Mari Yamamoto Regnier is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP. She is a member of the firm’s Corporate Department and serves as chair of its Japanese Services Group. Ms. Regnier represents Pacific Rim clients, mainly Japanese corporations doing business in the United States and overseas. A large part of her practice focuses on clients in manufacturing industries: automotive, steel, machine tools, and industrial products as well as banking and service industries such as staffing businesses. This representation spans a wide range of corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, licensing and distribution agreements and financing.

Ms. Regnier started her career with Barnes & Thornburg as its first Japanese Services Coordinator in 1989 assisting many Japanese companies’ start-up operations in the United States. She was instrumental in locating industrial sites for a major automotive plant and other manufacturing companies.

Ms. Regnier is a native of Japan and her unique language skills and understanding of the Japanese business environment are instrumental in providing Pacific Rim clients with effective counsel and representation.