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MoFo Advises Rivian Automotive on Final Close of Technology Joint Venture with Volkswagen

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Morrison Foerster has advised Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) on the formation of an equally controlled and owned joint venture (JV) with Volkswagen Group (XETRA: VOW / VWO3) to create next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles. The transaction closed on November 13, 2024.

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Morrison Foerster has advised Rivian Automotive (NASDAQ: RIVN) on the formation of an equally controlled and owned joint venture (JV) with Volkswagen Group (XETRA: VOW / VWO3) to create next generation software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms to be used in both companies’ future electric vehicles. The transaction closed on November 13, 2024.The partnership will accelerate software development for Rivian and Volkswagen Group. It would be expected to allow both companies to combine their complementary strengths. Rivian’s proven in-market zonal hardware design and integrated technology platform are expected to serve as the foundation for future SDV development in the JV. Both companies aim to launch vehicles benefiting from the technology created within the joint venture in the second half of the decade.The MoFo team is led by Palo Alto corporate partners Mike Krigbaum and Shiri Shenhav, and San Francisco technology transactions partner Aaron Rubin. Significant antitrust advice is being provided by Berlin of counsel Jens Hackl, and Washington, D.C. partner Jeff Jaeckel, with tax advice in Berlin provided by partner Dr. Jens Uwe Hinder and San Francisco by partner Bernie Pistillo, and Berlin senior associate Dr. Jenny Broekmann-Friese. San Francisco corporate associate Daigo Takahashi; Palo Alto corporate associates Katherine Suzuki, Ophir Gam, Lovina Consunji and Hanna Balcha; New York privacy partner Marian Waldmann Agarwal and of counsel Jonathan Louis Newmark; and Austin technology transactions of counsel Lawrence Gallick and Palo Alto associate Daisuke Alexander Gatanaga, are also involved.

MoFo Advises Rivian Automotive on Final Close of Technology Joint Venture with Volkswagen

