Thomas Greaves began his legal career as an associate in the Banking and Institutional Investing practice group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Chicago) working primarily on senior credit facilities and structured finance transactions. He moved to Kansas City to join Lathrop Gage LLP (one of the two firms that combined to form Lathrop GPM) in 2004.

His practice focuses on three primary practice areas: corporate finance, general outside corporate counsel and mergers and acquisitions.

Corporate Finance

Thomas continues to build upon the experience he gained at Skadden by representing both financial institutions and borrowers in connection with commercial senior credit facilities including financial covenant based unsecured facilities, A/R and inventory borrowing base secured facilities, construction loans and equipment loans. He has particular experience in transactions in the food and agriculture sector secured by grain inventories, transactions involving companies with employee stock ownership plans and financial covenant driven multibank club transactions.

General Corporate Counsel

Thomas enjoys serving as general outside corporate counsel for a variety of privately held companies, including companies in the agriculture, energy, health care and nonprofit sectors. In this capacity, Thomas works closely with the senior management teams of such clients, focusing on board and investor relationship issues and strategic relationship issues with vendors and customers. Thomas’ training in accounting is of great value in understanding his clients’ businesses and working with senior management in helping them accomplish their business goals in as efficient and effective a manner as possible. Thomas directly assists his clients with corporate governance issues, contracting and fundamental business transactions. He also takes responsibility for managing the client’s use of the other full-service resources of the firm, including identifying the right resources in the litigation, intellectual property, employment and other specialty practice groups to most effectively meet each client’s needs.

Areas of Focus

Services

Sectors

Experience

Corporate Finance

  • Representation of multinational financial institution, as administrative agent and lender in connection with revolving and term credit facilities secured by 54 gas stations and convenience stores regarding the formation of a new joint venture between a multinational energy company and the operator such stores.
  • Representation of a dealer of heavy equipment in connection with several of its lines of credit totaling in excess of $190 million including equipment lines of credit and construction loans.
  • Representation of building supply retailer that is 100 percent owned by an ESOP trust in connection with $60 million A/R and inventory borrowing base secured revolving credit facility.
  • Representation of a multinational financial institution as administrative agent and lender in connection with a multibank credit facility secured by grain inventories, A/R and related assets.

General Corporate Counsel

  • Representation of a company in the oil and gas service sector in connection with contracts with its customers, employment contracts with its senior management, implementation of a holding company structure including the formation of various subsidiaries, various corporate governance issues and management of the firm’s resources assisting the company with employment, patent, trademark and litigation issues.
  •  Representation of a purchaser buying organization in the healthcare sector, including the formation of a subsidiary and business line, the implementation of a new business structure with key vendors and management of the unique issues associated with customer ownership of the company.
  • Representation of a media company in connection with the liquidation of several business lines, including management of the relationships with its senior creditors and venture capital and other equity investors, implementation of employment agreements and incentives for retaining senior management, the sale of multiple business divisions, the transition of management from its board to a liquidation trustee outside of bankruptcy and preparation of the business for liquation in bankruptcy.

Mergers and Acquisitions

Thomas has represented both sellers and buyers in connection with the sale and purchase of businesses.

  • Represented a media holding company in connection with a series of business line dispositions.
  • Represented a chemical company in connection with the acquisition of a software company.
  • Represented a meat supply and distribution company in connection with the strategic acquisition of a competitor.

Credentials

Education

  • University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2000)
    • Order of the Coif
    • Missouri Law Review
    • John D. Lawson Prize
    • Bernard T. Hurwitz Memorial Prize
    • Charles G. Young, Jr. Prize
    • Clarence G. Strop Prize
    • Seven CALI Excellence for the Future Awards
  • University of Missouri - Columbia (B.S., 1995)
    • Bright Flight Scholar

Clerkship

  • Internship with the Honorable Judge F. Ray Price, Supreme Court of Missouri
  • Internship with the Honorable Judge E. Richard Webber, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, Eighth Circuit

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois
  • Missouri

Recognitions

  • American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence
  • Missouri Chamber of Commerce – Leadership Missouri Graduate (Class of 2008)

Professional Activities

  • KCADC Monarchs Program, Member
  • Public Law Institute Fellowship, Appleseed Fund for Justice

Community Involvement

  • Children's Center for the Visually Impaired, Board of Directors and Executive Committee