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Naoko Watanabe

Naoko Watanabe

Counsel
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Naoko Watanabe is a corporate counsel in Baker McKenzie's Los Angeles office. She is a native Japanese speaker and has worked as a buyer in Japan at Bridgestone Corporation and Honda Motor Co. Ltd. Prior to joining the Firm, Naoko was a corporate associate in a large international law firm, representing clients in public and private mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. She has received the California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year award from the Daily Journal.

Practice Focus

Naoko’s practice focuses on assisting multinational companies with the planning and implementation of complex global corporate reorganization transactions, including post-acquisition integrations, pre-transaction separations and spin-offs, entity rationalizations and tax-driven restructurings. In addition, Naoko advises clients on establishing operations within and outside the United States.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Represented Vistance Networks (formerly CommScope) as international counsel on a series of carve-outs, including the sale of its Home Networks division to Vantiva SA in exchange for a 25% stake in the French public company, the sale of its Outdoor Wireless Networks and Distributed Antenna Systems businesses to Amphenol Corporation for USD 2.1 billion and the sale of its global Connectivity and Cable Solutions business to Amphenol Corporation for USD 10.5 billion.
  • Advised McAfee with respect to the USD 4 billion separation and sale of its Enterprise business to Symphony Technology Partners.
  • Advised Western Digital on the separation and public spin-off of its Flash business segment into Sandisk.
  • Advised The Nielsen Company on its divestiture of Nielsen IQ to Advent International for USD 2.7 billion.
  • Advised on the post-acquisition integration following Takeda Pharmaceutical's acquisition of Shire Plc.
  • Advised a global networking solutions company in connection with multiple post-acquisition integration projects.
  • Advised multiple publicly traded multinational companies on the planning and implementation of pre-divestiture cash repatriation exercises.
  • Advised a publicly traded semiconductor company on pre-transaction integrations.
  • Advised companies on a variety of legal entity as well as debt rationalization projects.
  • Advised Nidec Sankyo Corporation on its acquisition of Genmark Automation, Inc.
  • Advised Bayer AG on the Joyn Bio joint venture with Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc.
  • Advised AwayCo, Inc. in its preferred equity financing.
  • Advised Otava, Inc. in its seed financing.
  • Advised Daimler Trucks & Buses US Holding Inc. in its preferred equity investment in Proterra Inc.
  • Advised Lufthansa Cargo AG in its preferred equity investment in Fleet Logistics, Inc.
  • Advised Spark New Zealand Trading Limited in its equity investment in Globetouch Inc.

Naoko’s representative legal matters prior to joining the Firm include:

  • Azure Power Global Limited in its IPO of equity shares.
  • Broadcom Corporation in its USD 37 billion acquisition by Avago Technologies Limited.
  • Yahoo! Inc. in its USD 4.8 billion sale of its operating business to Verizon Communications Inc.

Professional Honors

  • Best Lawyers Ones to Watch 2026

Admissions

  • California~United States (2014)

Education

  • UCLA School of Law (J.D.) (2014)
  • Keio University (LL.B.) (2004)

Languages

  • English
  • Japanese

Previous Offices

  • Palo Alto

Publications

Baker & McKenzie LLP is a member of Baker & McKenzie International.