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With 18 offices, from New York to Los Angeles and Seattle to Orlando, we live and work in communities all over the U.S., collaborating across locations, disciplines and even borders. Our experienced, highly ranked lawyers serve businesses wherever they are and wherever they want to go.

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Am Law 100 firm with practices in Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Litigation and Tax.

Home | BakerHostetler

BakerHostetler Team Earns Litigator of the Week Runner-Up Honors for Gaining New Trial for Death Row Inmate

BakerHostetler Advises Sweden-Based, Publicly Traded Loomis AB in Strategic Acquisition of Burroughs, Inc.

Sarah La Voi, Jamie Kim Comment on Selling Ads on Your Website in Corporate Counsel Article

Elise Elam Participates in Panel at ACLI Compliance & Legal Conference

With more than 25 years of experience as a corporate and M&amp;A attorney, Ashley has broad experience representing public and private companies on matters ranging from mergers, acquisitions and divestitures to joint ventures, corporate governance and complex corporate transactions. He works with growing businesses across a broad range of industries, including automotive / mobility, manufacturing, consumer products and fast-food restaurants. He co-chairs the firm’s Automotive / Mobility national industry team and has extensive experience in the automotive industry, including advising clients on M&amp;A, new manufacturing plants and plant expansion projects, electrification and electric vehicles, connected technologies, fuel cells, autonomous vehicles, technology acquisitions and licensing, supply chain matters, joint ventures and other collaborative relationships.
Ashley is recognized as a leading corporate and M&amp;A attorney. He regularly speaks and writes on transactional legal issues and is active in the ABA’s M&amp;A Committee where he serves as the Chair of Programs and Publications.
Ashley is the Partner-In-Charge of the Cincinnati office, serves on the firm’s Operating Group and is the former Business leader of the Cincinnati office.

core/freeform

J.D., Washington and Lee University School of Law, 1998

B.A., University of Virginia, 1995, 

<ul>
<li>Chambers USA: Corporate/M&amp;A in Ohio (2010 to 2017, 2021 to 2025)
<ul>
<li>Band 2 (2025), Band 3 (2021 to 2024)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>The Best Lawyers in America®
<ul>
<li>Ohio: Corporate Compliance Law (2014 to present)
<ul>
<li>Best Lawyers® &#8220;Lawyer of the Year&#8221; (2015, 2017, 2019)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ohio: Corporate Governance Law (2016 to present)
<ul>
<li>Best Lawyers® &#8220;Lawyer of the Year&#8221; (2018, 2021, 2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ohio: Corporate Law (2014 to present)
<ul>
<li>Best Lawyers® &#8220;Lawyer of the Year&#8221; (2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Ohio: Mergers and Acquisitions Law (2016 to present)
<ul>
<li>Best Lawyers® &#8220;Lawyer of the Year&#8221; (2020)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Cincy Magazine: Leading Lawyer (2011 to present)</li>
<li>Ohio Super Lawyers &#8220;Rising Star&#8221; (2005 to 2007, 2009, 2012 to 2013)</li>
<li>Law &amp; Politics Magazine: Ohio&#8217;s Top Young Lawyers (2006)</li>
<li>Cincinnati Business Courier: Forty Under 40 (2005)</li>
</ul>

Cincinnati

Dallas

Rev Up!

Rev Up! What to Know BEFORE You Use that AI Tool

Chambers USA Guide 2025 Recognizes 171 BakerHostetler Attorneys and 73 Practice Areas

Rev Up! Ready or Not, Here AI Comes!

Rev Up! Connected Vehicles: New National Security Law with Major Impact on Connected Vehicles and the Auto Supply Chain

Rev Up! Roadblocks or Reroutes? How Will President Trump’s Tariffs Impact the Automotive Industry

Rev Up! Roadmap: How the Trump Presidency and New Republican Congress May Impact the Automotive/Mobility Industry

Webinar: The Impact of the New Presidency and Congress on the Automotive/Mobility Industry

Rev Up! Deal Drivers: Steering Through Workforce Challenges in M&A

Rev Up! The Green Flag is Waved!

Chambers USA Guide 2024 Recognizes 155 BakerHostetler Attorneys and ­66 Practice Areas

Ashley Hess Presents at ABA Hybrid Mergers and Acquisitions Committee Meeting 2024

Ashley Hess Serves as Panelist on ABA 2023 Private Target Deal Points Study Webinar

Ashley Hess Guests on Middle Market Musings Podcast

Chambers USA Guide 2023 Honors 147 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 64 Practice Areas

Hundreds of BakerHostetler Attorneys Honored as 2023 Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch and Lawyers of the Year

Chambers USA Guide 2022 Honors 145 BakerHostetler Attorneys and Recognizes 62 Practice Areas

Ashley Hess Shares Insight on Recent Deals at M&A Market Trends Subcommittee Meeting

