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Exhibit 5.1
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Breyer & Associates
PC
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8180
Greensboro Drive
Suite 785
Telephone
(703) 883-1100
Facsimile (703)
883-2511
E-mail
jbreyer@b-a.net
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ATTORNEYS AT
LAW
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*Not
admitted in Virginia
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January
22, 2009
Board of
Directors
Timberland
Bancorp, Inc.
624
Simpson Avenue
Hoquiam,
Washington 98550
Re:
Timberland Bancorp, Inc. - Registration Statement on Form S-3
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
We have
acted as special counsel to Timberland Bancorp, Inc., a Washington corporation
(the “Company”), in connection with the preparation of a registration statement
on Form S-3 (the “Registration Statement”) being filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) relating to the resale from time to time
by selling securityholders, pursuant to Rule 415 of the General Rules and
Regulations of the Commission promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”), of the following securities of the Company: (i)
a warrant dated December 23, 2008 to purchase up to 370,899 shares of the
Company’s common stock (the “Warrant”); and (ii) the 370,899 shares of common
stock underlying the Warrant (the “Warrant Shares”). The Warrant was
issued by the Company to the United States Department of the Treasury
(“Treasury”) on December 23, 2008 pursuant to that certain Letter Agreement,
dated as of December 23, 2008, between the Company and Treasury (including the
schedules thereto and the “Securities Purchase Agreement Standards Terms”
attached as Exhibit A thereto, the “Purchase Agreement”), in connection with
Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program Capital Purchase Program.
In
connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or copies, certified or
otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of: (i) the Registration Statement;
(ii) the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the Company as currently in
effect; (iii) the Warrant; (iv) certain resolutions of the Board of Directors of
the Company relating to the Purchase Agreement and the issuance of the
securities covered by the Registration Statement; and (v) such other documents,
corporate records and instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate in
connection with providing this opinion letter. In our examination, we
have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all
documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to authentic original
documents of all documents submitted to us as copies.
Our
opinion expressed herein as to the legal validity, binding effect and
enforceability of the obligations of the Company is specifically qualified to
the extent that the legal validity, binding effect or enforceability of such
obligations may be subject to or limited by: (i) applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, conservatorship, receivership, liquidation, voidable
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Bancorp, Inc.
January 22, 2009
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Breyer & Associates PC
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preference,
moratorium and other statutory or decisional laws relating to or affecting
creditors= rights
generally or the reorganization of financial institutions (including, without
limitation, preference and fraudulent conveyance or transfer laws), heretofore
or hereafter enacted or in effect; (ii) the exercise of judicial or
administrative discretion in accordance with general equitable principles,
whether enforcement is sought at law or in equity including, without limitation,
the exercise of judicial or administrative discretion with respect to provisions
relating to waivers, waiver of remedies (or the delay or omission of enforcement
thereof), disclaimers, releases of legal or equitable rights or discharges of
defenses; (iii) the availability of injunctive relief or other equitable
remedies; and (iv) the application by courts of competent jurisdiction of laws
containing provisions determined to have a paramount public
interest.
We
express no opinion (i) as to the enforceability of any provision or accumulation
of provisions that may be deemed to be unconscionable or against public policy;
(ii) as to provisions which purport to establish evidentiary standards; (iii) as
to provisions relating to venue, governing law, disclaimers or liability
limitations with respect to third parties; (iv) as to any anti-trust or state
securities laws; (v) as to provisions regarding indemnification, waiver of the
right to jury trial or waiver of objections to jurisdiction, each of which may
be subject to limitations of public policy; (vi) as to provisions relating to
waivers, waiver of remedies (or the delay or omission of enforcement thereof),
disclaimers, releases of legal or equitable rights or discharges of defenses; or
(vii) provisions which purport or would operate to render ineffective any waiver
or modification not in writing.
Our
opinions set forth below are limited to the matters expressly set forth in this
opinion letter. No opinion is to be implied or may be inferred beyond
the matters expressly so stated. Except as indicated in the next two
sentences, the opinions expressed herein are limited solely to matters involving
the application of the Business Corporation Law of the State of Washington, and
we express no opinion with respect to the laws of any other
jurisdiction. We are members of the Bar of the District of
Columbia. To the extent that the laws of any other jurisdiction
govern the legal validity, binding effect and enforceability of any obligation
of the Company as to which we opine herein, we have assumed that the laws of
such other jurisdiction do not differ, in any respect material to such opinion,
from the laws of the District of Columbia as currently in effect and the
judicial and administrative interpretations thereof. The opinions
expressed herein concern only the effect of laws as now in effect and are
rendered as of the date hereof. We undertake no, and hereby disclaim
any, obligation to revise or supplement this opinion letter should such laws be
changed by legislative action, judicial decision, or otherwise after the date of
this opinion letter, or if we become aware of any facts that might change the
opinions expressed herein after the date of this opinion letter.
Subject
to the foregoing and the other matters set forth herein, it is our opinion that,
as of the date hereof:
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Timberland
Bancorp, Inc.
January 22, 2009
Page 3
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Breyer & Associates PC
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1. The
Warrant has been duly authorized and constitutes a valid and binding obligation
of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its
terms.
2. The
Warrant Shares have been duly authorized and upon issuance in connection with
the exercise of the Warrant in accordance with the terms thereof, including
payment to the Company of the exercise price for such shares in full, such
Warrant Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable.
We hereby
consent to the filing of this opinion as Exhibit 5.1 to the Registration
Statement and to the use of our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the
Registration Statement and in the prospectus included therein. In
giving such consent, we do not admit that we come within the category of persons
whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and
regulations of the Commission thereunder.
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Very truly
yours, |
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/s/Breyer &
Associates PC |
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BREYER &
ASSOCIATES PC |
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