Barnes & Thornburg is pleased to announce that Robert W. Karr Jr. has rejoined the firm’s Chicago office as a partner in its Corporate Department.
Karr brings over 30 years of experience working with Japanese companies on complex domestic and international transactional and operational matters. Representing companies in the manufacturing industry – including automotive, chemical, and food – as well as in the construction, banking, trading, and service industries, Karr’s work includes mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, real estate, construction, financing, sales and supply agreements, intellectual property development and licensing agreements, compliance and risk management counseling, human resources, and government relations.
For nearly a decade, Karr served as chief legal officer and senior vice president of administration for Blommer Chocolate Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan-based Fuji Oil Holdings, Inc. During his tenure, Karr led the company’s international expansion, including establishing a manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China. Additionally, he was involved with the preparation, sale, and post-merger integration between the company and Fuji Oil Holdings in 2019. He also supported other Fuji Oil Group companies in North America in his role as chief legal officer, including Fuji Vegetable Oil, Inc. (FVO) and Oilseeds International, Inc. In 2023, he led the legal team to sell FVO’s New Orleans plant.
“Bob’s international experience and deep understanding of the unique business requirements and cultural dynamics of Japanese companies will be invaluable as we continue to deepen our bench in this area,” said Jahan Sharifi, chair of Barnes & Thornburg’s Corporate Department. “We are focused on increasing the depth and sophistication of our growing cross-border practice, and Bob’s wide-ranging experience is an exceptional fit with the strong practice already established in our Chicago office.”
Karr devotes much of his time to strengthening U.S.-Japan relations through business, art, and culture. For more than 30 years, much of Karr’s civic leadership has focused on the preservation and development of Garden of Phoenix in Jackson Park, a historic place for visitors to learn and experience Japanese culture in Chicago. From 2013 to 2019, Bob partnered with Yoko Ono to create SKYLANDING, Ono’s first and only permanent artwork in the Americas, which was installed in the Garden of the Phoenix. He also produced with Ono an album of her songs performed by Tatsu Aoki and the Miyumi Project.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Bob back to our Chicago office,” said Michael A. Carrillo, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Chicago office. “His impressive in-house experience and deep involvement in the city’s business and civic communities make him a superb addition to our expanding team.”
Karr’s arrival comes on the heels of the firm’s announcement that its Chicago office is expanding its downtown space by 30 percent—a deal that marked the city’s largest law firm lease transaction to date this year, according to Savills.
Karr earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and his B.A. in Asian languages and literature from the University of Iowa.
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