Michael J. Grimes

Mike practices principally in the areas of:

• Mergers and acquisitions.
• Professional sports – design, development, revenue streams, intellectual property and licensing, and general counsel representation.
• Construction contracting (including structure and documentation of multi-party projects).
• Patent, trademark and other intellectual property licensing.
• Corporate strategy and structure.
• Complex corporate and commercial law transactions.
• Executive employment and termination.

Mike provides legal counsel to a wide variety of domestic and international business clients. His practice involves several interdisciplinary areas of the law, including finance, securities, regulatory compliance, taxation, employment relations, commercial litigation analysis, and corporate strategy and governance issues, including restructuring.

Professional Sports

Minnesota Vikings – Outside Stadium Development and Counsel (2012-Present).
Representative work:

• Minnesota Vikings Stadium (2012-Present). Design, development, use, operation, and revenue streams (naming rights, suite and premium seating, concession, merchandising, catering, bar and restaurant licensing, facility event use agreement and policy manuals).
• TCF Stadium (2012-Present). Use agreement and revenue stream agreements counsel for the 2014 and 2015 seasons to be played by the Vikings at TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota.
• Metrodome (2012-Present). Sponsorship counsel for major sponsorship agreements and renewals for the period remaining in Metrodome.

Minnesota Twins – Outside General Counsel (1987-Present).
Representative work:

• Target Field (2007-2010 – Stadium Development) (2010-Present – General Counsel at Target Field). Development and sponsorship counsel for all revenue source and ancillary contracts.
• Hammond Stadium (Lee County Sports Complex) (1991-Present). Representation in the development work (design/architectural/construction) for the 2012 $80 million development and construction renovation of Hammond Stadium and its ancillary facilities.  This work also includes development agreements, state funding applications, construction agreements, County/Twins development negotiations, use agreements, sponsorship agreements and naming rights.  Outside general counsel duties include sponsorship agreements, concessions, merchandising and amendment of use agreements.
• Metrodome (1987-2010). Representation as Minnesota Twins outside general counsel, including negotiations with Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission for advertising, sponsorship rights, capital improvements for tenant within the Metrodome facility.
• Other Highlights:
  • 1987 and 1991 Playoff and World Series counsel
  • Mitchell Investigation (performance enhancing substances investigation) Counsel to Twins
  • Major League Baseball Advance Media – participation and negotiation of agency agreement for the establishment of the MLB.com web-based systems and the relations between MLBAM and the Twins for web site usage and licensing
  • MLBP licensing standards implementation
  • MLB League rules compliance

Construction Law

• Lead outside counsel to a leading regional regulated utility in a $200 million South Dakota joint venture and transmission line project.
• Lead outside counsel to a leading regional regulated utility in a $500 million Wisconsin joint venture and transmission line project.
• Lead outside counsel to a leading regional regulated utility for a five-state, multi-utility $3 billion transmission expansion initiative.  This initiative is a consortium of eleven (11) regional utilities in four (4) separate projects in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota to negotiate and construct over 1,000 miles of new transmission and distribution lines.
• Primary prototype draftsman for numerous construction agreements utilized in the transmission expansion initiative described immediately above, including major/minor construction services, major supply (with and without installation), professional and consulting services, staffing services and change order and purchase order forms and standards.
• Negotiations of construction agreements for a leading regional regulated utility for generation plan and transmission projects (2004-2009), including construction/purchase of gas and steam power plants and electrical transmission operations; negotiation of multi-party and multi-state regulated utility transmission capital projects; power generation plant upgrades, retrofits and new construction; energy management consulting; contracting for clean-up of CERCLA super-fund sites.

   Mergers and Acquisitions

• Has served and/or currently serves as outside M&A counsel for numerous domestic and international companies in transactions ranging from $10 million to $1 billion in diverse industries. The following is a representative description of such companies:
  • Multi-national distributer of dental, veterinary, and medical supplies and equipment
  • Major Minnesota regional regulated utility
  • National manufacturer and distributor of poultry retail product
  • National recreational and luxury watercraft manufacturer
  • Shareholders of national manufacturer and distributer of luxury motor coaches