The Legal 500

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a second tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi’s impressive antitrust practice has particular strength in the IP and IT sectors. It recently advised on antitrust aspects of Fujitsu’s $330m sale of its hard disk drive business to Toshiba; TDK’s $350m purchase of Alps’ business for the development, commercialisation and manufacture of heads for hard disk drives; and Fuji Electric’s joint venture with Schneider. Other clients include Toshiba, Hitachi and Dai Nippon Printing. Kei Amemiya, Chie Yakura and Yukihiro Terazawa are recommended.

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a second tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi rises a tier, and recently advised the lead arranger, lead lender and agents on financing Unison Capital’s leveraged buyout of Minit Asia from CVC Asia Pacific. The team continues to advise JBIC and The Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ on a $200m loan to Tenigal for the construction of a new continuous, hot-dip galvanizing line in Mexico. ‘Hardworking’ head of the banking group Dale Caldwell and the ‘excellent’ Theodore Seltzer are highly experienced.

Within Independent local firms Capital markets: bengoshi

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a second tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi’s practice spans Japanese, US and UK law. The firm represented Softbank in its successful $2.6bn fundraising via SFJ Capital’s issuance of preferred securities; advised Nexon on its initial listing on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange as well as a global offering of common stock; and assisted on a number of high-value J-REIT global offerings. Fuyuo Mitomi and Tony Grundy lead the team, which also includes Andrew Winden, of counsel Robyn Nadler and J-REIT expert Saori Nakamura.

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi’s dynamic practice is particularly renowned for its projects experience in South America. The firm advised SCM Minera Lumina Copper Chile on the $1.4bn limited recourse project financing and offtake agreements for Chile’s Caserones copper and molybdenum mining project, and advised Sumitomo on its $1.9bn acquisition of a 30% stake in an iron ore unit of Brazilian steelmaker Usinas Siderúrgicas de Minas Gerais (Usiminas). ‘Hard workers’ Michael Graffagna and Dale Caldwell are ‘experienced and good at negotiation, documentation and explanation’. Christian Petersen joined Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

‘Among the best’, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi continues to lead the market for corporate and M&A work: it is representing Hitachi in the $5bn sale of its hard disk drive and data storage business to Western Digital, and advising Toshiba on its $2.3bn acquisition of Landis+Gyr. The team is also advising Softbank on Alibaba Group’s restructuring of its holdings in Alipay.com. Clients recommend the practice for the ‘invaluable assistance provided by great professionals in both the US and Japan’. Gary Smith is described by one client as the ‘best lawyer that I have seen in the M&A space in Japan’. Randy Laxer, office managing partner Ken Siegel, Jay Ponazecki and Fuyuo Mitomi are also highly recommended. Of counsel and insolvency expert Tadashi Wada is also recommended, as is Stanley Yukevich, whose ‘key strengths are speed and rich knowledge’. The firm recruited Dale Araki, formerly the head of O’Melveny & Myers Gaikokuho Kyodojigyo Horitsujimusho’s M&A practice. David Litt retired.

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

Arguably ‘the US firm with the strongest Tokyo office’, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi ‘can provide a unique level of service and resources for Japanese clients’. The firm fields ‘a very broad and deep team, so experts in any particular area are available’. Max Olson is praised for his ‘very sophisticated advice and manner of action’. The firm secured a victory for Nikon in patent litigation against Anvik Corporation in the Southern District of New York; is defending Rio Tinto against claims that it is responsible for the actions of members of the Papua New Guinea defence force after the violent takeover of a copper mine; and successfully represented JAL in three court cases in Hawaii federal and district courts concerning a failed property development. Craig Celniker is ‘a born litigator and negotiator; working with him is a pleasant and enjoyable experience’, say clients. Jack Londen and Louise Stoupe are also recommended. Peter Stern relocated to San Francisco.

Within Independent local firms Intellectual property: bengoshi

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi provides ‘excellent service’ and ‘speedy and detailed responses’. The firm is highly regarded for Japanese law advice, and also acted for Fujitsu and its German subsidiary, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, in successfully negotiating a worldwide patent licence agreement with SISVEL. Other clients include Hitachi, Sharp, Yamaha and TDK. Max Olson, who leads the IP litigation department, is’good at both litigation and negotiation’, and head of the patent team Robert Hollingshead is ‘strong at handling international IP disputes’. Louise Stoupe’s strengths include ‘strategic advice’ and ‘examining witnesses at trial’. Yukihiro Terazawa, Masato Hayakawa and technology transactions group head Stuart Beraha are also recommended.

Within Independent local firms Real estate: bengoshi

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi’s ‘very commercial’ group is ‘strong from a technical perspective’, and represents clients at all stages of the real estate investment cycle, from fund formation, project acquisition and financing, project and portfolio sales to public offerings of real estate vehicles. This includes a growing reputation for advising on J-REITs. The team represented Global Logistic Properties in structuring, drafting and negotiating a $1.6bn joint venture with China Investment Corporation to acquire 15 logistics properties in Japan from funds managed by LaSalle Investment Management. Theodore Seltzer is ‘probably the most knowledgeable lawyer in the field’. The ‘experienced’ Keisuke Mochizuki is ‘quick at responding’ and provides ‘good, practical legal solutions’. Head of the firm’s Asia real estate practice Eric Piesner has ‘oustanding communication skills’. Andrew Morrison and Narutake Takasu, who was promoted to partner in 2012, are also recommended.

Within International firms and joint ventures, Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is a first tier firm,

Morrison & Foerster Ito & Mitomi is ‘proactive in providing practical solutions and legal and tax advice’. Clients say ‘the combination of good tax and legal counsel under one roof is rare in Japan and definitely a plus, especially for cross-border transactions’. The firm is advising Toshiba Tec on the tax implications of its $850m acquisition of IBM’s Retail Store Solutions, and acted as tax adviser to Softbank regarding the Alibaba Group’s $4bn restructuring of its holdings in Alipay, thereby addressing regulatory requirements relating to foreign ownership of online payment systems in China. Eric Roose ‘provides good and timely solutions’, and is ‘experienced, up-to-date and understands not just tax matters but business needs’. Zeirishi Yasuo Igarashi, zeirishi Takeo Mizutani and of counsel Michael Shikuma are recommended.