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Mike focuses on mergers and acquisitions, including private and public acquisitions of technology and life sciences companies on both the buy-side and target-side, and venture capital transactions, as well as on emerging company counseling.For his M&A clients, Mike advises on domestic and cross-border deal structuring and mechanics relating to stock and asset purchases, mergers, divestitures, tender offers, joint ventures, spin-offs and restructurings.Mike also represents a number of venture capital firms, corporate venture capital divisions and emerging companies, both in the technology and life science industries, with respect to venture capital transactions, negotiations and structuring, as well as general emerging company counseling.<h4>Representative Transactions</h4><h5>Mergers and Acquisitions</h5><ul><li>Vontier Corporation in its sale of Global Traffic Technologies, LLC, a US-based leading provider of intelligent traffic management systems and solutions, to Miovision, a Canada-based traffic optimization company.</li></ul><ul><li>Era Software, an observability and log management innovator, in connection with its sale to ServiceNow (NSYE: NOW), a leading digital workflow company.</li><li>Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. in connection with its $2 billion acquisition of Questar Pipeline, consisting of Dominion Energy Questar Pipeline, LLC, its subsidiaries, and certain associated affiliates, including Overthrust Pipeline, White River Hub, and Questar Field Services from Dominion Energy, Inc.</li></ul><ul><li>Unical Aviation Inc. and certain of the company’s affiliates in its sale to Platinum Equity, a Los Angeles-based global investment firm with more than $25 billion of assets under management. </li><li>MobileIron, Inc. in its sale for approximately $900 million to Ivanti, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise-grade intelligent IT management and security software solutions.</li><li>McAfee in its acquisition of Skyhigh Networks, Inc., a worldwide leader in the cloud access security broker (CASB) market segment.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its $1.54 billion acquisition of AirWatch, a mobile device management provider.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of Ananda Networks, a cloud-managed service that enables organizations to create their own private networks</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of AetherPal, Inc., a market leader in mobile support.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of Avi Networks, developer of an application delivery platform designed to deliver multi-cloud application services.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of BitRock, Inc. (doing business as Bitnami), a leader in application packaging solutions.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of CloudCoreo, a next-generation cloud security service.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of CloudVelox, a designer of cloud automation and optimization software.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of Desktone, Inc., a Massachusetts-based company that pioneered Desktops as a Service (DaaS), delivering desktops and applications as a cloud service.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of <a rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://mode.net/">Mode.net</a>, developer of a cloud-based online performance platform intended to transform the cost and convenience of private fiber.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of network analytics software firm Nyansa.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of the Mountain View-based cloud networking startup VeloCloud™ Networks, Inc.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of Veriflow Systems, provider of network security systems designed to eliminate outages and vulnerabilities in the network.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in the sale of the rights to its VMware vCloud Government Service, a FedRAMP-compliant solution that was developed in partnership between QTS and VMware to deliver cloud services to the Federal sector, to QTS Realty Trust, an international provider of data center, managed hosting, and cloud services.</li><li>VMware, Inc. in its acquisition of Wavefront, a metrics monitoring service for cloud and modern application environments.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisition of assets of <a rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://art.com/">Art.com</a>, the world’s largest online retailer in the art and wall décor category.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisition of Bare Necessities, an online retailer of women’s bras, swimwear, shapewear and sleepwear.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisition of Eloquii, Inc., a retailer of women’s apparel specifically designed for women size 14 and up.</li><li>Walmart and its Global eCommerce division in a strategic alliance with <a rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://jd.com/">JD.com</a>, China’s largest e-commerce company by revenue, in a transaction that included Walmart’s acquisition of an equity stake in <a rel="noopener" target="_blank" href="https://jd.com/">JD.com</a> valued at approximately $1.5 billion.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisition of MeMD, Inc., a multi-specialty telehealth provider.</li><li>Vendorin, LLC, an integrated payment network and supplier engagement platform, in its $90 million sale to Corcentric, Inc., a leading provider of source-to-pay and order-to-cash software and services. </li><li>Mirantis, Inc. in its acquisition of the Docker Enterprise platform business from Docker, Inc.</li><li>McKesson Corporation, a leading international healthcare services and information technology company, in its acquisitions of Vantage Oncology, LLC, a leading national provider of radiation oncology, medical oncology and integrated cancer care, and Biologics, Inc., an oncology pharmacy services company. The combined value of the two transactions is $1.2 billion.</li><li>McKesson Corporation in its acquisition of LABSCO, a privately held, Kentucky-based distributor of diagnostic equipment for community hospital labs and private office labs.</li><li>McKesson Corporation in the $130 million sale of ZEE Medical to Cintas Corporation, the publicly traded uniform and first aid products company.</li><li>McKesson Corporation in the restructuring and divestiture of McKesson’s VITAL Platform to private equity firm Comvest Investment Partners.</li><li>Intel Corporation in its acquisition of the HTML5 developer tools business of appMobi, Inc., a Lancaster, PA, company that provides development tools and cloud-based services built on HTML5, CSS and Javascript.</li><li>Intel Corporation in its acquisition of Basis Science, Inc., a wearable fitness watch company.</li><li>Intel Corporation in its acquisition of Mashery, Inc. via a reverse triangular merger.</li><li>Intel Corporation in the acquisition of a Korean computer vision company.</li><li>Intel Corporation in the asset purchase of a digital media design company.</li><li>Santen Pharmaceutical in its acquisition of InnFocus, a development stage medical device company.</li><li>RNTS Media N.V. in its acquisition of Heyzap, Inc., a mobile advertising network company based in San Francisco.</li></ul><h5>Venture Capital</h5><ul><li>Walmart in a $500 million financing and strategic alliance with New Dada, China's largest localized on-demand logistics and grocery O2O ecommerce platform.</li><li>Delivery Hero in connection with several venture capital investments.</li><li>Taiho Ventures (an investment arm of Taiho Pharmaceuticals) in its strategic investments in multiple startup companies.</li><li>Astellas Venture Management (an investment arm of Astellas Pharma) in multiple venture capital investments, including both early- and late-stage investments.</li><li>Santen Pharmaceutical in multiple venture capital investments, including both early- and late-stage investments.</li><li>Spectrum28 (an early-stage investment fund) in multiple seed investments.</li><li>Longitude Capital in multiple venture capital investments, including both early- and late-stage investments, as well as cross-border investments.</li><li>New Enterprise Associates and Oak Investment Partners as sellers and continuing shareholders in a strategic alliance between their portfolio company Lianlian Group, a China-based mobile services company, and American Express.</li><li>Snaplogic, a cloud and data integration company, in its Series A, Series B and Series C financing rounds.</li><li>DNAnexus, a provider of cloud-based genome informatics and data management, in its incorporation and Series A and Series B financing rounds.</li><li>Sight Sciences, an ophthalmic medical device company, in its Series A and Series B financing rounds.</li><li>Sugarfina, Inc., a luxury candy brand that now operates over 30 boutiques and Nordstrom shop-in-shops across North America, in its Series B Preferred Stock financing.</li></ul>

Mike Krigbaum

Partner

Shiri Shenhav is a partner in the Transactions Department and the Mergers + Acquisitions Group based in Palo Alto. Shiri maintains a corporate transactional practice focusing on mergers and acquisitions and equity investments in the technology industry for public and private companies.Shiri regularly assists strategic buyers and private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a variety of domestic and cross-border transactions, including deal structuring and mechanics, stock and asset purchases, mergers, divestitures, and spin-offs. Shiri also regularly represents companies with respect to their equity investments, joint ventures, and other strategic transactions, as well as general corporate counseling.As an accomplished attorney certified in California and in Israel, Shiri has extensive experience representing multinational corporations and funds in cross-border transactions involving Israeli aspects.Shiri is fluent in Hebrew.<h4 dir="ltr">Representative Experience</h4><ul dir="ltr"><li>SoftBank in connection with its acquisition of Berkshire Grey.</li><li>Vontier Corporation in its sale of Global Traffic Technologies to Miovision.</li><li>Walmart in its acquisitions of Art.com, Aspectiva, BareWeb, CareZone, Eloquii, MeMD, and Zeekit.</li><li>Zivelo in its acquisition by VeriFone.</li><li>Unity Technologies in its acquisition of RestAR.</li><li>Alpine Investors and its managed IT services and software platform Evergreen Services Group in connection with the acquisitions of Alliance Solutions Group, Global Wave Group, and Telco Experts.</li><li>Alpine Investors in its acquisition of Ethisphere. </li><li>Astroscale U.S., the U.S. unit of Astroscale Holdings, in its acquisition of certain the intellectual property and other assets and proposed hiring of certain members of the staff of Effective Space Solutions R&D. </li><li>Gryphon Investors and RegEd in the acquisition of ComplianceMAX and FIRE Continuing Education businesses from National Regulatory Services.</li><li>Mirantis in its acquisition of the Docker Enterprise platform business from Docker.</li><li>Rubicon Technology Partners in its strategic majority investment in the merger of EverTrue and ThankView.</li><li>Peer5 in its sale to Microsoft Corporation.</li><li dir="ltr">Protean Electric in its acquisition by National Electric Vehicle Sweden AB.</li></ul>

