Transportation

Overview

For more than 20 years, lawyers at Arent Fox LLP have served public- and private-sector clients in the transportation industry. We advise on issues related to securities; mergers and acquisitions; general corporate; federal, state and local regulation and licensing (including customs, maritime and trucking); environmental review and litigation; real estate (including port terminal development, acquisition and leasing); project finance; construction (including contracting and bid issues and disputes); insurance; and labor and employment law.

Effective supply chain management has increased in importance as businesses demand more efficient and cost-effective distribution services. Each of our transportation attorneys focuses on a discrete element of the legal needs of our clients, including freight forwarders, NVOCCs and fully integrated carriers. As a result, our clients have access to a full range of legal services, including:

• Acquisitions, reverse mergers, public offerings, securities law advise, Hart-Scott-Rodino, CIFUS, tax structuring and complex mezzanine financings
• International cargo management such as LCL, customs brokerage licensing, intermodal transportation agreements with carriers, freight forwarding agreements and bills of lading
• Warehouse and distribution such as warehouse leasing, cargo loss and damage, and supply chain technology
• Local trucking and line-haul trucking such as equipment leasing, DOT regulations and permitting, and labor and employment

Almost two-thirds of international trade is moved via ocean transportation. Arent Fox advises stevedores, marine terminal operators, and joint venture terminal operating business in general cargo and roll-on/off cargo, cruise terminals, and container terminals. Services we provide terminal operators include:

• Acquisitions, joint ventures, securities law advice, Hart-Scott-Rodino, CIFUS, tax structuring and complex project financing
• Container port operation, including rail – head agreements, long-term terminal leases with multiple port authority ownership structures, crane and yard equipment leasing, tracking technology agreements, carrier agreements, and stevedoring agreements
• Cruise ship terminal operations, including passenger claim issues, vendor contracts and long-term lease agreements
• General labor and employment issues, collective bargaining agreements, and captive insurance

Arent Fox assists marine insurers as well as ship operators and owners of VLCCs, bulk carriers, container ships and off-shore platforms in acquisitions, joint ventures, and public and private financings. We provide our clients – including equity investors, financial institutions, investment bankers, acquirers and targets, and owners and operators – with a full range of legal services, including:

• Acquisitions, proxy solicitations, consent solicitations, public offerings, reverse mergers, tender offers, securities law advice, Hart-Scott-Rodino, CIFUS, tax structuring and 144 debt financings
• Marine insurers in demutualizations, MGAs, oil pollutions insurance, agency formations and advising in litigation
• Advising on charters, equipment leasing, new buildings, technology, consortiums and vessels sharing agreements, and labor and employment