Latham Advises on Japan “Premium Deal of the Year”

Asian Legal Business (ALB) recognized the proposed business integration of Z Holdings and LINE at its 2020 Japan Law Awards. This landmark transaction won both the M&A Deal of the Year in the “premium” category, and the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications Deal of the Year. Latham serves as US counsel to Z Holdings, the holding company of leading Japanese internet company Yahoo Japan, on the business integration of Z Holdings, LINE Corporation – the provider of Japan’s leading mobile messaging app – and their subsidiaries. This transaction represents one of the largest Japanese high-tech deals of the 21st century, creating a technology conglomerate with more than 100 million combined users in Japan.

Latham is advising Z Holdings on US law aspects of the transaction with a Tokyo-based team led by partner Ivan Smallwood, counsel Richard Kim, and associate Brittany Turner, and including partner Stuart Beraha and associate Benjamin Han. A team of US-based Latham lawyers is also advising on this transaction, including partner Paul Dudek on US securities law matters, and partner Les Carnegie and counsel Rachel Alpert on CFIUS regulatory matters.

The annual ALB Japan Law Awards honor the top deals and dealmakers as well as the outstanding achievements of Japan’s foremost law firms and in-house legal teams.