American Agricultural Law Association Honors Gray Plant Mooty’s Phil Kunkel
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (November 15, 2011) — The law firm of Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce that Phillip L. Kunkel, a principal with the firm’s St. Cloud office, has received the Distinguished Service Award from the American Agricultural Law Association (AALA).
The AALA is the only national professional organization focusing on the legal needs of the agricultural community. Crossing traditional barriers, it offers an independent forum for investigation of innovative and workable solutions to complex agricultural law problems. This role has taken on greater importance in the midst of the current international and environmental issues reshaping agriculture and the impending technological advances which promise equally dramatic changes.
The Distinguished Service Award is given to members of the AALA who demonstrate sustained excellence in contributing to the development of agricultural law, the professional development of agricultural law practitioners, a better understanding of the law by rural citizens, and other noteworthy service reflecting the ideals and purposes of the AALA. The award is the highest honor granted by the AALA.
Kunkel has represented clients in agricultural law matters throughout his distinguished career, from his early work representing farmers during the farm crisis of the 1980s to his current work in agribusiness. He is a past president and board member of the AALA and is a popular speaker at the AALA conference each year. He has taught Agricultural Law at William Mitchell College of Law, a course on agricultural marketing and production contracts in the LLM program at the University of Arkansas Law School, and he is a frequent CLE lecturer on commercial financing, the UCC, renewable energy, financial workouts, and bankruptcy.
Kunkel cochairs Gray Plant Mooty’s Agribusiness & Food practice and he is a senior member of the firm’s Commercial Financial Services practice. He is also a member of Gray Plant Mooty’s board of directors. His practice is focused on agricultural and agribusiness financing, commercial financing, and workouts and bankruptcy.
Kunkel received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School, and his B.S. from St. Johnʼs University in Collegeville.
About GPM:
Gray Plant Mooty is recognized as one of the leading corporate law firms in Minnesota and one of the top franchise firms in the world. Our roots go back to 1866. Today, we are a 170-attorney, full-service firm with offices in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Washington, DC. Our attorneys and staff provide exceptional client service and value to our clients, and directly or with our global affiliations, we provide comprehensive legal services on a regional, national, and global basis.