Shiri Shenhav

Aaron is the chair of the firm’s Technology Transactions Group and co-chair of the Interactive + Digital Media Group. He advises clients on a wide range of complex transactions involving intellectual property and technology, including structuring and negotiating strategic licensing, development, collaboration, procurement, and distribution deals.Aaron’s practice focuses on advising both established and emerging companies in a variety of data- and technology-intensive sectors, including software, SaaS, cloud-based technology, digital media (social media, AR/VR, gaming, streaming media, AdTech), AI, healthcare, consumer electronics, e-commerce, other online business models, and mobile applications. He also maintains an active practice counseling companies on branding and marketing, trademark licensing, and content-related transactions, as well as the intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions, asset spin-offs, and private equity investments.He has represented clients such as Autodesk, Meta, OpenAI, Splunk, Konami, Kaiser Permanente, SoftBank, Visa, and Yahoo, among others.Aaron has been recognized by numerous publications for his work on market-defining technology transactions. He is currently ranked by Chambers USA for “Technology Transactions.”Aaron also serves as co-editor of Socially Aware, the firm’s award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media, and regularly publishes on various IP and technology-related topics. Aaron is also a sought-after speaker on new and emerging areas of law, and is a frequent presenter and panelist at conferences and legal services programs. In addition to his active practice, Aaron regularly provides pro bono assistance to various nonprofit and charitable organizations such as Common Sense Media and the Starlight Children’s Foundation. He is a member of the board of directors of California Lawyers for the Arts.While in law school at the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, Aaron served as executive editor of the California Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following law school, Aaron served as law clerk to the Honorable William H. Orrick and the Honorable Martin J. Jenkins, both United States District Judges for the Northern District of California.

Aaron P. Rubin

Jens is a counsel at Morrison Foerster’s German office in Berlin. He advises clients in all areas of European and German competition law, including merger control filings, cartel authority investigations, cartel damage claims, distribution cartel law, antitrust compliance programs and unfair competition law. Jens has particular industry-specific experience in the areas of media, technology, telecommunication, transport and aviation. In addition, he advises in the fields of state aid and public procurement law.Within the scope of the above described practice areas, Jens particularly provides antitrust advice on (cross-border) M&A projects where he coordinates multi-jurisdictional merger filings involving European, U.S. and Asian authorities. Jens further advises clients on a wide range of operational issues (e.g., abuse of dominance and internal investigations) and also represents them in litigation (e.g., (cross-border) cartel damage claims and claims based on unfair competition law).Jens studied at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald. Afterwards, he worked as an academic assistant at the university and obtained his Dr. iur. in competition law. During his internship (second state exam in law), Jens worked for the Federal Ministry of the Interior and an international law firm in Berlin and Brussels.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Representation of plaintiffs in follow-on cartel damages cases (for example, against the German sugar cartel). </li><li>Advice to a Japanese multinational company as defendant in follow-on cartel damage claims relating to cathode ray tubes and rechargeable batteries. </li><li>Advice to Japanese companies in cartel investigations. </li><li>Advice to and representation of cable network operator Tele Columbus GmbH on antitrust, public procurement law and unfair competition law. </li><li>Advising a global music entertainment corporation on various commercial matters, in particular on the structuring of an international joint venture. </li><li>Assisted with representation of Renesas Electronics, a Tokyo-based semiconductor supplier, in its $3.2 billion acquisition of Intersil Corporation, a leading U.S. chipmaker. </li><li>Acting as ongoing antitrust counsel for a leading German pay-TV provider regarding restructuring and marketing issues. </li><li>Advised HALEX Holding GmbH (a portfolio company of H2 Private Equity Partners) on the acquisition of Händle Härterei GmbH.& Co. KG. </li><li>Advice to Viacom on a TV and video ad sales marketing joint venture with Axel Springer SE. </li><li>Advice to Axel Springer SE regarding the acquisition of N24 Media GmbH. </li><li>Advice to Vita-Mix Corp., a U.S. manufacturer of high-end blenders, on its distribution system. </li><li>Advice on public procurement law to a client in the health care industry. </li><li>Advising a major international airline in a proceeding before the General Court regarding the access to the administrative file of a cartel investigation of the European Commission. </li><li>Advising a major international entity of the railway sector on issues regarding cartel damage claims. </li><li>Advice to and representation of several entities of the broadband cable market and the media, telecommunication and technology sector in competition law matters (merger control; cartel litigation; abuse of dominance).</li></ul>

Dr. Jens Hackl ist Counsel des deutschen Büros von Morrison Foerster in Berlin. Er berät Mandanten schwerpunktmäßig im europäischen und deutschen Kartellrecht, u. a. in Fusionskontrollverfahren, Kartellverfahren, im Vertriebskartellrecht sowie bei kartellrechtlichen Compliance Programmen.Branchenspezifische Kenntnisse besitzt Jens Hackl hierbei in den Bereichen Medien, Telekommunikation, Transport und Luftfahrt. Zudem berät er Mandanten im Beihilfen- und Vergaberecht sowie zu Fragen des Lauterkeitsrechts (UWG).Dr. Jens Hackl studierte an der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald und promovierte dort im Rahmen seiner Tätigkeit als wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter im Kartellrecht. Während des Referendariats war er im Bundesinnenministerium und bei einer international tätigen Wirtschaftskanzlei in Berlin und Brüssel tätig.<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Beratung einer internationalen Fluggesellschaft in einem Verfahren vor dem Gericht der Europäischen Union hinsichtlich des Zugangs zur Verwaltungsakte einer Kartelluntersuchung der Europäischen Kommission.</li><li>Beratung eines internationalen Unternehmens des Eisenbahnsektors hinsichtlich kartellrechtlicher Schadensersatzansprüche (follow-on-Klage).</li><li>Außergerichtliche und gerichtliche Beratung diverser Unternehmen aus dem Medien- und Breitbandkabelsektor hinsichtlich kartellrechtlicher Fragen (Fusionskontrolle, Kartellverfahren, Missbrauch einer marktbeherrschenden Stellung).</li></ul>

Jens Hackl

Counsel

Jeff has notable experience representing public and private corporations in connection with their most significant and complicated antitrust litigation in federal and state courts. He regularly represents clients in all antitrust aspects of complicated transactional matters, including strategy and structuring of transactions to avoid antitrust risk and achieve strategic business objectives, and U.S. and multinational merger notification and review. Jeff also represents domestic and international companies in connection with government investigations of conduct, including civil investigations relating to monopolization or criminal investigations of alleged price-fixing. Jeff also assists clients in the protection of their intellectual property and counsels clients on the antitrust ramifications of commercial agreements to capitalize on the value of intellectual property.Jeff represents clients across a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, semiconductors, software, Internet services, transportation, consumer products, telecommunications, and media and entertainment.In addition to his active practice, Jeff is Morrison Foerster’s Vice Chair. Jeff formerly served as co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Global Antitrust Law Practice Group and as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors, and co-chair of the firm’s eDiscovery Task Force.Jeff serves as an associate editor of the Antitrust Magazine of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section. He graduated with honors and was a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society in Economics. He was a writing staff member for the Wisconsin Environmental Law Journal, and was elected to Order of the Coif.

Jeff Jaeckel

Vice Chair

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe title="Meet Jens-Uwe Hinder, Tax Partner" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/6r09Nbw4Syk?rel=0&showinfo=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="1" class="sticky-video" title="iframe"></iframe></div>With more than 20 years of experience advising German and international institutional and private investors, Jens-Uwe is the go-to partner in our German office when it comes to tax advice. One of his key focuses is advising clients in connection with their cross-border investments (share and asset deals), including tax structuring, contract drafting, and negotiating and implementing tax structures, as well as supporting them with their project management and due diligence processes or restructuring their businesses. He regularly advises clients in the media, technology, real estate, and transportation sectors.In addition to advising national and multinational enterprises, Jens-Uwe has also established a reputation for advising publicly owned undertakings, especially on tax matters in connection with their commercial businesses, such as sale and leaseback transactions, or in conjunction with their real estate assets.Jens-Uwe has been lecturing about tax and business law at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Berlin since 2004 and income tax and international tax at the University of Potsdam since 2015. He regularly publishes in the areas of corporate income tax, trade tax matters, and international tax.He is frequently recommended in legal directories, including Legal 500, Best Lawyers, and JUVE, one of Germany’s main legal directories, describing his practice as “highly regarded for its tax law capability.” He has won the European Tax Awards from International Tax Review twice.At MoFo, Jens-Uwe heads our German Tax practice. He is an acknowledged Tax Adviser by the Berlin Senate Administration for Finance.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>21st Century Fox regarding the sale of the Fox Mobile Group (Jamba!) to a financial investor.</li><li>21st Century Fox on the subscription of a convertible bond and the capital increase of Sky.</li><li>DAM Invest on the restructuring of financing and the acquisition of RAIL.ONE by AXA PE.</li><li>Italian investor group on the acquisition of a property portfolio.</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in connection with international leasing structures.</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in connection with the sale of the Potsdamer Strasse properties in Berlin.</li><li>KEOLIS on the bidding process for Arriva Deutschland. </li><li>JER Real Estate Partners on the sale of a residential and commercial real estate portfolio of 40 properties for a purchase price of €160 million.</li><li>APN Funds Management Limited regarding the acquisition of 200 shopping centers throughout Germany for approx. €600 million.</li><li>Colony Capital on investment matters concerning national and international investment in the US Colony Real Estate III funds.</li><li>Deutsche Bank, London, on the international tax structuring of the acquisition of a shopping center in Germany.</li><li>Catalyst Capital on the international tax structuring of investments in Berlin.</li><li>PubliGroupe S.A. with regard to a joint venture (Zanox) with Axel Springer.</li></ul>

Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder berät seit mehr als 20 Jahren nationale sowie internationale institutionelle und private Investoren und ist der erste Ansprechpartner unseres deutschen Büros, wenn es um steuerrechtliche Fragestellungen geht. Er berät Mandanten schwerpunktmäßig in Zusammenhang mit grenzüberschreitenden Investitionen (Share und Asset Deals), einschließlich Steuerstrukturierung, Vertragsgestaltung sowie Verhandlung und Umsetzung komplexer Steuerstrukturen. Er unterstützt Mandanten auch bei deren Projektsteuerung, Due Diligence und Unternehmensrestrukturierungen mit einem besonderen Fokus auf die Branchen Medien, Technologie, Immobilien und Transportwesen.Neben der Beratung von nationalen und multinationalen Unternehmen, ist Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder ein erfahrener und angesehener Berater von Unternehmen der öffentlichen Hand, die er bei steuerlichen Fragen im Zusammenhang mit ihren Betrieben gewerblicher Art, wie zum Beispiel Sale-and-lease-back-Transaktionen, sowie im Zusammenhang mit ihrem Immobilienvermögen berät.Von 2004 - 2018 lehrte Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder Steuer- und Wirtschaftsrecht an der Berlin-Brandenburgischen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin und seit 2015 lehrt er Einkommenssteuerrecht und Internationales Steuerrecht an der Universität Potsdam. Er veröffentlicht regelmäßig zu Fragen des Körperschaftsteuer- und Gewerbesteuerrechts sowie des internationalen Steuerrechts.Legal 500, Best Lawyers und JUVE empfehlen Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder regelmäßig für seine Beratungstätigkeit und JUVE, Deutschlands führendes Anwaltsverzeichnis, beschreibt seine Praxis als „hoch angesehen für ihre steuerrechtlichen Fähigkeiten“. Er wurde bereits zweimal mit dem „European Tax Award“ des International Tax Review ausgezeichnet.Dr. Jens-Uwe Hinder ist Leiter der Praxisgruppe Steuer-und Bilanzrecht in Deutschland. Er hat seinen LL.M. an der University of San Diego und seinen Doktortitel (Dr. iur.) an der Universität Münster erworben. Er hat zudem einen Abschluss als staatlich geprüfter Steuerberater von der Senatsverwaltung für Finanzen in Berlin.<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox beim Verkauf von Sky Deutschland an BSkyB</li><li>Beratung der Anschutz Entertainment Group beim Verkauf von Projektentwicklungsimmobilien</li><li>Beratung einer kanadischen Pensionskasse bei Joint Venture Investitionen in Deutschland</li><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox bei der Veräußerung der Fox Mobile Group (Jamba!) an einen Finanzinvestor</li><li>Beratung von 21st Century Fox  bei der Zeichnung einer Wandelschuldverschreibung und der Kapitalerhöhung bei Sky</li><li>Beratung der DAM Invest bei der Restrukturierung, der Finanzierung und dem Erwerb von RAIL.ONE von AXA PE</li><li>Beratung einer italienischen Investorengruppe beim Erwerb eines Immobilienportfolios</li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe im Zusammenhang mit internationalen Leasingstrukturen</li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe im Zusammenhang mit dem Verkauf der Immobilien Potsdamer Straße in Berlin</li><li>Beratung der KEOLIS beim Bieterverfahren für die Arriva Deutschland</li><li>Beratung der JER Real Estate Partners bei der Veräußerung eines Wohn- und Gewerbeimmobilienportfolios von 40 Objekten zu einem Kaufpreis von EUR 160 Millionen</li><li>Beratung der APN Funds Management Limited hinsichtlich des Erwerbs von 200 Einkaufszentren deutschlandweit für ca. EUR 600 Millionen</li><li>Beratung der Colony Capital bei Investitionsfragen bezüglich der Beteiligung von nationalen und internationalen Investoren an den US Colony Real Estate III Fonds</li><li>Beratung der Deutschen Bank, London, bei der internationalen Steuerstrukturierung des Erwerbs eines Einkaufszentrums in Deutschland</li><li>Beratung der Catalyst Capital bei der internationalen Steuerstrukturierung von Investitionen in Berlin</li><li>Beratung der PubliGroupe S.A. in Bezug auf ein Joint Venture (Zanox) mit Axel Springer</li></ul>

Jens-Uwe Hinder

Bernie Pistillo is a partner in the San Francisco office of the firm’s Federal Tax Group. He regularly advises on the U.S. federal income tax aspects of international and domestic mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings and spin-offs, and tax controversy matters in the international area, particularly transfer pricing, the development and exploitation of technology and intellectual property and the structuring of international operations for both start-up entities and existing corporate groups. His practice involves the coordination of tax laws in multiple jurisdictions to develop and implement cross-jurisdictional tax planning, overall operational synergies and worldwide tax minimization strategies. He also is regularly involved in the negotiation of strategic joint ventures and partnerships and the structuring of private equity funds and their investments. Bernie also advises on financial product development and the tax aspects of financial institution and insurance company operations.Bernie is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board at Tulane University School of Law, the Steering Committee of the Northern California Chapter of the U.S.A. Branch of the International Fiscal Association, the Planning Committee for the USC Gould School of Law Tax Institute, and the Tax Review and the Tax Club, both in New York City. He is admitted to practice in California, New York and Arizona.He is a frequent lecturer and author on matters relating to international taxation and corporate taxation generally.Bernie is recommended by Legal 500 US for US Taxes: Contentious, US Taxes: Non-Contentious and International Tax.Recent Client Transactions include:<ul><li>Softbank Corp. in connection with its $1 billion investment in WorldVu Satellites Ltd (OneWeb) and of SoftBank and OneWeb in connection with the negotiation and execution of an agreement pursuant to which OneWeb will merge with Intelsat SA in a share-for-share transaction.</li><li>Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd in making an $800 million investment in Verily Life Sciences (formerly Google Life Sciences), Alphabet’s health-focused subsidiary.</li><li>Boyd Gaming Corporation in the sale of its 50% equity interest, valued at $900 million, in Marina District Development Holding Company, LLC, the parent company of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to MGM Resorts International.</li><li>The co-founder of Broadcom Corp. in connection with its acquisition by Avago Technologies Ltd. in a cash and stock transaction with a combined enterprise value of $77 billion.</li><li>VMWare in planning a joint venture with EMC Corporation to form a new cloud services business, as well as in connection with the planned $67 billion acquisition of EMC by Dell Inc. using tracking stock of VMWare.</li><li>McKesson Corporation in numerous acquisitions in the healthcare and related areas.</li><li>SoftBank Corp. in connection with its acquisition of a 78% interest in Sprint Nextel for an enterprise value of $44.8 billion.</li><li>MicroPort Scientific Corp. in connection with its acquisition of the worldwide OrthoRecon operating segment of Wright Medical Group Inc.</li><li>Toshiba Tec Corp. on its $874 million acquisition of the worldwide retail store solutions business of IBM Corp.</li><li>Textainer Group Holdings Ltd. in connection with a review of its worldwide operating structure to improve financial and legal efficiencies.</li><li>Novellus Inc. in its tax-free stock-for-stock acquisition by Lam Research Corp valued at $3.3 billion.</li><li>Carlyle Group in its acquisition of Walbro Engine Management from Sun Capital Partners and related LBO financing</li></ul>

Bernie J. Pistillo

Jenny is a senior associate at Morrison Foerster’s German office in Berlin. She advises domestic and international clients, in particular in the media, technology, real estate, and transportation sectors, on all tax law issues.One of her key focuses is national and international corporate tax law, with particular emphasis on tax structuring and transactional advice. Furthermore, she has specialized, extensive knowledge in providing comprehensive tax law advice to public-sector companies.In addition, Jenny also advises domestic and international clients, as well as their in-house tax law departments, on questions regarding the taxation of their employees. This especially includes advice on the structuring of employee participation programs and advice on all kinds of wage tax issues, such as the taxation of monetary benefits or questions regarding the posting of employees.She also focuses on tax advice in connection with cross-border investments (share and asset deals), including tax structuring, contract drafting, and the negotiation and implementation of complex tax structures.In addition, she advises NGOs on all nonprofit and association law issues.Jenny has more than six years of professional experience in the field of tax law. Before joining Morrison & Foerster, she worked as a research assistant with a focus on tax law in an international law firm in Berlin. She studied law at the University of Münster and wrote her doctoral thesis on the taxation of the use of assets under German exit tax rules (Sec. 4 (1) s. 3, 4 German Income Tax Act, Sec. 12 (1) German Corporate Tax Act).Representative Experience<ul><li>Tax advice to the shareholders of Scienion AG on the sale of their shares to the Swedish company Cellink AB, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.</li><li>Tax advice to the Swiss asset manager Kieger on the acquisition of the legal personnel service provider Perconex.</li><li>Tax advice to the leading global dating platform Spark Networks SE on the acquisition of Zoosk, Inc.</li><li>Tax advice to Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe in connection with international leasing structures.</li><li>Comprehensive tax advice to a German real estate company on restructuring options and the implementation of a cross-border merger.</li><li>Tax advice with respect to employee participation programs.</li></ul>

