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Christian Brandt

Senior Attorney

Contact

Cbrandt@hkmlawgroup.com
651-251-8327

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Legal Specialist

Gail A. Chapman

As the leader of the firm’s business practice, Christian takes great pride in watching clients succeed and achieve their objectives. As a trusted business advisor, he helps chart out a pathway to success and then makes the process easy and understandable along the way. He knows firsthand the delicate balance between legal issues and business objectives and practicalities. As a former corporate executive, he has walked in his clients shoes.

More About Christian

Whether dealing with a client, colleague, or opposing counsel, Christian’s guiding principles are to always treat others with respect and do the right thing. He has built a reputation for being humble, honest, trustworthy, and direct. Clients can count on him to set the tone with positive energy and composure, even in times of conflict and stress. As outside general counsel, he partners with businesses to address a wide range of issues, including:

  • Banking and Financing Transactions
  • Commercial/Business Litigation
  • Contract Negotiation and Drafting
  • Contractual Risk Management and Risk-Mitigation Training
  • Corporate Governance and Entity Structuring
  • Franchise Transactions
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Private Equity
  • Real Estate Transactions: Purchase, Sale, and Leasing

By bringing a big-picture perspective to projects, deals, and disputes, Christian works to communicate with clients to help them understand the process and navigate the issues or “pain points” that businesses face.

Before joining Haws-KM, he was with API Group serving as Corporate Counsel and, most recently, Vice President of Risk Management. He provided sound legal counsel and practical business solutions to the organization’s executives. He received his J.D. from Hamline University School of Law and is a proud graduate of Marquette University.

Member Affiliations

  • Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
  • Minnesota State Bar Association

Representative Transactions

Real Estate:

  • Lead counsel representing seller in $3+ million commercial real estate sale involving prominent Twin Cities automotive company
  • Lead counsel for buyer in connection with law firm’s $800,000 purchase of commercial real estate for its new office location
  • Lead counsel for landlord in connection with commercial leasing arrangement with prominent automotive company requiring uniquely drafted provisions relating to highly sensitive industry testing to be conducted on-site
  • Lead attorney for public landowner in connection with negotiating and drafting complex commercial lease agreement relating to the use of a cell phone tower
  • Lead Associate representing national equipment-rental company in connection with the termination of a multi-decade commercial lease; address and negotiate the resolution of significant environmental issues
  • Negotiate the disposition of bank-owned property condemned by the City on behalf of national financial institution, requiring communication and negotiation with several City offices and officials
  • Lead counsel for high-net-worth individual in connection with $700,000 purchase of high-end lakefront property
  • Lead counsel in connection with $2.85 million sale of commercial property to prominent real estate development firm
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $1 million sale of prime Duluth, MN parcel
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $500K purchase of city-owned property pursuant to redevelopment agreement
  • Lead counsel for high-net-worth individual in connection with $200,000 purchase of luxury condo
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s sale of $2+ million commercial property situated on a Superfund site

Mergers and Acquisitions:

  • As in-house counsel, support approximately $3 billion sale of the business
  • Co-lead counsel in connection with client’s $225 million acquisition of construction businesses and related entities
  • Co-lead counsel in connection with client’s $150 million acquisition of specialty contractor and related entities
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $100 million acquisition of specialty contractor
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $10 million acquisition of industrial contractor’s assets
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $40+ million acquisition of commonly owned contractors
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $7.5 million acquisition of life-safety business
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $23 million acquisition of life-safety company
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $600,000+ sale of insulation contractor’s assets; assist in creation of unique security package securing buyer’s indebtedness to the client/seller
  • Co-lead counsel in connection with client’s $225 million acquisition of contractor and related entities
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $31 million acquisition of industrial contractor
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $4.5 million acquisition of life-safety conglomerate
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $1.2 million acquisition of the assets of commercial contractor
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $1.4 million acquisition of life-safety conglomerate
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $1.7 million acquisition of the assets of life-safety contractor
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $300K acquisition of the assets of alarm and detection business
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $17.5 million acquisition of life-safety company
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $50 million acquisition of life-safety company
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $1 million acquisition of the assets of fire-protection contractor
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $2 million acquisition of energy company
  • Lead counsel managing multiple strategic mergers of client’s subsidiary entities

Banking:

  • As in-house counsel, helped facilitate financing component in connection with sale of the company
  • Co-lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment to $310 million credit facility
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment to $7 million credit facility
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment to and restatement of $3 million loan agreement
  • Co-lead counsel in connection with issuance of client’s $550 million credit facility
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment to and restatement of $10.5 million loan agreement
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s $14 million amended and restated loan agreement
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment of $5 million loan agreement
  • Lead counsel in connection with client’s amendment of $4 million loan agreement

Community Service

  • Leadership Council Member, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
  • Board Member (past), Cretin-Derham Hall Alumni Association
  • Volunteer Judge, Minnesota State High School Mock Trial Program

Honors

  • Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2023
  • Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014-2015

Articles & Presentations

  • Frequently presents on-site training programs about contractual risk mitigation to help clients understand and effectively deal with contract negotiations and contractual pitfalls
  • Panelist, Mitchell Hamline Business Law Society Fall Panel, November 2018
  • Minnesota CLE Presenter, The Lawyer’s Role in Compliance, October 2018
  • Laboring Toward Equality: NAFTA’s Effects and CAFTA’s Wisdom, 27 Hamline J. Pub. L. & Pol’y 77 (2005)

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Practice Areas

  • Business and Transactional
  • Consulting
  • Employment Litigation
  • Financial Services and Business Litigation
  • Real Estate

Licenses

  • State of Minnesota
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

Education

  • J.D., Hamline University School of Law
  • B.A., Marquette University

Outside of the Office

Christian can be found spending time with family, doing crosswords, golfing, and running. He always challenges himself to learn something new and is currently trying his hand at piano. At the end of the day, all roads eventually lead to an episode of Seinfeld.

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