Masahiro Shiga > Morrison Foerster > Tokyo, Japan > Lawyer Profile

Morrison Foerster’s practice, co-led by Theodore Seltzer and the ‘top tier’ Masahiro Shiga, is part of the firm’s pan-Asian network, exhibiting ‘very deep‘ bench strength when advising domestic and overseas real estate companies.  Junichi Kurokoshi advises real estate developers and operators. Advising on fund formation, project acquisition, and financings, Narutake Takasu focuses on sale and leasing transactions and investment in distressed debt. Joshua Isenberg ‘works seamlessly’ across different sector, advising on a variety of real estate transactions, including senior and mezzanine financings, as well as construction and development matters. Christopher Spalding, who specialises in non-recourse financings within the real estate sector, was promoted to partner in January 2023.

With their ‘high standard of expertise, commercial sense and legal skills’, Michael Graffagna and Dale Caldwell lead the projects and energy team at Morrison Foerster. Both partners have extensive experience in conventional power projects, including LNG and gas-to-power, as well as in renewable energy, mining and transportation projects. The practice is a one-stop shop for clients in the energy sector across Japan and on an international scale, with Graffagna handling outbound deals and Caldwell working on domestic and inbound transactions. The team also works in tandem with the firm’s wider Asia energy and infrastructure group on outbound energy and infrastructure projects across the Asia-pacific region. The practice sees projects through from structuring, planning and licensing to construction, financing and operation. Limited recourse financing is a particular focus area for the team and Masahiro Shiga and Yukhi Asano bring broad finance-related expertise to the team. The group’s diverse client base reflects its sponsor focus, ranging from financial institutions to developers. The team is also uniquely positioned to advise technology companies and handle tech-driven renewable energy transactions. Jon Ornolfsson left the team in December 2022.