191 BakerHostetler Attorneys Named in 2022 “Best Lawyers” List; 10 Recognized as “Lawyer of the Year”

Business

Mergers and Acquisitions

Corporate Governance

Private Equity

Digital Assets and Data Management

Emerging Technology

Russia-Ukraine War Resource Center

Industries

Automotive/Mobility

Automotive / Mobility Industry
<ul>
<li>Represents Toyota Motor North America, Inc., and its related entities in corporate and transactional matters and corporate compliance projects.</li>
<li>Represents Toyota in connection with the planning, opening and operation of Toyota Battery Manufacturing, Inc., an EV and HEV battery manufacturing plant, including negotiating the licenses for intellectual property for battery production.</li>
<li>Represents automotive client in connection with fuel cell go-to-market strategy and projects, including projects with OEMs in the trucking industry.</li>
<li>Represented Toyota in its manufacturing joint venture with Mazda, known as Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, U.S.A., Inc.</li>
<li>Represented Toyota in sale of assets to Tesla Motors.</li>
<li>Represented the U.S. entities of an international Tier 1 automotive parts supplier in the divestiture of the U.S. operations. The deal involved a transfer of assets in the U.S. entities to prepare for the sale and negotiation of a third-party manufacturing agreement to service the U.S. operations of an automotive OEM post-sale.</li>
<li>Served as lead outside counsel to Toyota in connection with the planning opening and operation of Toyota’s automobile manufacturing plant in Guanajuato, Mexico, managing issues relating to plant construction, on-site suppliers supporting the plant and numerous service providers to the plant.</li>
<li>Represented Toyota in its negotiation of a third-party manufacturing agreement with Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc., for the manufacture of 100,000 Camry vehicles annually at Subaru’s automobile manufacturing plant in Indiana.</li>
<li>Advised automotive industry clients regarding contracting structure and terms for purchase of direct automotive parts and raw materials, manufacturing machinery, parts and components and services agreements.</li>
<li>Represented Toyota in structure and negotiation of an alternative energy project for conversion of landfill gas into electricity for use at a Toyota automobile manufacturing facility.</li>
</ul>
Mergers and Acquisitions
<ul>
<li>Represented Mensa Brand Technologies, an aggregator of direct-to-consumer brands, in the purchase of health and beauty brands and structuring Mensa Brand&#8217;s U.S. presence.</li>
<li>Represented buyer in purchase of luxury auto dealerships in the U.S.</li>
<li>Represented a healthcare technology company in acquisition of a SaaS provider within the healthcare sector.</li>
<li>Represented a management group in equity rollover during a private equity platform investment.</li>
<li>Represented the corporate trustee holding a majority of the voting stock of Porocel Holdings, Inc. and Porocel International, LLC, in the negotiation and sale of those companies to Evonik Industries AG for $210 million.</li>
<li>Represented the corporate trustee holding a majority of the stock of The Ellison Group, Inc. and its affiliated entities, in the negotiation and sale of those companies to Bodycote Thermal Processing, Inc. and Bodycote Heat Treatment Canada, Inc. for $200 million.</li>
<li>Represented a publicly traded, global financial services and insurance company in its purchase of equity in a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) software applications developed pursuant to U.S. government contracts with the Department of Defense. The transaction involved a complex structure to separate the target’s two distinct lines of business and a spin-off of the desired assets. In addition to the complex structure of the transaction, the target’s AI intellectual property was created pursuant to U.S. government contracts, adding complexity to the analysis of the rights third parties may have to the intellectual property that was key to the deal.</li>
<li>Represented a cybersecurity technology company in its sale to a Fortune 100 financial services company. Deal involved many issues relating to cutting-edge security technology, including software developed with open source code and pursuant to U.S. government contracts.</li>
<li>Represented the largest franchisee of Papa John’s pizza restaurants in numerous acquisitions and divestitures.</li>
<li>Represented a founder in the sale of equity of a cybersecurity technology business and negotiated all aspects of the founder’s exit.</li>
<li>Represented an investor group in sale of preferred stock investment in a cybersecurity technology start-up.</li>
<li>Represented a privately held specialty piping manufacturing company in acquisition of a competitor via stock purchase with 338(h)(10) election.</li>
<li>Represented Bally Technologies, Inc., in acquisition of a patent portfolio of a competitor in the gaming industry.</li>
<li>Represented Summit Marine Services in its sale to Charter Brokerage.</li>
<li>Represented a privately held data analytics firm in its investment (Series AA-1 Preferred Stock) in an analytics start-up.</li>
</ul>
Corporate Transactions and Corporate Compliance
<ul>
<li>Represents CyrusOne (Nasdaq: CONE) in negotiation of customer agreements and leases of data center space.</li>
<li>Represented Festo Americas, LLC, in acquisition of real property for new facility in Ohio, including advising on state and local incentives and construction agreements.</li>
<li>Serves as outside general counsel to several emerging company and small business clients, advising on growth-related issues, general corporate and commercial matters, and exit strategies.</li>
</ul>

W. Ashley Hess

W. Ashley Hess

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