Education
- The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, J.D., 1999, summa cum laude, Order of the Coif
Ohio State Law Journal, Managing Editor, 1998-1999 - Bowling Green State University, B.S.B.A., 1996, summa cum laude
Bar & Court Admissions
Tony is a partner in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the corporate group. Tony represents and counsels public and private companies and financial institutions on a broad range of legal matters, including corporate governance, business formation, mergers and acquisitions, tax credit transactions, joint ventures, contract negotiations, disclosure and reporting under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and regulatory compliance. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to assisting Japanese companies in establishing and operating U.S. affiliates and joint ventures.
Career highlights include:
- Representing Tailored Brands, Inc., and its subsidiary, The Men's Wearhouse, Inc., in the sale of its corporate apparel business to a group led by the existing U.K. corporate apparel executive team
- Representing a local developer in connection with multiple tax credit investments and financing transactions related to mixed-use historic real estate projects in downtown Columbus, Ohio
- Assisting Japanese clients in establishing affiliates and joint ventures in the U.S. for conducting manufacturing operations and providing ongoing counsel to those clients in connection with their U.S. operations
- Representing a national distribution company in connection with multiple stock and asset acquisitions since 2011
- Representing multiple transportation and manufacturing companies in connection with the restructuring of their North American subsidiaries and operations
- Representing a national retailer in the sale of a division in a management buyout transaction
- Representing a national food sales and marketing company in connection with the sale of its business
- Representing a manufacturer of commercial doors and frames in the sale of its business
- Representing Pomegranate Health Systems in connection with the sale of its juvenile psychiatric treatment facility in Columbus, Ohio to Sequel Youth and Family Services
- Representing Civista Bancshares, Inc. (formerly First Citizens Banc Corp) in connection with its acquisition by merger of TCNB Financial Corp. and its bank subsidiary, The Citzens National Bank of Southwestern Ohio
- Representing SB Financial Group, Inc. in connection with its registered public offering of $15 million of Depositary Shares, each representing 1/100th interest in a 6.50% Noncumulative Convertible Perpetual Preferred Share, Series A
- Representing First Citizens Banc Corp in connection with its registered public offering of $25 million of Depositary Shares, each representing a 1/40th interest in a 6.50% Noncumulative Redeemable Convertible Perpetual Preferred Share, Series B
- Representing Croghan Bancshares, Inc. in connection with its acquisition of Indebancorp and its bank subsidiary, National Bank of Ohio, in a merger transaction involving the issuance of stock registered under the Securities Act of 1933
- Representing the directors of a family owned automobile dealership in connection with the sale of the dealership
- Representing a Japanese corporation in the acquisition of a U.S.-based specialty manufacturer
- Representing a U.S.-based manufacturing company in the spin-off and sale of its business to a Japanese corporation
- Assisting financial institutions with complex financial regulations, supervisory actions and capital raising and restructuring transactions
- Serving as outside counsel to several publicly traded clients in connection with securities offerings, corporate disclosure and Securities and Exchange Commission compliance and reporting
Tony is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Columbus Bar Association.
Tony received his J.D. summa cum laude from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and was a member and a managing editor of the Ohio State Law Journal. Tony received his B.S.B.A summa cum laude from Bowling Green State University.
Professional and Community Activities
- Japan-America Society of Central Ohio, Board of Directors, 2009-present; Chair/President, 2019-present
- Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, Board of Directors, 2014-present
- Bowling Green State University Alumni Association, Board of Directors, 2009-2015
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Columbus Mergers and Acquisitions Law “Lawyer of the Year,” 2019
- The Best Lawyers in America, Mergers & Acquisitions Law, 2013-2022
- Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Business/Corporate, 2007 & 2009
News
- 8/15/2018One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019.
- 8/15/2018Nine lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently named 2019 Lawyers of the Year by Best Lawyers.
Insights
- 4/23/2020On April 17, the Federal Reserve Board announced an interim final rule that temporarily relaxes lending restrictions on member banks who make Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to businesses owned by certain bank insiders.
- 4/2/2020On March 31, 2020, the SBA and the Treasury Department released initial guidance on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), providing further key details regarding how the SBA plans to administer the loan program.
- 3/25/2020With the vast uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the immediate challenges that Ohio’s financial institutions must confront, especially at this time of year, involves how to handle their annual shareholder or member meetings.
- Spring 2015As 2015 gets under way, bank compensation committees are tasked with setting the bank’s executive compensation strategy for the year and effectively communicating that compensation structure to shareholders. Compensation committees need to strike a balance between a compensation program that attracts and retains employees and encourages those employees to take appropriate business risks while advancing the bank’s growth strategies and discouraging inappropriate risks.
- Spring 2015Maybe at one time your company was reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and your company’s stock was listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ). You were relieved when the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act allowed you to terminate your SEC registration, even though it meant that your stock could no longer be listed on NASDAQ.
- Spring 2015During the past three years, a significant number of community banks and their holding companies (collectively, banks) throughout the United States elected to “go dark” by taking advantage of a provision in The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (JOBS Act). These banks were able to suspend their reporting obligations under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Exchange Act) and deregister with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) because they had fewer than 1,200 shareholders of record.
- 3/23/2015In December 2014, Congress modified portions of Dodd-Frank to provide additional opportunities to reduce the regulatory burden on community banks. In response to this legislation, on January 29, 2015 the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) requested comment on several related proposals (and an interim rule) focused primarily on increasing the number of holding companies eligible for the reduced reporting and other requirements under the “small” holding company exclusion.
- Winter 2014Following an extended dry spell for de novo bank applications, in what could be interpreted as a gesture to “kick-start” de novo conversations, the FDIC issued in November a somewhat “out of the blue” financial institutions letter (FIL-56-2014) containing a series of Q&As relating to procedural issues surrounding applications for deposit insurance.
- 8/28/2013
- 5/20/2013
- 1/21/2013On January 10, 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a number of mortgage-related rules, including its long-awaited qualified mortgage (QM) rules in an 804-page set of complex guidelines for residential real estate lending mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act. The rules take effect in January 2014.