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Chemical Industry

Practices

Chemical Industry

Thompson Hine LLP is a full-service business law firm with deep experience advising companies across the chemical, coatings, plastics, and specialty materials industries throughout the United States and abroad. Our well-developed and robust litigation, transactional, and regulatory legal practices uniquely qualify us to handle the complex and evolving issues these businesses face.

Our extensive industry knowledge and practical, day-to-day experience enable us to truly understand our clients’ businesses, provide proactive advice on regulatory and market trends, and integrate seamlessly as an extension of their internal teams.

Integrated Legal Support Across the Chemical Life Cycle

We provide end-to-end legal counsel supporting every stage of the chemical life cycle – from product development and regulatory approval through manufacturing, distribution, and end-use compliance. Our multidisciplinary platform aligns regulatory, transactional, litigation, and operational needs into a coordinated strategy designed to support both compliance and growth.

Industry Insight & Client Partnership

Our chemical industry lawyers combine deep technical understanding with practical business insight to help clients anticipate regulatory developments and market shifts. We regularly publish thought leadership articles on emerging issues such as PFAS regulation, climate-related requirements, and evolving EPA guidance affecting manufacturers and formulators.

Our Approach

We integrate seamlessly with our clients’ teams, acting as an extension of their businesses. By combining industry-specific experience with cross-disciplinary legal capabilities, we deliver practical solutions that support compliance, reduce risk, and enable strategic growth in a complex global environment.

Environmental and chemical regulation and enforcement: We advise clients on complex and evolving regulatory frameworks affecting chemical substances and products, including TSCA compliance, product stewardship, permitting, and reporting obligations. Our team regularly assists manufacturers and importers in navigating regulatory submissions, agency interactions, and enforcement matters. We also counsel on broader environmental obligations, including air, water, waste, climate change, and EHS compliance systems that directly impact chemical production and facility operations. We represent chemical companies in regulatory enforcement actions and environmental disputes. Our experience includes Superfund matters, hazardous substance liability, citizen suits, and OSHA enforcement actions, as well as complex risk allocation in transactional contexts.

Product liability and mass torts: We defend chemical and materials companies in matters involving alleged product defects, exposure claims, and mass and toxic tort litigation. We focus on early case assessment, litigation strategy, and coordinated defense to help manage risk and protect business continuity.

Business litigation: We represent our chemical company clients in various business disputes and litigation, including supply agreement disputes; conflicts over exclusivity, territory, or termination of distribution agreements; joint venture and partnership disputes; tolling and manufacturing agreement disputes; and disputes involving purchase price, earn-out, terms and conditions, and other contractual provisions.

Corporate, M&A and supply chain transactions: We advise on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and strategic investments involving chemical and materials businesses. We also support supply chain structuring, distribution agreements, and global sourcing arrangements to help clients manage operational and commercial risk.

International trade and regulatory compliance: We assist with import/export controls, sanctions compliance, customs issues, and global trade regulations affecting raw materials and finished chemical products.

Labor, employment and workplace safety: We counsel employers in the chemical sector on labor relations, employment litigation, OSHA compliance, and workforce management strategies tailored to industrial and manufacturing environments.