Novara Advisory Partners has appointed Tony Andriotis as Partner and Global Head of Litigation & Regulatory, adding approximately two decades of experience in international arbitration, cross-border litigation and regulatory matters to the firm’s advisory platform.
Andriotis will work across Novara’s New York and Tokyo offices, with a particular focus on transactions and disputes connecting Asia and the United States.
In his new role, Andriotis will work alongside Novara’s deal teams to identify potential litigation, regulatory and dispute risks before and during due diligence and transaction execution.
The approach is intended to bring dispute analysis into the transaction process earlier, allowing clients to evaluate potential legal exposure before completing an acquisition, investment or other strategic transaction.
That can be particularly important in cross-border transactions, where buyers and investors may need to consider multiple regulatory regimes, contractual obligations and potential litigation risks.
Andriotis will also lead disputes when they arise, providing continuity between the firm’s pre-transaction risk analysis and its response to subsequent litigation or arbitration.
His experience is particularly concentrated on matters involving Japan, where he has spent a significant portion of his legal career.
That background strengthens Novara’s capabilities around transactions involving Japanese companies, international investors and businesses operating across the U.S. and Asian markets.
Cross-border transactions can present legal challenges that extend beyond conventional corporate due diligence.
Companies may need to evaluate existing or potential disputes, regulatory investigations, contractual relationships, compliance requirements and litigation exposure across several jurisdictions.
Differences in legal systems and business practices can add further complexity.
By bringing an experienced disputes lawyer directly into its deal process, Novara aims to identify these issues before they create unexpected problems following completion of a transaction.
Andriotis joins Novara from DLA Piper, where he led the firm’s international arbitration practice in Tokyo.
International arbitration is commonly used to resolve disputes involving businesses operating across different jurisdictions, particularly when parties want to avoid litigating exclusively in the courts of either party’s home country.
His work has involved complex commercial disputes as well as regulatory matters requiring coordination across borders.
Before DLA Piper, Andriotis served as a partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a global law firm known for its focus on litigation and disputes.
His career has also included significant experience at Hughes Hubbard & Reed.
Andriotis worked with Hughes Hubbard in both New York and Tokyo and eventually became the leader of the firm’s Tokyo office.
That experience gave him responsibility not only for client matters but also for managing a legal practice operating within one of Asia’s largest financial and commercial markets.
Andriotis also completed a substantial long-term secondment at Nishimura & Asahi, one of Japan’s major law firms.
The experience further expanded his familiarity with Japanese legal practices and provided additional perspective on how domestic and international legal teams coordinate on complex cross-border matters.
His connection with Japan extends to his career before becoming an attorney.
Before attending law school, Andriotis worked at a U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui & Co., the Japanese trading and investment company.
That business experience gave him early exposure to the commercial relationship between Japanese companies and the U.S. market.
Andriotis began his legal career in New York at LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae.
He subsequently served as a federal law clerk at the U.S. Court of International Trade, which handles cases involving U.S. customs and international trade laws.
The combination of commercial, litigation, regulatory and international experience gives Andriotis a background spanning several areas relevant to Novara’s cross-border advisory work.
His appointment also reflects the increasingly important role that litigation and regulatory analysis can play in mergers, acquisitions and investments.
Traditional transaction diligence often focuses heavily on financial performance, commercial opportunities and contractual obligations.
However, unresolved litigation, government investigations or regulatory risks can materially affect a company’s valuation and the economics of a transaction.
These issues can also influence the structure of a deal.
Buyers may seek additional contractual protections, purchase-price adjustments, indemnification provisions or other safeguards when material legal risks are identified.
Understanding those risks before signing can therefore help investors make more informed decisions about transaction terms.
Regulatory considerations have also become more important as governments increase scrutiny of cross-border investment, competition, national security, data protection and other areas.
Transactions involving businesses operating across the U.S. and Asia may need to navigate several of these requirements simultaneously.
Andriotis’s role will place him directly alongside Novara’s transaction teams as they evaluate those issues.
The model could also give clients greater continuity if a potential risk identified during due diligence later develops into a dispute.
Rather than transferring the matter to an entirely separate team after a transaction closes, Novara can draw on professionals who were already familiar with the underlying issue and the transaction.
Andriotis’s appointment strengthens that capability while giving him responsibility for leading the firm’s broader Litigation & Regulatory practice globally.
His work will span both New York and Tokyo, reinforcing Novara’s ability to advise businesses and investors operating between the two markets.
With experience at DLA Piper, Quinn Emanuel, Hughes Hubbard and Nishimura & Asahi, along with earlier commercial experience at Mitsui and federal court experience, Andriotis brings a combination of transactional risk analysis, disputes and regulatory expertise to the firm.
The appointment positions Novara to more closely integrate those capabilities into its deal advisory work, particularly for clients pursuing investments and transactions connecting Asia and the United States.
