K&L Gates Advises JVCKENWOOD Corporation on Acquisition of San Luis Aviation

Global law firm K&L Gates LLP advised JVCKENWOOD Corporation, a Japanese electronics and communications equipment company, on the US legal aspects of its acquisition of 100% of the outstanding shares of San Luis Aviation, Inc., a California-based provider of “ESChat,” an IP radio service used across a range of communications environments, including the public safety market.

Through the acquisition, San Luis Aviation became a consolidated subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation, supporting the company's full-scale entry into the hybrid domain of wireless systems by integrating broadband Push-to-Talk communications with professional radio systems. The transaction is intended to help accelerate growth in JVCKENWOOD Corporation's communications systems business, particularly in North America, by expanding secure, interoperable communications capabilities.

The K&L Gates deal team was led by Seattle partner Adam Heyd and associate Mark Lively with assistance from Washington, DC partner Guillermo Christensen, Washington, DC associate Brian Hopkins, Seattle partners Karrie Johnson Diaz, Catherine Smith, Mark Wittow, Whitney McCollum, Rob Starin, and Johnny Carlson, along with Seattle associates Kali Peeples, Rachel Morowitz, and Scott Launius, and Palo Alto associate Alaina Bailey.

“We were pleased to advise JVCKENWOOD Corporation on this strategic acquisition,” Heyd said. “The transaction enhances the company's ability to deliver secure and interoperable communications solutions while supporting its long-term growth objectives in North America and beyond.”

K&L Gates’ Corporate practice is one of the most substantial in the legal industry, with hundreds of lawyers in offices across the globe providing clients with practical legal solutions in the structuring, financing, and closing of domestic, international, and cross-border transactions.