United States China United Kingdom Inside 1 Working Together to Serve Automotive Industry Companies 2 Recent Transactions 3 Lawyer Biographies 4 Our comprises many of the world s leading automotive industry lawyers working together in the United States, China and the United Kingdom Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F We work collaboratively with each other and with our clients to identify and mitigate issues and to achieve our clients business goals as quickly and efficiently as pos
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F The law firms of Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn llp and Faegre & Benson llp collaborate to provide a legal team focused on automotive industry transactions involving the Unites States, China and the United Kingdom. Our automotive industry experience, longstanding presence in China and international transactional specialists position us as an ideal legal service provider for companies seeking to establish or expand their businesses in these markets. Collectively, we offer decades of experience in the automotive industry and in handling complex cross-border transactions for global businesses expanding internationally. Strategic Cross-Border Transactions We represent many of the world s largest and most innovative automotive companies in a wide range of strategic cross-border transactions, including: Mergers, acquisitions and divestitures Joint venture structuring, negotiation, documentation and entity formation tax planning Development and implementation of purchasing and supply chain management protocols Restructuring of operations and dealing with troubled suppliers Establishment of greenfield manufacturing, assembly, warehousing and distribution centers, including those within free-trade zones Licensing and technology transfer arrangements, including trade secret protection patent and trademark prosecution and enforcement Complex cross-border commercial contracting, including outsourcing Immigration and global mobility of employees labor, employment and benefits matters compliance counseling, training and investigations (Customs, FCPA, OFAC, export controls, etc.) U.S. and foreign regulatory approvals arbitration, mediation and litigation Insolvency 1 Through our bilingual team of U.S. and Chinese lawyers, we serve as a bridge across cultures and legal systems positioning automotive-industry clients to build relationships and succeed in their transactions.
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Working Together to Serve Automotive Industry Companies Unique Collaboration Our team includes many of the world s leading automotive industry lawyers working together in the United States, China and the United Kingdom. Collectively, we offer more than 50 years of automotive industry experience and more than 40 years of experience providing representation to businesses with interests in China. Through our bilingual team of U.S. and Chinese lawyers, we serve as a bridge across cultures and legal systems positioning automotive-industry clients to build relationships and succeed in their transactions. Headquartered in Detroit, Honigman has more than 230 attorneys. The firm is recognized as a provider of top-notch legal services and business solutions to the automotive industry, including acquisitions, purchasing, insolvency and troubled supplier counsel. Based in Minneapolis, Faegre & Benson has 500 lawyers in its Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa, Shanghai and London offices. Ranked among leading law firms in serving the needs of multinational clients, Faegre & Benson has significant international transactional experience and attorneys who hold law degrees in the United States, China and the United Kingdom. Teamwork With a combined strength of approximately 750 lawyers, our firms work collaboratively and seamlessly with each other and with clients. 2 We look at your goals and assemble the right interdisciplinary team drawing from the strengths of both firms to help you achieve your objectives. With our rare combination of automotive industry experience and China business savvy, we identify risks early and mitigate them, enabling deals to stay on track and on time. Our team delivers superior value and expertise to dynamic automotive companies transacting business across borders. Clients Our automotive clients include: General Motors Ford Motor Company Auto Alliance Inc. Guardian Industries BorgWarner Inc. Metal-Matic, Inc. Durakon Industries TRW Automotive US llc Factory Motor Parts ThyssenKrupp Material NA, Inc. Fischer Automotive Penske Automotive Group, Inc. Detroit Diesel Corporation Jaguar Land Rover North America llc Aston Martin Lagondast North America And many others
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Recent Transactions Representation of Chinese buyer of two operating divisions from major U.S. Tier 1 supplier, encompassing operations in ten other countries, including Mexico, U.K., Poland, India and China. This constituted one of the largest acquisitions of a U.S. company by a China-based entity. Representation of General Motors in sale of Hummer brand and business to Tengzhong Group. Assisted major auto manufacturer in sale of subsidiary luxury brand auto manufacturer in Europe to Middle Eastern buyer. Acquisition by U.S. auto parts manufacturer from public Canada corporation of a manufacturing division with operations in China (a wholly foreign-owned China entity) and Canada (two separate manufacturing locations). Represented aftermarket auto parts supplier in its $48 million acquisition of regional competitor. Represented a publicly held U.S. Tier 1 automotive supplier in sale of its Midwestern and Southeastern manufacturing plants. Acquisition of Illinois manufacturer of chassis and suspension components for the agricultural and automotive industries by Michigan private equity fund. Acquisition of U.K., European and U.S. aerospace operations of Fortune 11 company by German acquirer. Represented U.S. Fortune 500 company in establishing an auto composite manufacturing company in China. Represented numerous wholly foreign-owned enterprises and joint ventures related to paint/industrial coatings and JV for blending facility for automotive lubricants. Assisted one of the largest private companies in China in acquiring significant equity stakes in two listed companies involving a $320 million investment. Represented NYSE-listed company in multiple restructurings and acquisitions in various Taiwan, Hong Kong and People s Republic of China operations, and in the further establishment of four greenfield wholly foreign-owned enterprises involving electronic enclosures and industrial tools businesses. Acquisition, with restructuring, of three foreign-invested electronic components manufacturers by a U.S. industry leader. 3 With established relationships in government, business and key industries, our team has the insight and in-country experience to help you get automotive deals done.
