Case Studies

The principals of The SAB Group have assisted in numerous strategic business negotiations ranging from multi-billion dollar mergers to complex high-stakes asset purchases and sales. Our principals have also assisted not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, and individuals in tackling their negotiation and relationship challenges.

The following are representative summaries of the types of transactions our principals have worked on:

Transactions Valued At Over US $400 Million
  • Represented Nissan in its strategic negotiations with Daimler-Benz, which was seeking to buy Nissan's truck manufacturing division in order to expand its marketing reach into the lucrative Asian truck market. Nissan's truck division had over 1,000 employees and the proposed transaction was valued at several billion U.S. dollars.
  • Advised Barnes & Noble in its bid to acquire Ingram Booksellers, a major book distribution company. Barnes & Noble was seeking to buy Ingram in a bid to streamline its consumer sales channels while Ingram was seeking to maximize its sale value in an increasingly competitive bookselling market.
  • Represented Daiwa Securities in its purchase of US$400 million in debt-based securities from Citibank originating in Indonesia. The unique character of this securitization was the first of its kind ever completed.
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Transactions Valued Between US $10 Million and US $400 Million
  • Represented Itochu Trading Corporation, one of the largest corporations in the world, in a series of transactions totaling approximately US $100 million involving trading partners from three different continents. Transactions included the purchase and sale of goods ranging from leading-edge technology to raw materials for manufacturing purposes.
  • Advised the Nippon Paper Industries (NPI) litigation team in its defense against allegations of antitrust violations made by the United States Department of Justice. After two failed attempts at litigation by the Justice Department, the lawsuit was dismissed by a Federal District Court in Massachusetts.
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Transactions Valued Between US $1 Million and US $10 Million
  • Represented a leading not-for-profit foundation in its bid to invest in the Ukraine for purposes of fostering economic development in the country. The size of the investments ranged from several million dollars to several thousand dollars.
  • Represented MN Associates in its strategic negotiations with a bankrupt debtor in an effort to secure the maximum return on its initial extension of credit to the debtor. Several million dollars were eventually recovered on behalf of MN Associates.
  • Advised Mitsubishi, one of several defendants, in its negotiations with an individual's estate suing Mitsubishi in a personal injury action. All actions against Mitsubishi were dropped early in the litigation process.
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Transactions Valued Between US $100 Thousand and US $1 Million
  • Represented the State of Wisconsin's Investment Board in its negotiations with the easement holder regarding alleged damages stemming from the easement holder's belief that their easement was being violated. Ultimately, no damages were paid by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board.
  • Advised Leo Burnett advertising agency executives on how to negotiate with clients who exhibit reluctance to make payment in full to Leo Burnett for services already rendered.
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Transactions Valued Under US $100 Thousand
  • Provided negotiation training and consultation to a number of international lawyers on how to manage interpersonal relationships including the following negotiation skill issues: how to retain long-standing clients who had recently severed the relationship for personal reasons; how to improve the performance, work ethic, and communication patterns of subordinates; and how to seek and obtain compensation and responsibility commensurate with their talent and experience.
  • Represented MOL, a privately-held U.S.-based Internet Service Provider, in negotiations for an affiliate transactions contract with Muntada-Net, another U.S.-based Internet Service Provider. MOL and Muntada-Net agreed to a complicated rate structure whereby each ISP would provide royalties to the other based upon the amount of traffic directed towards it by the other ISP.
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Pro Bono Activities
  • Provided negotiation strategy training and presentations on negotiation skills at conferences, conventions, and meetings designed to empower traditionally disadvantaged groups and individuals. Participants in our pro bono seminars have responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback.
  • Counseled numerous individuals on negotiation skills for improving their relationships with spouses, parents, children, siblings, friends, and colleagues. A significant majority of these individuals have stated that their lives and relationships have improved dramatically through the application of our negotiations model.
  • The SAB Group is committed to empowering eligible not-for-profit and civil society organizations by providing pro bono or reduced cost negotiation consulting and training services. We encourage you to contact us if you think you or your organization may benefit from our services.
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