Jim Sticha is a common-sense business attorney who helps business owners and entrepreneurs achieve their business goals while solving the legal problems that affect their businesses. Jim focuses on representing private and family businesses, offering the unique combination of business and legal advice that is required to properly guide these companies.

As the co-chair of the firm’s Private Business Group practice, Jim is intimately familiar with the issues that these businesses commonly face. With a great deal of experience providing general counsel advice to these companies and their owners, clients rely on Jim for advice on a wide range of business and legal issues, including the purchase and sale of businesses, regulatory issues, franchise matters, shareholder relationships, contract negotiations, business and succession planning issues, business start-up matters, and litigation and dispute resolution issues.

Jim’s clients span a wide range of industries, including auto and truck dealers, community banks, manufacturers and distributors, technology companies, and other entrepreneurial and start-up companies. Jim has a particular industry focus on the auto and truck industry, serving as co-chair of the firm’s auto and truck practice, along with the banking and financial services industry.

Through his years of experience acting as outside general counsel and trusted advisor to many private and family businesses, Jim understands the importance and value of being able to bring in other legal and business professionals to assist clients when the need arises. Jim has built a team of professionals both inside and outside the firm to assist clients with specialized legal issues and business needs. Clients often rely on Jim to bring in accountants, bankers and other consultants to assist on matters, because he understands the type of outside professionals that are able to effectively assist private and family businesses on the unique issues they face.

Jim spent the early part of his legal career litigating and resolving disputes for private and family businesses. As a result, he understands the emotional effects business disputes can have on closely held businesses. He also recognizes the importance of managing and effectively resolving these disputes so that clients can focus on their businesses rather than costly litigation. Clients depend on Jim to help them devise ways to avoid litigation and to practically and cost effectively resolve disputes when necessary. In situations where litigation is necessary or unavoidable, Jim understands the need to aggressively represent his clients and taps into his depth of experience working with the firm’s litigation team to navigate clients through the litigation process.

Frequently recognized for his work, Jim has been selected for inclusion multiple times in Super Lawyers®-Rising Stars. Before joining the firm, Jim graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, and was a Member of the Order of the Coif. Prior to attending law school, Jim graduated from the University of St. Thomas where he graduated summa cum laude and was also a member of the Men’s Division III Basketball Team.

Professional and Civic Activitites

• Associate Member, Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association
• Member, University of St. Thomas Alumni Association
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Member, Cretin-Derham Hall President Advisory Counsel
• Member, Nativity of Our Lord Parish Council
• Member, Nativity Men’s Club
• Coaching Youth Sports in St. Paul Area (Highland Park Little League Softball and Baseball, Groveland Recreation Center Basketball, Palace Recreation Center Basketball)

Representative Experience

Jim’s experience covers a broad range of clients and matters, including the following:

General Business Representation:

• Represents one of nation’s largest distributors of sign and screen printing products in all aspects of business, including acquisitions, contract review, litigation advice, and employment matters.
• Represents national manufacturer of consumer products on corporate matters, financing transactions, contract review, corporate compliance and regulatory issues, and employment matters.
• Successfully closed multimillion dollar sale of large Minnesota-based construction company in transaction involving complex union issues.
• Assisted family owned business in successfully acquiring national manufacturing business in multimillion dollar transaction involving complex shareholder issues.
• Successfully closed multimillion dollar sale of national distribution business and assisted owners in subsequent estate planning and succession issues.
• Represents numerous family owned restaurants and franchisees on license and franchise matters.
• Provides general counsel advice to privately owned business in the electronics distribution industry that has annual sales in excess of $1.5 billion.
• Represents privately owned Minnesota-based technology company specializing in banking and credit card processing in complex negotiations of banking and processing agreements.
• Represented minority shareholder in multimillion dollar shareholder dispute involving complex real estate and corporate issues.
• Represented minority shareholder in family dispute involving ownership and control of Minnesota-based manufacturing company.

Auto and Truck Representation:

• Successfully closed over 30 separate sales and acquisitions of auto dealerships and truck dealerships in transactions ranging from $1 million to $50 million in various geographic areas, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri.
• Regularly advises dealerships on franchise issues and manufacturer-related issues, including dealership dualing arrangements, manufacturer rights of first refusal, and dealership terminations.
• Advised Minnesota Automobile Dealers Association on legislative changes and other legal matters involving Minnesota auto dealers.
• Assisted national truck dealership on sale of multiple dealerships in various states and handled negotiations with various manufacturers.
• Structured and drafted complex shareholder agreements and succession planning agreements for large family owned auto dealership group.
• Represented majority shareholder of large Minnesota-based dealership in sale of minority interest to dealership employees.
• Structured and closed complex reorganizations of various dealerships in Minnesota to comply with Minnesota dealership franchise laws and satisfy manufacturer requirements.

Community Banking Representation:

• Represented Minnesota community bank in the successful sale of the bank through structured bidding process for sale price in excess of $20 million where transaction involved complex financing and regulatory approvals.
• Represented group of private investors in negotiations and acquisition of various troubled banks.
• Advised board of directors of community bank on regulatory compliance matters involving regulatory enforcement action.
• Handled complex negotiations with federal and state regulators involving enforcement action against Minnesota community bank.
• Represented ESOP-owned bank in connection with sale of bank.
• Managed and coordinated litigation efforts for community bank involved in complex litigation where control of bank was at stake.
• Advised client participating in FDIC bid process of failed banks, including advising on purchase and assumption agreements.

Education

• J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, University of Minnesota Law School, 1997
       Note and Comment Editor, Minnesota Law Review, 1996-97
• B.A., summa cum laude, University of St. Thomas, 1994
       Member of 1994 Division III men’s final four basketball team
   

Admissions

• State of Minnesota, 1997
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1998
• United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, 1998