Christine E. Nicholas

Christine E. Nicholas is a member of the firm's Corporate section. She is a business, real estate, and finance lawyer with in-house and law firm experience in domestic and international transactions. She is an experienced team leader and supervisor, with a roll-up-your-sleeves work style and management experience. 

Practice focus:

Business sales and acquisitions – counsel, strategize, and structure transactions; negotiate, document, and close agreements for the purchase or sale of assets or stock in domestic and international transactions, and assist in post-closing integration of acquired businesses.

Finance – domestic and international term and revolving credit agreements; publicly bonded improvements; equipment leases (capital, operating, and synthetic leases of rolling stock, mining equipment, food processing equipment, and the like) in secured and unsecured loan transactions; negotiation of ISDA documentation for commodities, FX and interest rate hedging; problem loan restructures; private placements of notes and equity in Reg D and other exempt offerings.

Real estate – sales, acquisitions, development, and leasing (including retail shopping centers, office buildings, mixed-use developments, hotels, restaurants, multifamily housing and residential subdivisions); real-estate secured finance transactions. Ms. Nicholas is a fellow in the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and in the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.

Commercial law – vendor contracts, licensing agreements, construction agreements (AIA and ConsensusDocs), sales agreements, product supply agreements, pure food guaranties, tolling agreements, private label agreements, manufacturing agreements, co-pack agreements, distribution agreements, joint development agreements, product development agreements, joint venture agreements; copyright and trademark protection (including Madrid Protocol filings for international trademarks).

General corporate law and governance – entity selection and formation of corporations, LLCs, and partnerships; day-to-day advice related to entity operations, business licensing, and maintenance; board of directors and senior leadership advice and support; minutes, annual reports, policy development, and compliance review.

Ms. Nicholas has held positions with law firms in Boise, Idaho, and Portland, Oregon, and has served as in-house counsel to the J.R. Simplot Company in Boise, Idaho, as associate general counsel - finance and corporate affairs and assistant secretary from Dec. 2003 to Nov. 2005, associate general counsel from Jun. 2000 to Dec. 2003, and assistant general counsel from Jun. 1994 to Jun. 2000, where her responsibilities included providing board support and governance advice, legal support to material transactions, and legal support to the company’s finance function.

She has published in Business Law Today, the national magazine of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association, and The Advocate, the monthly publication of the Idaho State Bar, and she regularly presents for continuing legal education programs on topics, such as third-party opinions, finance transactions, corporate governance, leasing, and contracting.

Author:

“Minutes Matter: Practical Tips for Drafting Minutes and Resolutions,” May 2014, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section seminar course materials.

“Business Without Borders: International Law for the Idaho Lawyer – Drafting the Deal: UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods Compared to Article 2 of Idaho’s UCC,” Aug 2011, Idaho State Bar International Law Section seminar course materials.

“A Comparison of the UN Convention for the International Sale of Goods and Idaho’s Uniform Commercial Code,” The Advocate, Vol. 52, No. 9, Sep 2009.

“Teach an Old UCC Dog New Tricks, An overview of the U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods,” Business Law Today, Vol. 18, No. 1, Sep/Oct 2008.

“What is a Business Lawyer?” The Advocate, Vol. 49, No. 9, Oct 2006.

“Article 2A – Equipment Leasing,” May 2005, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section continuing legal education seminar course materials.

“What’s a Director to do?” The Advocate, Vol. 49, No. 9 Oct 2006.

“Negotiating Difficult Clauses in Business Agreements,” May 2002, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section seminar course materials.

“Third-Party Legal Opinions - Secured Financing Transactions,” Feb 1993, Idaho Law Foundation seminar course materials.

Lecturer:

An Overview of Real Estate Finance Opinions, Feb 2022, Idaho State Bar Real Property Section.

Website Accessibility – What Corporate Counsel Needs to Know, Nov 2019, ACC Mountain West Chapter.

Contractual Indemnification, Feb 2019, ACC Mountain West Chapter.

TO LEASE OR NOT TO LEASE! Considerations for the Construction Financial Manager When Leasing Equipment, April 2016, Construction Financial Management Association, Idaho Chapter.

The Legal Side of Agriculture: Agricultural Use of Drones, Feb 2015, Leadership Idaho Agriculture.

The Legal Side of Agriculture: Farm Leases, Feb 2015, Leadership Idaho Agriculture.

The JOBS Act and Capital Raising: An Overview of Rule 506(c) and Reg-A Offerings, Nov 2014, ACC Mountain West Chapter and Oct 2014, Boise Angel Alliance.

International Data Privacy Protection Laws – A Select Survey, Aug 2014, ACC Mountain West Chapter and Jan 2013, Idaho State Bar International Law Section.

Minutes Matter: Practical Tips for Drafting Minutes and Resolutions, May 2014, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section.

Private International Law: An Overview, Feb 2014, Idaho State Bar International Law Section.

The ABCs of the CISG: Comparing the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods to UCC Article 2, Feb. 2014, ACC Mountain West Chapter.

The Legal Side of Agriculture: Choice of Business Entity, Feb. 2014, Leadership Idaho Agriculture.

Real Property Law for Appraisers, Jan 2014, American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers Idaho-Utah Chapter.

Innovation and the Law: Entering New Markets – from Commercializing to Internationalizing, Nov 2011, Small Business Development Center, Boise State University.

Drafting the Deal: UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods Compared to Article 2 of Idaho’s UCC, Aug 2011, Idaho State Bar International Law Section.

Equipment Leasing, May 2005, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section.

Difficult Issues for Business Lawyers, May 2002, Idaho State Bar Business and Corporate Law Section.