Michael Pignato

Michael Pignato is a partner in Dorsey & Whitney’s Finance and Restructuring group in Minneapolis. He advises clients on tribal finance transactions, commercial lending, commercial gaming, energy project finance, development and acquisitions, and derivatives. His clients include lenders, tribes, utilities, municipal power agencies, generation and transmission cooperatives, developers, investors, corporate end users, and energy companies. He also co-chairs the firm’s Banking and Financial Institutions Industry Group and has held leadership roles in energy and natural resources matters.

Michael earned his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1991 and his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1994. He is admitted in Minnesota and California, as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and federal district courts in California. His education and long transactional practice support his ability to structure financing arrangements, evaluate regulatory and commercial issues, and coordinate complex transactions involving multiple parties and asset classes.

Michael has handled substantial tribal lending and commercial gaming transactions, including secured credit facilities for tribal gaming enterprises and related governmental projects. His commercial lending work includes syndicated and participating loans, revolving and term facilities, letters of credit, construction and real estate loans, acquisition financings, leveraged lending, and asset-based financings. He also advises on renewable and conventional energy projects, acquisitions and dispositions of generation facilities, mining finance, municipal power matters, and derivatives involving interest rates, foreign exchange, and commodities.

Michael Pignato helps clients structure and complete finance transactions in industries where legal, regulatory, and commercial issues often overlap. His experience across tribal finance, banking, gaming, energy, and derivatives allows him to address both transaction mechanics and the underlying business objectives. By working with lenders, borrowers, tribes, utilities, developers, and investors on complex financings, Michael supports projects that require careful documentation, coordinated negotiation, and practical attention to long-term risk and performance.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Dorsey & Whitney LLP
• Member, Minnesota State Bar Association
• Member, The State Bar of California
• Board Member, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Licensed State

• Minnesota
• California

Education

• University of California, Hastings College of Law
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of California, Santa Cruz
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges