ManufacturingWaller Lansden represents manufacturing clients across a variety of industries, including automotive, aviation and aerospace, boating, lawn and garden equipment, computers and electronics, building materials, tools, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, medical products, and power generation equipment. We counsel these clients on a variety of issues impacting their businesses, including product distribution, supply chain management, terms and conditions for sales and purchases of wholesale and retail goods, regulatory compliance, product warranty and liability, trademarks and trade secrets, tax and foreign sales corporations, mergers and acquisitions, public and private financing (debt, equity and hybrid instruments), corporate governance and formation of strategic alliances.
Waller Lansden assists our manufacturing clients with drafting, negotiating, and enforcing distribution agreements, sales agent and representation agreements, reseller and agency agreements and franchise agreements. Our attorneys also assist with drafting, negotiating and enforcing other types of contracts, including software licenses, agreements to license, acquire or develop technology, consulting contracts, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, asset purchase/lease agreements, service provider agreements, asset management contracts, employment agreements, trade secrets, non-competition agreements, employee benefit plans and customer/vendor agreements. Relocation, Development and Expansion of Manufacturing Facilities Waller Lansden has represented many of the largest manufacturers that have relocated, developed or expanded operations in Tennessee and the Southeast over the past 25 years. Our experience includes the negotiation of incentive packages and tax abatements with state agencies and local governments, the acquisition of real estate and environmental and plant siting issues. Labor and Employment Waller Lansden represents manufacturers across the United States in labor and employment matters, including single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff and class action lawsuits. Our employment attorneys frequently resolve workplace matters before they reach the courtroom through negotiation or alternative dispute resolution. When early resolution and settlement are not our clients' desired goals, however, we have the talent and experience to litigate aggressively the most complex and contentious labor and employment cases. We represent employers in disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the United States Department of Labor, Department of Justice and other federal, state and local agencies across the country. Additionally, we have extensive experience in the area of organized labor. We counsel management on union avoidance techniques and assist companies with legal and strategic issues during election campaigns, representation elections and collective bargaining negotiations. Our attorneys also represent employers before the National Labor Relations Board, in labor arbitrations under collective bargaining agreements and in other labor-related litigation. Environmental Permitting We represent manufacturers thought the United States in securing the required permits and regulatory authorizations for their operations. We assist manufacturing clients by developing permitting strategies that address both the “technical” and “political” aspects of the permitting process. We also work to ensure that the permits remain as flexible as possible to accommodate evolving production needs. We have drafted Title V air permit applications for numerous manufacturing facilities. We assisted an international automaker in obtaining a Clean Air Act PSD permit for a $1.4 billion automobile assembly facility in the Southeast. Product Liability Manufactures in a wide range of industries rely on Waller Lansden for representation in product liability litigation on local, state, regional and national levels. In both individual and mass tort cases, our product liability attorneys have successfully defended manufacturers of automobiles and automotive components, aircraft and aviation components, electrical and electronic equipment, farm and lawn equipment and industrial machinery. In product liability matters, successful representation begins with comprehensive product knowledge and clear understanding of client objectives. From the outset, we work to develop a detailed understanding of the product, including its underlying science and technology. By combining this knowledge with the goals of our clients, we can provide early analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the case and recommend the most efficient and cost-effective strategy for resolving the matter. State and Local Tax Waller Lansden frequently represents manufacturing clients in state and local tax matters, including litigation when necessary. We have successfully represented numerous major corporate taxpayers in suits against taxing authorities to recover sales and use, franchise, excise, income, fuel, business, and liquor taxes. Our attorneys are at the forefront of virtually every breaking state and local tax issue faced by Tennessee’s manufacturing community. Our firm’s state and local tax attorneys are heavily involved in the shaping of legislation. Often, this requires preserving taxpayer rights obtained through successful litigation and then challenged through statutory amendments proposed by the Department of Revenue. We participate in the lawmaking process as witnesses before Legislative Committees, as policy advisors to industry groups and as lobbyists. |