For over twenty years, Dayne Kono has represented and advised foreign-based and multinational companies operating in the U.S. in virtually every stage of their operations. He counsels clients on corporate structure, multi-jurisdictional taxation, commercial transactions and the acquisition and sale of multi-million dollar operations and corporate assets, as well as advising in employment, business immigration and visa matters, including E, L and H nonimmigrant visas and employment-based immigrant visas.
Mr. Kono counsels clients in structuring commercial transactions, including technical licensing agreements, import/export agreements, distributorship and sales representative agreements, security agreements and original equipment manufacturer agreements. He has a unique understanding and extensive experience in advising companies regarding critical employment and labor laws impacting the company's ability to do business in the U.S.
He works with companies to identify risk and liability exposure and helps them to manage those risks through the establishment of policies in areas such as privacy, solicitation, technology, e-mail and Internet use. He also assists clients with the use of formal agreements, such as non-disclosure and non-compete, assignment of inventions, independent contractor agreements, payroll agent and third-party outsourcing and management agreements. Mr. Kono counsels management in union avoidance, labor union organizing campaigns and collective bargaining.
Proficient in Japanese, Mr. Kono conducts seminars and client tutorials in both Japanese and English on legal issues affecting Japanese-owned businesses in the U.S.
Represented foreign buyer in a multi-million dollar acquisition of an optical measuring division of a large U.S. company.
Represented foreign buyer in a multi-million dollar asset purchase of an industrial products division of an established trading company.
Represented foreign joint venture partner in negotiating the formation of a joint venture company with a U.S. automotive supplier, to sell and manufacture automotive parts to U.S. automotive assembly plants.
Represented foreign machine tool manufacturer in the licensing and establishment of a technology joint venture for the manufacture of highly-sophisticated machine tools in the U.S.
Represented first tier joint venture automotive company in the buy-out of its U.S. automotive joint venture partner.
Represented numerous foreign manufacturers in the establishment of manufacturing facilities in the U.S., including site selection; negotiation of state and local incentives; purchase of real estate; and advising in all phases of regulatory, employment and labor, commercial transactions and financing.
Developed strategy and negotiated settlement on a major Department of Labor wage and hour investigation, resulting in substantial reduction of penalties and back wages based on assertion of novel interpretation of the exempt category for computer systems analysts.
Engaged in a one-year multi-state research project to develop 50-state local taxation compliance policy and procedures for a large computer-related service business with national customer representation.
Represented numerous banking, automotive, industrial machinery and computer software businesses in the sale, restructure and downsizing of their U.S. operations.