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Lawyer Biographies George D. Martin minneapolis Phone: 612-766-7055 Email: gmartin@faegre.com George Martin is head of the Faegre & Benson corporate group, co-chair of the firm s international practice and co-founder of its China practice. George spent five years in China and Central Europe advising U.S. and European multinational companies on foreign investment and operational matters. His experience includes joint ventures, and mergers and acquisitions; establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises, including assembly and processing facilities in free trade zones; licensing and technology transfer arrangements, including trade secret protection; commercial contracting for overseas operations; investment restructuring and review; Foreign Corrupt Practices Act compliance; and government relations, negotiations, and approvals. Robert B. Weiss detroit Phone: 313-465-7596 Email: rweiss@honigman.com Robert Weiss is chair of the Honigman commercial law, bankruptcy, and reorganization department. His practice emphasizes representation of varied business interests in all aspects of commercial law with a focus in the automotive sector. He is the firm s liaison partner with General Motors and leads the Honigman team in representation of GM affiliates throughout North America. The team represents GM on an exclusive basis regarding financially troubled critical vendors. Robert s commercial business experience includes representation of manufacturing companies and financial institutions in complex commercial transactions (both within the United States and cross border) and litigation matters over the past 25 years. 4 David Foltyn detroit Phone: 313-465-7380 Email: dfoltyn@honigman.com David Foltyn serves as chairman and chief executive officer for Honigman. He counsels publicly and privately held business clients, boards of directors, and venture capital and financial service firms in corporate mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, financial transactions, public offerings and private placements of securities and debt, and corporate governance matters. David has acted as lead outside counsel in numerous merger and acquisition transactions. He has represented several issuers in initial public stock offerings and has served as lead counsel in many public stock and debt offerings. David recently acted as lead outside counsel in formation of a full-service investment and advisory firm.
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Lawyer Biographies John V. Grobowski Shanghai Phone: +86 21 6171 6588 Email: jgrobowski@faegre.com John Grobowski is co-chair of the Faegre & Benson Greater China practice and is managing partner of the firm s Shanghai office. With more than 20 years of experience in the China business environment, John focuses his practice on advising multinational corporations in the establishment, acquisition and operation of manufacturing companies and service providers throughout China. John is a recognized authority on business law in China. He has served on People s Republic of China government advisory panels on competition law legislation and venture capital law reforms. He is also a frequent speaker and writer on subjects related to doing business in China. John P. Kanan detroit Phone: 313-465-7438 Email: jkanan@honigman.com John Kanan, a partner in the Honigman corporate and securities department, counsels publicly and privately held businesses and their owners and directors. He acts as outside general counsel to dozens of companies in a variety of industries. John s areas of focus include international business transactions, acquisitions and divestitures; formation and certification of minority-owned and woman-owned companies and joint ventures; limited liability company and corporate formation and agreements among business owners; and software and technology licensing and development agreements. He also handles employee agreements, non-competition agreements, equity-based compensation plans and agreements, including stock option plans, bonus plans and other equity-like compensation arrangements. 5 ARTIS M. NOEL detroit Phone: 313-465-7502 Email: anoel@honigman.com Art Noel, of counsel with Honigman, is the former chief of export compliance for General Motors. In this capacity, he oversaw global export compliance involving more than 200 countries and 300,000 employees. Art negotiated and managed U.S. Department of State General Motors consent agreement obligations, including the creation of policies, procedures, training, business unit self evaluations, and formation of a compliance office. He also supervised, investigated and prepared voluntary disclosures for a number of federal agencies. Art has significant experience managing government litigation concerning U.S. and non-u.s. investigative matters, including employee misconduct, customs and trade, bribery, and improper data and technology transfers.
