(April 8, 2003, Los Angeles) – Reed Smith LLP, a top-20 international law firm, today announced that Henry Ota is joining the firm’s Los Angeles office and heading up a Japan Practice Group within the Business & Finance Department. A practicing attorney in California for more than 30 years, Mr. Ota has been noted for his years of work for Japanese companies.
"Our firm has developed a significant client base among Japanese companies," said Gregory Jordan, Reed Smith's firmwide managing partner. "The addition of Henry to our already strong group of attorneys servicing these clients will further enhance our ability to meet their global legal services needs. At the same time, Henry will be able to offer his existing clients all the services Reed Smith provides across a comprehensive range of practice areas.”
A 1964 graduate of Dartmouth College, Mr. Ota earned his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1969. Throughout his career, his practice has focused on representing and advising Japanese multinationals on business activities in the United States, as well as representing Japanese multinationals in their global projects. In addition, he has represented U.S. companies in their business matters including operations in Japan and other parts of Asia. “With its presence now firmly established on the West Coast, it is natural for Reed Smith to enhance its current representation of clients from Japan and other parts of Asia with the launch of this specialty group, and I expect that the group will further expand to include all of Asia,” said Mr. Ota.
Mr. Ota’s practice is focused in the area of international and domestic business transactions including M & A, joint ventures and strategic alliances. He has extensive experience working with clients regarding the legal issues related to the distribution of products, manufacturing, and technology licensing related to products for sale in the United States and around the world. He has guided the entry of many companies into the U.S. marketplace and has advised their expanding U.S. operations on matters concerning new business opportunities, strategies and legal risk management.
His clients include corporations across a wide range of business sectors such as electronics, food, medical and dental products and services, motor vehicle products and services, steel, hotel, real estate, import and export services, pharmaceutical, chemical, musical products and consumer goods.
He is a member of the Asian International Business Advisory Council to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee to the California Assembly Select Committee on Asia Trade. Mr. Ota is also a member of the board of trustees of the Japanese American National Museum, the Board of Directors of the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, and the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
Reed Smith, a leading global law firm with nearly 1,000 lawyers located in 16 U.S. and two U.K. cities, represents Fortune 100 as well as mid-market and emerging companies. Clients include technology companies and entrepreneurs, financial services firms, life sciences companies and health care providers and insurers, communications companies, manufacturers, universities, non-profit organizations, real estate developers, and municipalities throughout the United States and in 40 countries. For more information, please visit reedsmith.com.