For businesses navigating complex legal landscapes, working with a law firm should feel like more than just a transaction—it should be a partnership. At WilliamsMcCarthy, legal counsel goes beyond billing hours; the firm takes a solutions-driven approach, working hand-in-hand with clients to address challenges and drive long-term success.
Nowhere is this commitment more evident than in the longstanding relationship between WilliamsMcCarthy and Niigata, Inc., a century-old leader in precision machining equipment. Through several decades of collaboration, Niigata Executive Hans Retra has forged a partnership built on trust, transparency, and a shared vision for business growth with multiple attorneys at WilliamsMcCarthy including Marc Gravino, Tim Rollins, John Holevas, Carl Ecklund and others.
With over 130 years of history, Japan-based Niigata, Inc. has been a global leader in machine tool manufacturing, serving industries like aerospace, automotive, and construction. While the core function of Niigata’s machines remains unchanged, technological advancements have refined their precision and efficiency, solidifying the company’s reputation as the “Cadillac” of the industry—trusted for reliability and long-term performance.
A Trusted Partner
With some machines still running after 40 years and an 88% repeat customer rate, Niigata has earned the loyalty of both global giants and local manufacturers, including Ingersoll Manufacturing. In 1993, Niigata opened a U.S. location based in Chicago and tapped Hans to lead the effort. Hans needed legal counsel to guide the formation of the organization, so he turned to someone with whom he had an established relationship – his personal attorney, Marc Gravino, at WilliamsMcCarthy. Hans was confident in both Marc’s legal acumen as well as the depth of expertise at the firm to handle myriad matters for Niigata.
“There was definitely a level of trust there,” shared Hans. “Marc and I had known each other a long time and I wanted his law firm to handle the business side of things. I’ve worked with Marc and probably nine other attorneys at WilliamsMcCarthy since then.”
Driving Positive Results
From the start, Marc and the WilliamsMcCarthy team focused on problem-solving and transparency, creating a partnership built on trust rather than transactions. The tenure between firm and company is a testament to how strong relationships and legal expertise can drive results. As one example, when faced with some high-stakes litigation a few years ago, WilliamsMcCarthy helped Niigata turn a potential crisis into a victory. Through proactive litigation that set the table for a favorable outcome, Niigata was able to resolve the complex aspects of the case by negotiating a very favorable global settlement that included the disposition of millions of dollars of parts – a highly positive outcome for Niigata.
Hans shared the strength of his confidence in the WilliamsMcCarthy team saying, “We have never lost any issue that has come up through litigation or settlement that hasn’t benefitted us.”
Niigata’s relationship with WilliamsMcCarthy has proven invaluable, helping the company maintain a strong market position—even through financial downturns like the pandemic, during which it never lost money. Throughout that relationship, Hans relays that the WilliamsMcCarthy team solved some very key problems in mergers, capital asset purchases, large real estate purchases, dissolution of a business, startups, relations with dealers and more.
In addition to achieving positive outcomes, Hans appreciates the way WilliamsMcCarthy does business, characterizing his experience by simply stating their time is not a waste of your time.
“I can call each of these guys personally,” shared Hans. “They look at each matter and think, ‘How do we get the best result most effectively?’ They don’t stretch things out like a billing machine – they always have suggestions to get to the resolution without fighting a battle.”
Transitioning the Relationship
Hans wanted to ensure the connection with WilliamsMcCarthy would continue as he retired as CEO and transitioned to Chairman of the Board. One of his top priorities was introducing the new Vice President and COO to WilliamsMcCarthy’s attorneys. He coordinated a personal introduction, bringing the incoming leadership team to Rockford to meet Marc and others.
“I introduced my Niigata team to the key people that have served us the longest and the best,” said Hans. “WilliamsMcCarthy is one of the groups that Niigata’s new management could not lose sight of.”
While Niigata will navigate new technologies, opportunities, and challenges, Hans knows his team will continue to be in good hands with WilliamsMcCarthy.