Dr. Jenny Broekmann ist Senior Associate des deutschen Büros von Morrison Foerster in Berlin. Sie berät nationale und internationale Mandanten zu allen steuerrechtlichen Fragestellungen mit einem Fokus auf den Branchen Medien, Technologie, Immobilien und Transportwesen.Schwerpunktmäßig ist sie im Bereich des nationalen sowie internationalen Unternehmenssteuerrechts und dabei vor allem in der steuerlichen Gestaltungs- und Transaktionsberatung tätig. Sie ist zudem auf die umfassende steuerrechtliche Beratung von Unternehmen der öffentlichen Hand, insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit Betrieben gewerblicher Art, spezialisiert.Ebenso berät Dr. Jenny Broekmann deutsche und internationale Mandanten und deren Inhouse-Steuerrechtsabteilungen zu Fragen im Bereich der Besteuerung ihrer Arbeitnehmer, u.a. zur Ausgestaltung von Mitarbeiterbeteiligungsprogrammen, zu lohnsteuerrechtlichen Fragen zur Besteuerung geldwerter Vorteile und zur Arbeitnehmerentsendung.Zudem ist sie auf die Beratung im Zusammenhang mit grenzüberschreitenden Investitionen (Share und Asset Deals), einschließlich der Steuerstrukturierung, der Vertragsgestaltung sowie der Verhandlung und Umsetzung komplexer Steuerstrukturen fokussiert.Überdies berät sie NGOs in sämtlichen gemeinnützigkeits- und vereinsrechtlichen Fragestellungen.Dr. Jenny Broekmann verfügt über mehr als sechs Jahre anwaltliche Berufserfahrung im Bereich des Steuerrechts. Vor ihrem Eintritt bei Morrison & Foerster arbeitete sie promotionsbegleitend als wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin mit steuerrechtlichem Fokus in einer internationalen Wirtschaftskanzlei in Berlin. Sie studierte Rechtswissenschaften an der Westfälischen Wilhelms-Universität in Münster und verfasste ihre Promotion zum Thema der Entstrickungsbesteuerung in Deutschland (§ 4 Abs. 1 Satz 3, 4 EStG, § 12 Abs. 1 KStG).<h4>Referenzen</h4><ul><li>Steuerrechtliche Beratung der Aktionäre der Scienion AG beim Verkauf aller Aktien an das an der Nasdaq Stockholm notierte schwedische Unternehmen Cellink AB </li><li>Steuerliche Beratung des Schweizer Asset-Managers Kieger beim Kauf des juristischen Personaldienstleisters Perconex </li><li>Steuerliche Beratung der führenden globalen Dating-Plattform Spark Networks SE beim Kauf der Zoosk, Inc. </li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe im Zusammenhang mit internationalen Leasingstrukturen</li><li>Umfassende steuerliche Beratung eines deutschen Immobilienunternehmens zu Restrukturierungsmöglichkeiten und zur Durchführung einer grenzüberschreitenden Verschmelzung</li><li>Steuerliche Beratung im Zusammenhang mit der Errichtung von Mitarbeiterbeteiligungsprogrammen</li></ul>

Jenny Broekmann-Friese

Senior Associate

Daigo Takahashi is a corporate associate in Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office.Daigo focuses his practice on U.S. and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions. Daigo has advised U.S., Japanese and other international clients across a variety of industries, including technology, semiconductor, consumer products, manufacturing and healthcare/life sciences.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster’s San Francisco office, Daigo was an associate in the Firm’s Tokyo office. Daigo received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he was an editor of the Hastings Law Journal. While at Hastings, he served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Joseph C. Spero, Magistrate Judge, at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, in Political Science and International Studies from the University of California, Irvine, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.Daigo has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Japan in its “Ones to Watch” category for Corporate and M&A Law.Daigo is bilingual in English and Japanese.

Daigo Takahashi

Associate

Katherine Suzuki is a corporate associate in the firm's Palo Alto office.Katherine’s practice focuses on corporate and securities matters, including venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.Prior to joining the firm as an associate, Katherine served in the United States House of Representatives as a Legislative Fellow. She also served as an Honors Program Legal Intern with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.Katherine earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where she earned a Certificate of Specialization in Business Law. While in law school, she served as Executive Editor for the Asian American Law Journal and participated in the New Business Practicum, which advises startups in the Bay Area.Katherine received her B.A., with distinction, from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Katherine M. Suzuki

Ophir Gam is a corporate associate in the Palo Alto office of Morrison Foerster.Ophir’s practice focuses on corporate and securities matters, including venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.Ophir earned his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. During law school, Ophir was a member of the Intellectual Property Moot Court and a member of both Columbia Entrepreneurship Society and Columbia Business and Law Association. Ophir holds a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ophir Gam

Lovina Cosunji is a corporate associate in the Palo Alto office of Morrison Foerster.Prior to joining the firm as an associate, Lovina was a summer associate in Morrison Foerster’s Palo Alto office. She also served as a Contract Reviewer and Student Lead with The Atticus Project, a non-profit organization harnessing the power of AI to accelerate contract review.Lovina earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from Santa Clara University School of Law, where she was the recipient of the James A. Emery S.J. Merit Scholarship for outstanding academic credentials. Lovina is a member of the Santa Clara Law Chapter of the Order of the Coif. She also holds a B.S. in Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University.She is fluent in Filipino.

Lovina Consunji

Hanna is a corporate associate in Morrison Foerster’s Palo Alto office.Prior to joining the firm, Hanna was a Summer Associate in the Palo Alto office during the summers of 2021 and 2022, and an SEO Law Fellow in the Palo Alto office during the summer of 2020. She also spent time as a U.S. Squash Ambassador with the International Olympic Committee.Hanna earned her J.D. at New York University School of Law, where she was a Senior Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law. She also holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College.She is also a native speaker of Amharic.

