Skip to Main Content.

Biography

Kai is a corporate and commercial lawyer and a member of our Manufacturing and Automotive industry teams. He chairs the firmโ€™s International Services Groupย and heads our German Desk.

Kaiโ€™s practice is concentrated on domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and a broad range of commercial transactions. He frequently advises European and Asianย companies in the U.S.

Before joining Frost Brown Todd in 2007, Kai practiced as a corporate attorney in the M&A teams of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Baker & McKenzie in Duesseldorf, Germany. He maintained his German license as a Rechtsanwalt until 2020. He graduated from his law school in Muenster/Germany in 2000 and holds a post-graduate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Kai's Relevant Experience

Legal Work Highlights

Advised a UK-based, publicly traded company regarding its acquisition of a US-based design and engineering company specializing in data collection, automation, and industrial communications.

Advised a UK-based, publicly traded company on its acquisition of a PE-owned US-based manufacturer and designer of custom electrical transformer equipment.

Advised a distressed auto supplier with eight manufacturing facilities and 1,400 employees throughout the Midwest on its sale to a Canadian competitor.

Advised an Asian automaker in connection with multiple joint venture negotiations.

Advised a UK-based, publicly traded company on its acquisition of a US battery systems manufacturer and provider of energy solutions.

Advised a French-owned, distressed auto supplier based in the US regarding customer accommodations, sale of business, and liquidation and dissolution.

Continued legal representation of a Tier 1 Japanese automotive supplier in a range of corporate and commercial issues.

Advised Eisenmann Corporation in connection with accommodations with several OEMs, sale of business units and subsidiaries, and the liquidation and dissolution of its operations in the US and Mexico.

Advised a well-known German Mittelstand company on its equity investment in a US-based distributor.

Advised a US-based, publicly traded company regarding its equity investment in a Canadian startup.

Advised a German Mittelstand company on its exit from a US-based joint venture and resolution of a dispute with a US automaker.

Advised a US-based manufacturer on an overhaul of its distribution model throughout North and South America.

Advised a German-owned tier 1 company on a large greenfield investment in the US.

Advised a European intralogistics company on a strategic alliance with a US-based integrator.

Advised a European market leader on a strategic alliance covering more than 60 countries.

Advised a German automotive components manufacturer on a large greenfield investment in the US.

Advised a European intralogistics company on a strategic alliance with a material handling company for the US market.

Advised a TecDAX company regarding its acquisition of a PE-owned manufacturer with operations in California, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

Advised a TecDAX company regarding its acquisition of an Indiana-based manufacturer.

Advised a German-owned manufacturer of environmental technologies on various strategic alliances for the US and Asian markets.

Advised a publicly traded US mid-cap company on the reorganization of its foreign subsidiaries.

Advised a German high-end packaging manufacturer regarding its acquisition of manufacturing operations in California and Tennessee.

Advised a publicly traded US mid-cap company in connection with its acquisition of a European call center operator.

Advised a German supplier of systems for surface finishing technology and environmental technology on large-scale OEM projects and the formation of a US-based joint venture.

Other Info About Kai

Education

Law School

Case Western Reserve University, LL.M., 2001, with honors

Undergraduate School

Westfรคlische Wilhelms-Universitรคt, Mรผnster/Germany, First State Exam, 2000, with honors

State Court of Darmstadt (Landgericht), Darmstadt/Germany, Second State Exam, 2004, with honors

Bar Memberships

Kai is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Ohio, 2009

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

The Best Lawyers in Americaยฎ: Corporate Law, 2024

Listed by Chambers Global as โ€œexcellent in international matters; heโ€™s engaging and supporting,โ€ย March 2015

Listed by Chambers Global as โ€œexcellent go-to choice for advising German clients in the USA,โ€ย March 2014

Major Publications

Kai is an author or contributor to the following publications:

Joint Ventures 2023, Getting the Deal Through, Lexology, October 2022

Joint Ventures 2022, Getting the Deal Through, Lexology, November 2021

Joint Ventures 2021, Getting the Deal Through, Lexology, October 2020

Related Insights