News
NASHVILLE – Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP announced today that Masami Izumida Tyson has joined the firm as a Global Business and International Trade partner in the Corporate and Securities group. She is based in the firm’s new Nashville office. The opening of a Nashville office last month – Womble’s 21st in the United States and 28th internationally – was bolstered by the firm’s Global Business and International Trade team, including partners John Scannapieco, Josh Mullen, and Alan Enslen.
Tyson joins Womble from the State of Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, where she served as Global Director of Foreign Direct Investment and Trade. In this role, she liaised with international, diplomatic, and economic offices on behalf of the state of Tennessee. She also maintained strategic oversight for all overseas teams tasked with recruiting companies interested in doing business in Tennessee, provided support to companies located in Tennessee, and advised state leadership on matters relating to foreign affairs. Prior to her time with the State of Tennessee, Tyson served in several in-house counsel roles, including Senior Counsel for Nissan North America.
“Masami has a stellar reputation and is highly regarded in the Japanese business community both here in the U.S. and Japan,” said Jamie Francis, who leads the firm’s Corporate and Securities practice group. “She will be an integral part of the growth of the Nashville office and the building of a Japanese practice within our Global Business and International Trade team.”
In the last year, Womble Bond Dickinson has added more than 90 attorneys, including nearly three dozen lateral partners, across strategic sectors and services, including energy and natural resources, financial services, global business, intellectual property, and white-collar crime and government investigations. In April, the firm established its New York presence with a group of prestigious trademark lawyers from the boutique IP firm Abelman Frayne & Schwab.
An active member of the community, Tyson is a council leader for the U.S.-Japan Council and board chair for the Japan-America Society of Tennessee. She also serves as a board member for Hands On Nashville and the Tennessee District Export Council.
Tyson received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was a member of the Honor Council, Legal Clinic, and Legal Aid Society. She received her M.A. and B.A. from Johns Hopkins University, where she was a recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts.
Attorneys based in the Nashville office include:
John Scannapieco (Partner – Nashville/Washington, DC) assists both U.S. and foreign businesses engaged in the global economy. For more than three decades, he has provided strategic guidance and counsel to businesses and individuals regarding their existing global operations or to those contemplating global expansion.
Josh Mullen (Partner – Nashville/Washington, DC) focuses his practice on government contracts and business litigation. He assists various government contractors with winning and complying with the terms of state and federal contracts. Josh also counsels clients across various industries with litigating complex commercial disputes.
Alan Enslen (Partner – Washington, DC/Nashville) represents clients in international trade and national security matters, government investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, and global trade disputes in the commercial and defense sectors. He helps clients capitalize on international market opportunities by guiding them through the necessary trade requirements in a manner consistent with their risk tolerance and business objectives.
Frank Xue (Associate – Nashville/Washington, DC) focuses his practice on cross-border transactions and corporate matters. He assists Chinese clients with foreign direct investments, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, corporate structuring and governance, commercial contracts, labor and employment, and immigration matters in the United States.
Joy Holloway (Counsel – Atlanta/Nashville) is a transactional attorney who focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, commercial contracts, finance, and securities. She also has experience in corporate governance and regulatory matters.
