and advise on financial options and day-to-day operations.

Recognized as a California Trailblazer by The Recorder, Mike’s overarching ability to apply cutting-edge solutions to challenging business issues drives his experience across the broad spectrum of business services. He works with established and emerging companies, family offices and individuals with a focus on business finance, real estate and development in the technology, healthcare, sports, food and beverage, and entertainment industries. He acts as a trusted advisor for complex business negotiations, real estate ventures including Opportunity Zone projects, mergers and acquisitions, bank finance and private equity transactions.

Corporate Counsel

In his capacity as outside corporate counsel, Mike helps his clients to structure and maintain a solid business foundation upon which to build and grow. He advises on corporate governance, transactional, operational, licensing and regulatory issues. His counsel includes entity formation through early stage investments and all stages of development, including corporate governance, shareholder agreements, and corporate debt/finance and lease negotiations. Mike helps clients stay competitive in a variety of industries and identifies key opportunities for growth. He advises food and restaurant industry clients on new point of sale systems to enable on-demand purchasing and helps medical and dental professionals expand their operations utilizing corporate healthcare models. Backed by the strengths of a full-service business law firm, Mike has the bandwidth to handle unique legal issues and financial challenges encountered by emerging companies as they expand.

Opportunity Zones

Mike’s understanding of Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds (QOF) and Qualified Opportunity Zone Businesses (QZB) looks beyond investment options to envision opportunities for new business models. He offers invaluable insights and service to clients interested in utilizing the recent updates to QOF and QZB regulations. He represents investors, developers, fund managers and nationwide brokerage firms in Opportunity Zone Projects. Mike draws on his knowledge and leverages the experience of other lawyers in the firm to identify unique deal structures, develop fund formation, structure investments and advise on tax planning and compliance.

Real Estate Development

A key element of his practice, Mike’s knowledge of real estate finance and his keen grasp of new business models inform his experience with real estate development. He advises both commercial and residential clients in real estate development projects, representing developers in all phases of land acquisition and construction financing and representing buyers and sellers in commercial and residential real estate transactions, including leases. Mike pushes the boundaries of traditional real estate to accommodate new modalities. For food and beverage industry clients, he advised a restaurant on utilizing a ghost kitchen to grow and expand its operations, negotiated tenant improvement benefits to realign existing space, and caught the attention of the Walnut Creek City Council with ideas on how to use existing parking to facilitate dine and dash options and increase foot traffic for local businesses.

Mergers & Acquisitions

Mike represents clients on both the buyer and seller side navigate the complex negotiations and agreements involved in mergers and acquisitions, including conducting due diligence and preparing offering memoranda. He recently represented sellers in asset sales and stock acquisitions across a broad range of merger and acquisition transactions to accomplish key business objectives.

Bank Finance

Recognizing the importance of available funding to propel business forward, Mike is adept at obtaining lines of credit to foster the growth of businesses ranging from tech start-ups to emerging and established restaurants, manufacturing operations and healthcare systems. He negotiates interest rates, terms, draw periods, security agreements, and provides legal opinion letters, all while smoothly navigating the lending process on behalf of his clients.

Private Equity

Representing both start-up companies and investment organizations in early stage equity financing, Mike’s experience includes preparing private placement memoranda, subscription agreements, term sheets and SEC exemption filings for early-stage companies and investors focused on the food and beverage, renewable energy and technology industries. Demonstrating his considerable range, Mike also represents athletes in business transactions to monetize their endorsements to capitalize on business investment opportunities.

Bankruptcy and Restructuring

Mike Krueger applies his entrepreneurial spirit and legal know-how to every aspect of the business equation. Adeptly navigating the twists and turns of the business life cycle gives him a unique perspective on bankruptcy and restructuring considerations. Well-versed in the intricacies of Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy filings, Mike has the inside track on how to approach bankruptcy in order to liquidate, reorganize or otherwise get some breathing room. He manages complex motions, out-of-court restructurings, reorganizations, creditors’ meetings, and liquidation proceedings on his clients’ behalf. Recognizing that bankruptcy often plays a role in business ventures, Mike has handled over 100 filings in the past decade, many for operations that have bounced back or re-emerged as a new company. Experienced across many sectors, including technology, hospitality, food services, healthcare, and real estate development, Mike helps distressed organization and individuals protect assets and applies a bottom-line approach to meet his clients’ needs and business objectives.