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Lawyer Biographies Jonathan P. O Brien KALAMAZOO Phone: 269-337-7704 Email: jobrien@honigman.com Jonathan O Brien serves as chair of the Honigman intellectual property practice group. He has a variety of experience in corporate and litigation matters, including intellectual property. He assists clients with matters such as procuring and enforcing domestic and international patents, negotiating and drafting agreements related to intellectual property transactional matters, conducting intellectual property due diligence for transactional matters, and rendering legal opinions on patent validity and/or patent non-infringement. He has drafted and prosecuted patents in a variety of technical areas, including pharmaceuticals, inorganic and polymer chemistries, biotechnology, material science, physics, nanotechnology, and mechanical engineering. Yiqiang (Lee) Li shanghai Phone: +86 21 6171 6568 Email: yli@faegre.com Yiqiang Li is a partner in the Faegre & Benson corporate practice in the Shanghai office. A U.S. and China law practitioner, he provides a full range of legal services in connection with foreign investment and commercial matters in China. Lee has represented several well-known Chinese companies in offshore M&A, litigation and IPO matters. Lee s practice is focused on the automotive, telecommunications, manufacturing, architectural, hospitality, insurance and finance industries. He advises companies conducting business in China on a wide range of matters, including structuring, negotiating and documenting international technology licensing arrangements, acquisitions, joint ventures and the establishment of wholly foreign-owned enterprises. 6 William K. Weimer minneapolis Phone: 612-766-8808 Email: wweimer@faegre.com Bill Weimer is a partner in the Faegre & Benson intellectual property practice. He focuses his practice on managing clients patent portfolios, carrying out freedom to operate investigations, drafting patent non-infringement and invalidity opinions, managing and settling patent and trade secret litigation, negotiating and drafting IP agreements, and preparing and prosecuting patent applications. Prior to joining Faegre & Benson, Bill was a senior intellectual property attorney at Imation Corp. responsible for counseling several operational divisions and staff groups. Emphasizing global IP strategy, his responsibilities involved portfolio management, agreements and litigation management, patent opinions and prosecution, and trade secret protection.
Automotive clients include General Motors Corporation, Auto Alliance Inc., BorgWarner Inc., Detroit Diesel Corporation, Durakon Industries, Factory Motor Parts, F Lawyer Biographies Melanie Wadsworth LONDON Phone: +44 (0)20 7450 4560 Email: mwadsworth@faegre.com Melanie Wadsworth is a qualified solicitor in England and a partner in the Faegre & Benson corporate practice. Melanie s practice is focused primarily on corporate finance transactions including mergers and acquisitions, initial and secondary offerings on securities exchanges, corporate restructurings and management buy-outs. Although her client base is drawn principally from the United Kingdom, much of Melanie s work involves an international element. She recently assisted a China-based automotive company in acquiring an automotive company in the U.K. Wendy Yan Shanghai Phone: +86 21 6171 6565 Email: wyan@faegre.com Wendy Yan is a corporate special counsel in the Faegre & Benson Shanghai office. She has extensive experience in multi-jurisdictional joint ventures, financings, mergers and acquisitions, technology transfers, real estate transactions, venture capital, private equity and general corporate counseling. Prior to joining Faegre & Benson, Wendy was a corporate lawyer in the Hong Kong office of another leading international law firm. 7 For more information, please visit www.autolegalteam.com Faegre & Benson llp and Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn llp are independent law firms. No partnership or joint venture exists between the two firms. Neither firm has the authority to bind the other.