The corporate department at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is lauded by clients for its ‘timely assistance’ and ‘very reliable’ team, which is jointly headed by Ken Lebrun, Jon Gray and counsel Christopher Kodama. The practice has a strong overlap with capital markets work, with individuals such as associate Paul Jun frequently advising clients on both M&A issues and capital markets transactions. Lebrun is proficient in public and private cross-border mergers and acquisitions, while Gray’s expertise lies in public US mergers. Further matters the practice offers advice on include joint ventures, global equity offerings, IPOs, Japanese REIT global offerings, sponsor-related exits, and regulatory issues. Other key names to note within the practice include ‘experienced and knowledgeable’ associates Paul Lee and Chihiro Sasaki.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Davis Polk & Wardwell is the best US law firm in Japan in relation to M&A financial advisory services.’
- ‘DPW provided us with timely assistance in preparing our valuation books and opinion even in the case of a deal under very tight schedule. In addition, they are always supportive and willing to respond to our general inquiries even not related to a particular transaction for which we retained them.’
Key clients
- Japan Industrial Partners, Inc.
- Shiseido Company, Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Shiseido on the transfer of a 80% stake in its professional business, including the Sublimic (hair care) and Primience (hair colour) salon brands, to Henkel.
- Advised KOITO MANUFACTURING CO. in connection with its $100m strategic investment in newly issued convertible preferred stock of Cepton, Inc., a Nasdaq listed company.