Skip to Main Content

Meet Our Professionals

Dominic M. Lerario

Partner
Charlotte | 704.335.6644
Fax | 704.334.4706

Dom Lerario focuses his practice on international business, economic development, and mergers and acquisitions. He is a leader within the international business community, serving on the board of directors of the Advisory Board of the Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte and the council of the North Carolina Bar Association International Practice Section. He is also active in the Carolinas Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Business Alliance.

Dom assists companies with investments and expansions in the United States, including site selection and incentives, outbound investments and structuring, and domestic and cross-border M&A. He also counsels corporate venture capital divisions, family offices, and other private investors on investments into startups and emerging companies. In addition, Dom counsels clients on commercial contracting and general corporate law issues.

Dom has particular experience in the manufacturing, retail automotive, fintech, and health care industries. He has represented a variety of public and private companies, including global financial institutions, private equity sponsors, life sciences companies, hospitals, and energy companies.

Dom is fluent in Spanish and highly proficient in Mandarin. He has extensive travel and work experience in Asia and Latin America. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are licensed therapeutic foster parents. In addition to their three “forever” children, they regularly serve as a home for children in long-term foster care. Through this work, he is a member of the board of directors of Foster Village Charlotte, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports children and families involved in the foster care system.

Prior to joining Parker Poe, Dom was an attorney with the Charlotte office of an international law firm. He received his law degree from Duke University, where he was the symposium editor for the Duke Journal of Comparative & International Law and a student attorney with the school's Start-Up Ventures Clinic. He received his undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead-Cain Scholar.

Representative Experience

International Business & Corporate Law

  • Represented foreign companies in the establishment and operation of U.S. subsidiaries, including site selection and negotiations of economic incentives.
  • Represented the US subsidiary of a publicly traded German specialty chemicals manufacturer in the carveout of its high performance polymers business as part of a broader $3 billion cross-border acquisition and joint venture with a private equity sponsor.
  • Served as outside corporate counsel to various private companies, advising officers and boards of directors on fiduciary duties and investor relations, drafting commercial contracts, and liaising with foreign counsel on international operations and intercompany transactions.

Mergers & Acquisitions

  • Represented a Taiwanese company in complicated acquisition of a majority interest in an earlier stage US company and former supplier. Complexities involved in the acquisition included negotiation of a license from a third party for a patent portfolio critical to the target company’s business.
  • Represented a manufacturer of metal cutting tools with operations in the US, Mexico and, Canada that was owned by a consortium of Asian investors in its sale to a private-equity backed Canadian buyer.
  • Represented the US subsidiary of a European manufacturer of audio, visual and lighting connectivity hardware in the acquisition of a manufacturer of data and communication cables.
  • Represented a manufacturer of hoses and fittings for the automotive racing and aerospace industries with operations in the US and UK in its sale to a private equity buyer.
  • Represented an NYSE-listed automotive retailer in multiple acquisitions and dispositions of automotive dealerships located throughout the US.
  • Represented a filter paper manufacturer in its sale of certain assets in the US and China to a publicly traded European manufacturer of fiber products.
  • Represented three of the portfolio companies of a private equity sponsor in multiple add-on acquisitions across the United States in industries including light manufacturing and prototyping, clamp and coupling solutions as well as dip- and injection-molding.
  • Represented a private equity sponsor in its recapitalization of a provider of mechanical/HVAC, electric and plumbing systems services.
  • Represented a manufacturer of wire cloth and other filtration and separation products with operations in the US, Canada and Ireland in its sale to a private equity sponsor.
  • Represented a private equity-backed tile and flooring company in its sale to a strategic buyer.

Securities & Venture Capital

  • Represented the strategic investment division of a publicly traded clinical laboratory firm in its investments in various life sciences companies.
  • Represented the strategic investment divisions of global financial institutions in venture capital investments in various early stage fintech companies.
  • Advised public companies on securities regulation and corporate governance matters, including reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and compliance with stock exchange rules, as well as drafting related periodic and current reports, proxy statements, and Section 16 beneficial ownership reports.

Loading content

Loading content

Honors & Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America "Ones to Watch" in Corporate Law, 2024; Mergers and Acquisitions Law, 2024
  • UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead-Cain Scholar
  • Duke Law Faculty Award for Outstanding Achievement in Commercial Transactions & Bankruptcy Law  
  • Eagle Scout

Memberships

  • North Carolina Bar Association International Practice Section, Leadership Council, 2021-present
  • Foster Village Charlotte, Board of Directors, 2022-present
  • Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Advisory Board, 2022-present
  • TerraLex, 2023 Leadership Program
  • Carolinas Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Business Alliance