International business planning and implementation

Securities disputes

International Services Group, Chair

Ohio PAC Chair

• Ohio, 1973
• Florida, 1986

• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Ohio
• U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Kentucky
• U.S. Court of International Trade
• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (Life Member of Judicial 11 Conference)

• Harvard Law School, J.D., 1973, with honors
• Princeton University, A.B., 1970, with honors

Joe concentrates his practice on multinational business and securities disputes. He counsels a wide variety of companies, domestic and foreign, on issues confronting global business, including transnational investment, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, global personnel matters, cross-border tax, Customs and trade issues, international business structures, distribution and agency agreements and the resolution of international disputes. He is business counsel to emerging technology and other firms. He represents companies, owners, investors, securities brokerage firms, brokers and public customers in disputes involving the securities laws and claims involving takeovers, fiduciary duty, fraud, negligence and securities statutes, and is a nationally recognized expert in structured settlements. In 1975 Joe joined Kyte Conlan Wulsin Vogeler in Cincinnati, Ohio, after a two-year federal appellate clerkship. That firm merged into Frost & Jacobs LLP in 1978, and became Frost Brown Todd LLC in 2000. Joe has chaired the Firm’s international services group for over ten years.

Experience

Global merger and acquisition work

• Represented management team in $200 million second round of private equity puchase of legal support company
• Purchase and sale of Americas’ largest spirits distillery by Trinidad company
• Sale of U.S./U.K./Irish robotic monitoring business
  
• Formation of first Ukrainian/U.S. offshore reinsurance company

International counseling of small to mid-sized multinational software businesses, automotive parts suppliers, global candy maker, angel and development stage entrepreneurs

Management of domestic and global distribution/agency/licensing agreements for medical products, software, machinery, food products and other goods and services.

Formation of U.S. entities for businesses from over 30 countries

Joint venture and strategic alliance structuring in more than 20 countries

Global personnel counseling, including tax aspects for U.S. and non-U.S. persons and entities

Resolution of FCPA, USAID, Customs and OFAC claims against U.S. companies and Company policies and procedures to prevent bribery

Limited liability company formation and operating agreement negotiation

Defense of hostile takeover battle (including litigation over constitutionality of Ohio corporate law) and settlement on favorable terms to public company

Recovery of multiple $ millions in ponzi scheme, boiler room and other securities class and group actions

Trial and settlement of over 200 securities disputes, including more than 100 FINRA arbitrations

30-year representations in structured settlement industry; including service as expert witness for U.S. Government in successful structured settlement criminal prosecution

• Selected for inclusion in Ohio Super Lawyers® 2005-2012
• The Best Lawyers in America® 2008-2013, International Arbitration- Commercial; International Trade and Finance Law
• AV® Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®

• American Bar Association (International)
• Ohio State Bar Association
• The Florida Bar
• Adjunct Lecturer (International Business Transactions) University of Cincinnati Law Schools, 1993-96
• MULTILAW (multinational association of 70+ independent law firms) – Executive Council member (2005-2012), Chairman of Business Development (2006-2011) ;
• ABA Task Force on Litigation and the World Wide Web, 2000, Co-Chair
• ABA International Litigation Committee, Vice-Chair, 2002-04
• Founding Chairman, Ohio State Bar Association International Law Committee; Member
• Public Investors Arbitration Bar Association, Member, 1996-2005
• Southern Ohio District Export Council, Chairman (2001-2010), Member
• Founding President, Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister Cities Project
• Founding Chairman, Foreign Policy Leadership Council of Greater Cincinnati
• Co-organizer of Ohio-Ukraine Rule of Law Program
• Chairman, India-US Business Network
• Founding Chairman, European-American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati (2007-08), Board member
• French-American Business Association, President (2006-07)
• Chairman, Advisory Committee on Model Ohio Jury Instructions for Securities Law (2010)
• Cincinnati/Hamilton County Public Library Foundation Director
• Cincinnati Ballet, Trustee
• Co-Founder, Summer Camp Reading
• Princeton University, Trustee,1970-74
• Ohio Historical Society, Trustee, 1974-78
• Cincinnati Planning Commission, 1982-83
• Charter Committee of Cincinnati, Chairman (1982-86)
• Literary Club, Member
• DeToqueville Society/United Way, Member
• Past Civic Charitable Boards - Cincinnati Preservation Association, Miami Purchase Preservation Fund, Queen City Housing Corporation, Greater Cincinnati Tennis Association, Princeton Club of Southern Ohio, Queen City Foundation, Episcopal Community Services Foundation

• Event Recap: Mastering the USA/Mexico Supply Chain
• Compliance with Transfer Pricing Rules - A new way to bridge differences between the IRS and Customs –
• Blocking “Unfair Competition” from China - A new weapon for US Industry
• China and Securities Regulation-- It’s getting tougher
• New Taxes on Foreign Companies Another Challenge to Profitability in China
• China’s Trade Flows Not just a matter of Currency Manipulation
• Internationalization of the RMB - The Hong Kong Bridge – The Pace Increases -
• Manufacturing Expansion, Legal Update and VAT News
• The End of an Era: Inflation and China’s Evolution as a Medium-priced Manufacturing Center
• Update on Chinese Employment Law and Practices

Past

“Roundsourcing,” a chapter of International Law for CEO’s, 2013, published by ExecSense, available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CC347KW.

Lecturer on international business topics (once a month average)

Over 50 posts at www.fbtchina.com

Author of about an article a month on international business

Co-author:  Structured Settlements & Periodic Payment Judgments (1986, updated twice a year – American Lawyer Media)