Our manufacturing clients work in a wide variety of industries, including automotive, machinery, chemicals, sporting equipment, oil and gas, solar, plastics, food and food additives, pulp and paper, and many others. We also represent entities of all sizes, from single individuals seeking lucrative opportunities for investment abroad to major multinational corporations. No matter the client, our professionals provide the same highly tailored service and attention to detail that each requires.
Site Selection & Economic Incentives
We connect clients to the right people at the right time. Our economic development team's relationships in municipal, county, state and federal governments have allowed us to partner with clients for many of the most significant economic development projects in the southern United States. Because of our location in seven states and Washington, D.C., we are uniquely situated to provide clients with a comprehensive look at the entire southeastern U.S., providing them with policy and tax incentive information, as well as region-specific stats. Services include environmental compliance and permitting, accessing grant funds, real estate acquisition, payment-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) and other incentive packaging, zoning ordinances, technology procurement, construction contracts and more.
Corporate & Litigation Strategy
Clients depend on us to be a vital partner for corporate strategy. We have created a government monitoring and analysis program for a Japanese auto parts maker, handled the $90 million private placement of senior notes for a chemical manufacturing company, saved several million dollars in retirement/employment costs for a client's relocation of its French manufacturing plants, obtained a $250 million loan secured by all the manufacturing assets of a client, outsourced an entire lead management program from the collection of potential customer inquiries all the way through the vehicle sale, and arranged for a Chinese city to absorb $2 million in relocation costs for our manufacturing client whose plant was being displaced by local authorities. We can help with all types of tax and finance issues, as well as mergers and acquisitions, labor and employment, intellectual property and beyond.
When it comes to litigation, our trial lawyers have an enviable record of success in defending regional, national and state-wide suits affecting a wide variety of manufacturing companies. Our successes include defense wins on behalf of auto, chemical, food, drug and device manufacturers and many others. We have defeated class certification in federal court for a pesticide manufacturer, represented a spinal screw manufacturer in mass tort litigation, defeated countless product liability allegations in hostile venues, defended manufacturers of consumer products in environmental enforcement and compliance actions, and obtained dismissals for Fortune 100 manufacturers in numerous death and catastrophic injury cases alleging design, manufacturing and warning defects.
Representative Matters
- Represented a joint venture entity that constructed a $900 million automobile manufacturing facility in the Southeast. Assisted in all phases of project including contract negotiations with owner, subcontractors, vendors, suppliers, and local, state and federal agencies.
- Represented one of India's foremost automobile manufacturing companies in a widely publicized U.S. transaction relating to the manufacture of aviation parts, valued in excess of $1 billion.
- Represented a major Japanese automobile manufacturing company in its successful efforts to set up a Foreign Trade subzone. Representation included the management and prosecution of the application for the subzone through the U.S. Department of Commerce.
- Obtained defense verdict for automobile manufacturer in rear-end collision case involving plaintiff who claimed complete and total disability resulting from injuries incurred in accident.
- Defended nationally known manufacturing company based in Tennessee in wage and hour audit by the U.S. Department of Labor involving 60 design engineers and numerous other positions including accounting, planners, computer and help desk personnel.
- Conducted a nationwide wage and hour audit for a manufacturing client which included the review of over 100 job titles.
- Served as mediator in a nuisance suit brought as a class action by members of a community which asserted that the homes in the community had been seriously damaged by the fumes from a nearby battery manufacturing process plant.
- Represented a manufacturing company in its $145 million sale by reverse merger.
- Represented a client in the acquisition, valued at over $500 million, of a major parts manufacturer.
- Represented world’s largest privately held chemical company in connection with a $37 million lawsuit arising from a major expansion of MDI, nitrobenzene and aniline production facilities at a Louisiana chemical manufacturing plant. The dispute with the engineering,
- procurement and construction contractor involved issues of alleged defective welds, defective field construction and workmanship, defective engineering and design, defective project management and scheduling, and unpaid invoices. After several months of intense discovery
- and pre-trial preparation, we successfully negotiated a favorable settlement of the dispute through mediation.
- Conducted a major environmental audit of an electronics manufacturer's facility, implemented compliance corrections and favorably resolved a major EPCRA violation.
- Advised a Tennessee city on city-wide deployment of solar power production facilities, including land lease negotiations and equipment licensing for third-party equipment owners/installers.