Automotive Industry

Comprehensive, business-oriented legal representation for motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors

Capabilities at a glance

  • Full-service national practice representing motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors of all kinds, led by attorneys with decades of experience.
  • Deep understanding of the automotive industry and its regulatory environment, responsive to ever-changing and cutting-edge issues.
  • Business-centric approach to client needs, understanding legal problems are business issues to be resolved cost-effectively.
  • Multidisciplinary team with diverse legal backgrounds and skills, built around vehicle distribution, product liability and warranty core practices.
  • Lasting relationships with clients, based on a strong ethic of collaboration around client strategic goals.

Bringing business and legal acumen to the automotive industry

Our world revolves around representing automotive, truck and powersports manufacturers and distributor — from exciting startups and boutique producers to long‐standing manufacturers and iconic brands. We represent both imported and domestic vehicle brands. 

As strategic business thinkers, we offer deep experience with industry-specific issues. As new technologies and approaches emerge, we counsel our clients about how to adapt their businesses to those emerging trends. Our business-centric approach and deep knowledge of the laws impacting the automotive industry allow us to develop strategies to permit our clients’ businesses — and their bottom lines — to thrive. 

Providing a complete set of legal services

Our cross‐disciplinary Automotive Industry Practice Group brings together the knowledge of more than 25 lawyers across a half dozen areas of legal practice to provide comprehensive representation to our clients. A cornerstone of our firm’s Automotive Industry practice is our representation of motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors in distribution, franchising and dealer relationship matters. Our attorneys have decades of experience counselling clients on regulatory compliance and licensing matters, the development and evolution of distribution systems and a wide range of dealer relationship issues. We represent clients in strategic transactions and serve as litigation counsel in judicial, administrative and arbitration disputes throughout the country. Our Automotive Industry attorneys have industry-leading experience in motor vehicle product liability matters, serving as national products liability counsel for several clients and provide counsel on warranty matters. 

Successes

Our attorneys pride themselves on serving as true partners with our clients, where we experience success when our clients experience success. We have helped clients launch new companies, new brands, new distribution systems and new business products, including those based on cutting-edge practices and technologies, such as electric vehicles, over-the-air technologies, subscription programs, car-sharing services and digital transformation products. We have represented clients in large-dollar strategic transactions that have added significant value to our clients’ bottom lines. In the litigation space, our attorneys have won numerous disputes and appeals in matters before judges and juries throughout the country, including successfully arguing constitutional matters in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the federal courts of appeals and several state supreme courts.

News & Insights

Service Areas

  • Advertising and Marketing

    Our attorneys routinely advise clients on a variety of advertising and marketing law issues. We have extensive experience counseling on fundamental truth-in-advertising and brand protection issues. When issues arise with proposed claims or campaigns, we work with clients to develop solutions and alternative paths that match their strategy. We also have substantial experience with endorsement and spokesperson agreements, sweepstakes, contests and loyalty programs, in addition to social media and native advertising campaigns.

  • Automotive Business Advice and Counseling

    A key element of our firm’s representation of motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors is counseling on business and legal issues of all kinds arising in the industry. For some clients, we serve as outside general counsel, providing 360-degree insights regarding their business operations. In other engagements, we provide advice that considers the whole context of the client’s business, not just the specific area being addressed.                                                                                                                                          

  • Automotive Distribution and Franchising

    Regulatory compliance and licensing: We help our clients determine licensing requirements and obtain necessary licenses. We work with traditional motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors and with clients who sell nontraditional products but nonetheless are subject to state licensing requirements.

    Distribution systems: We counsel clients on different methods of vehicle distribution, from dealer networks to direct sales. We assist newly formed companies in entering the market and determining initial distribution strategies. We counsel legacy companies on consolidating existing dealer networks and creating new networks, developing new approaches for distributing existing vehicle lines and launching new brands and products. We advise on the distribution of parts, accessories, branded goods and non-homologated products.

    Dealer networks: We counsel clients regarding the operation of their dealer networks.

    • Dealer agreements and related materials: We assist in preparing and issuing new dealer agreements, dealer standards, policies and programs, including dealer incentive programs.
    • Market representation strategies: We help clients determine where they should be represented and the number and location of the dealers in those areas. We also assist in developing and operating programs for monitoring and improving brand and dealer performance.
    • Network operations: We advise on systemwide issues arising in the operation of dealer networks, such as allocation, pricing, advertising, customer satisfaction and warranty matters.
    • Dealer operations: We provide practical counsel on appointing dealers, terminating dealers where necessary and addressing the myriad issues that arise daily at the dealer level.

    Dealer disputes: We handle dealer disputes nationwide. Our attorneys have litigated motor vehicle dealership matters in federal, state, bankruptcy, administrative and arbitration tribunals across more than 25 states.

  • Automotive Energy & Infrastructure

    Our Energy & Infrastructure attorneys have decades of experience representing clients with respect to energy usage issues on local, state, national and international levels. We represent energy market participants, including motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors, on transactional and regulatory matters. We help clients establish EV charging networks and advise on governmental incentives and tax credits associated with EV infrastructure.

  • Automotive Product Liability

    Our Product Liability lawyers are litigators who devote most or all their time to helping manufacturers identify product liability concerns, take corrective actions and mount strong defenses inside and outside of courtrooms. Our attorneys have handled product liability cases in nearly all states and numerous federal courts across the country and their work has involved all manner of products, including automobiles and components, trucks, trailers and related components, motorcycles and accessories, agricultural equipment, construction equipment and engines. We offer national scope, area knowledge and cost efficiency for our clients.

  • Automotive Warranty

    Our attorneys are experienced in automotive warranty matters, including drafting and preparing warranties, counseling with respect to product recalls and defending against breach of warranty and lemon law claims.

  • Commercial Contracting

    Our Business Law attorneys have deep experience in commercial contracting matters for motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors, including drafting and negotiating commercial contracts of all types. Among other types of agreements, our team works on confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, purchase and sale agreements, supply contracts, upfitting contracts, fleet agreements, logistics arrangements, vehicle maintenance and service contracts, and vehicle warranties.

  • Commercial Litigation

    Our commercial litigators have experience representing motor vehicle manufacturers and distributors in litigation matters outside of the dealership realm. Our experience includes contract disputes and cases involving other commercial matters. We apply a business‐centric approach to our management of litigation and seek cost-effective solutions for our clients.

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