Japanese Services

Corporate

• Represented the distribution subsidiary of a global Japanese machine manufacturer in its ongoing acquisitions of a material handling dealer/distributor and of a U.S. manufacturer of high-capacity tire and pneumatic forklifts, container handlers and reach stackers serving 13 separate and distinct industries
• Represented a Japanese chemical company in the sale of its U.S. battery manufacturing operations and established a joint venture with an international German corporation
• Represented a Japanese company in its acquisition of the assets of the world's leading manufacturer of military grade video cameras, monitors, and digital video recorder
• Represented a subsidiary of a publicly traded (Tokyo Exchange) Japanese auto parts maker, in consolidating and merging certain operations in the Mexico, Panama and U.S.
• Represented a Japanese supplier of metalworking fluids in a global strategic partnership with one of the fastest-growing metalworking fluids businesses in North America; partnership allows the two companies to leverage their respective product lines, R&D, manufacturing, and supply chain capabilities to expand each company’s technology, products and services to the global metalworking and water treatment markets
• Represented a large Japanese tier-one automotive company to establish a holding company and reorganize an entire subsidiary’s functions and loan structures
• Represented two Japanese education and learning centers in New York City to establish new education operations across the United States

Government Services and Finance

• Represented a Japanese automotive assembler in incentives negotiation, site acquisition, infrastructure development and other key matters in connection with the establishment of a U.S. motor vehicle facility
• Assisted Japanese automotive joint venture partners with an investment that involved capital expenditures of $73 million and the employment of 195 associates, and in tandem secured $3.5 million in economic development and tax incentives from state and local authorities
• Represented a Japanese automotive supplier in a $57 million investment in an incremental facility, which created over 100 new jobs and secured up to $1.1 million in conditional tax credits and training grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Represented Japanese manufacturer in establishing a manufacturing operation in Indiana, an investment of close to $5 million which helped secure diverse incentives, including abatements on building and equipment, off-site infrastructure improvements and training dollars, as well as 25 immediate new jobs with the potential for a total of 70
• Represented a Japanese cathode material manufacturer for automotive ion lithium batteries in acquiring a $35 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish a new manufacturing plant in Battle Creek, Michigan
• Represented the largest dialysis equipment manufacturer in the world, based in Japan, in obtaining the largest EDGE tax credit available under Illinois law; which resulted factor in the client locating its North American headquarters in northwestern Illinois instead of Wisconsin
• Represented a Japanese manufacturer in establishing an operation in Kentucky, which created 50 new jobs and involved an investment of over $19 million; helped secure up to $500,000 in performance-based incentives through the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, which permitted the company to keep a portion of its investment through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting agreement targets

Labor & Employment

• Assisted a Japanese subsidiary in reaching a favorable, court-approved settlement in a putative collective action filed by nationally renowned class action specialists from three different firms in a case involving violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, specifically donning & doffing violations; with more than 4,000 potential class members, national implications and high-damage potential; after effectively staying discovery and establishing a tactical proactive communication plan with employees and potential class members

Litigation

• Represented a Japanese automobile parts manufacturer and its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries in a global investigation of possible bid-rigging and price-fixing in the sale of auto parts to automobile manufacturers, ensuring avoidance of paying any fines; U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, European Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau jointly conducted a thorough internal investigation of relevant employees in the United States and Japan, for more than two years, until the DOJ closed its investigation; the DOJ has obtained more than $2.4 billion in criminal fines as part of those investigations to date
• Obtained not guilty verdicts for clients Tokai Kogyo Ltd., and its U.S. subsidiary, Green Tokai Co. Ltd., in a federal criminal jury trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, following indictment for allegedly conspiring to fix the prices of automotive body sealing products sold to Honda Motor Co. Ltd in the United States, facing potential fines in the hundreds of millions of dollars;. after a month-long jury trial featuring testimony from several Japanese witnesses from Nishikawa Rubber and Honda, jury returned its verdict after less than four hours of deliberation