Mari Yamamoto Regnier

With the know-how and resources to serve as trusted legal counsel for Japanese companies doing business in the U.S., a large part of Mari’s practice focuses on clients in the manufacturing sector, including automotive, steel, machine tools, petroleum, chemical and other industrial products, as well as clients in the banking, trading and service industries. Her work spans the full range of corporate law matters, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, supply chain management, business transactions, management counseling, human resources, and antitrust and competition law.

Mari understands, from first-hand experience over decades of working with Japanese companies, the challenges they face when seeking to enter and thrive in the U.S. Mari’s clients appreciate her judgment and practical approach to advising on important business decisions.

A native of Japan, Mari began her career as the firm’s first Japanese services coordinator; she was instrumental in locating industrial sites for major automotive plants, acquiring real estate, and hiring a workforce to build and expand Japanese businesses across the country.

Known and appreciated for her outstanding service and ability to provide value and support that goes beyond the law, Mari’s unique language skills and knowledge of the Japanese business environment are instrumental to providing clients with effective counsel and representation. Mari is responsive and adapts to multiple times zones and management styles efficiently and with ease.

She is a frequent speaker for the Japan External Trade Organization, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Chicago and the Indiana Japan Chamber on foreign companies doing business in the U.S. She has also been a featured speaker for the Women’s Symposium and Workshop for the Chicago-Osaka Sister Cities Committee.

Mari also provides in-house training for management both in Japan and the U.S on such topics as “U.S. Litigation Trends and How to Prepare Your Companies at Both Parent and Subsidiary,” “E Discovery and How to Prepare Your Companies for Effective Documentation and Retention,” and “Antitrust and Competition Law in the U.S. and Recent Trends involving Japanese Companies.”