Hanna Balcha

Marian Waldmann Agarwal is a partner in the Privacy + Data Security Group at Morrison Foerster. She also co-leads the firm’s Artificial Intelligence Group and is a member of the global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Responsible Tech Committee. Marian’s unique blend of business and legal skills, honed through her background in information systems and business management, is a key asset in her role. Her in-house experience as a secondee to two different companies has provided her with firsthand knowledge of the internal business needs required for company initiatives to succeed. Marian has been instrumental in advising global clients on the developing field of AI. Clients seek her guidance due to her extensive understanding of, and experience with, the ethical use of AI and the developing legal compliance requirements, including data privacy and regulatory provisions, in connection with the design and implementation of innovative AI tools. Her work extends to helping clients identify and mitigate the potential risks associated with AI technologies.Marian counsels clients across a range of industries, including technology, finance, consumer goods and services, healthcare, insurance, media, and hospitality. She assists in designing and building their privacy programs, advising on compliance with U.S. and foreign privacy and data protection laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Her work includes drafting internal policies, procedures, and guidelines for legal and non-legal audiences that incorporate privacy best practices and legal requirements in daily operations. One of Marian’s core strengths is her ability to comprehensively assess and improve privacy programs, and ensure they remain compliant with evolving privacy laws and regulations. She also drafts and negotiates contracts to protect clients’ data in key commercial agreements, advises on cross-border data transfer issues, and assists with completing multijurisdictional surveys of privacy obligations.In addition, Marian uses her privacy, data security, and AI implementation skills to provide pro bono counseling services to a variety of non-profit clients.Marian received her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2004 and her B.S. and M.B.A. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1999. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an application specialist for a small software company.

Marian A. Waldmann Agarwal

﻿Jonathan Newmark is an of counsel in Morrison Foerster’s Privacy + Data Security Group. He advises clients across industries on data protection best practices, national and international regulatory compliance, information governance, product development, consumer trust and safety, transaction diligence, crisis management, and cyber incident response.Jonathan counsels clients ranging from emerging to late-stage to public companies in a variety of industries on complex data privacy and cybersecurity issues related to local, global, and industry-specific legal frameworks, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive, the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, state and federal wiretapping laws, the California Privacy Rights Act (CCPA/CPRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).As part of his practice, Jonathan has negotiated data transfer and processing agreements, implemented vendor risk management programs, developed information security policies and procedures, guided product development and design, and advised on corporate transactions. Jonathan has also coached clients through largescale data breaches and regulatory scrutiny related to information security and consumer protection, which has included representing clients in front of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the New York and Massachusetts attorneys general, and foreign regulators.Jonathan’s representative matters have comprised designing and implementing a large social media organization’s internal technical investigation related to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, advising on the development of a large technology company’s metaverse platform, designing trust and safety programs for an artificial intelligence chatbot application and a teen social media platform, and coaching a mobile banking business through cooperation with the Department of Justice and law enforcement authorities in consumer fraud investigations.Jonathan also maintains an extensive pro bono practice, which has included counseling nonprofit organizations on data protection best practices as well as successfully representing LGBTQ+ and other refugees in their applications for asylum and immigration status in the United States.Jonathan is designated as a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.Jonathan received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was recognized as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He received his B.A. from Harvard College, where he graduated cum laude.

Jonathan Newmark

Of Counsel

Lawrence Gallick is of counsel in the firm’s Austin office and a member of the Technology Transactions Group.Lawrence focuses his practice on technology transactions and licensing matters. His diverse experience includes advising on SaaS agreements, cross-licensing agreements, research and collaboration agreements, development agreements, and distribution agreements. He counsels a broad range of companies across the software, hardware, life sciences, biotech and FinTech spaces, as well as other entities including universities.He advises clients in connection with general corporate matters including contract negotiations, and leasing and technology placement agreements.Lawrence also serves as co-editor of <a href="https://www.sociallyawareblog.com/" target="_blank">Socially Aware</a>, the firm’s award-winning newsletter and blog devoted to the law and business of social media, and regularly publishes on various IP and technology-related topics.Prior to joining the firm, Lawrence was counsel at another major law firm. Before earning his law degree, Lawrence was a web consultant, project manager, and web developer in Portland, Oregon, where he managed and consulted on projects using industry methodologies and performed custom development and integration of content management systems.Lawrence was named a Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in 2015 and 2018–2022, and is licensed in both California and New York. Lawrence earned his J.D. from the University at Buffalo School of Law, where he was the electronic systems editor for the Buffalo Law Review and awarded the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Intellectual Property Law.

Lawrence Gallick

Daisuke Gatanaga is an associate in the Technology Transactions Group of Morrison Foerster’s Palo Alto office.Daisuke earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2017, where he served as an Executive Editor for the Stanford Technology Law Review. He received a B.S. in Chemistry, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University and holds master’s degrees from both Stanford University and Yale University.Daisuke has native proficiency in both English and Japanese. He is admitted to practice law in the state of California.Daisuke has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in Japan in its “Ones to Watch” category for Patent Practice.