Michael Graffagna > Morrison Foerster > Tokyo, Japan > Lawyer Profile

Morrison Foerster
SHIN-MARUNOUCHI BUILDING, 29TH FLOOR
5-1, MARUNOUCHI 1-CHOME, CHIYODA-KU
TOKYO 100-6529
Japan

Work Department

Finance & Projects

Position

Partner

Career

Mike has 30 years of experience representing parties in the development, construction, acquisition, divestment, and financing of infrastructure projects around the world. His work spans a broad range of projects and industries, including LNG (regasification terminals and liquefaction facilities), renewable and conventional power (solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, gas, coal, and nuclear), mining (iron ore, gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and silver), telecommunications (satellite networks, cellular networks, and fiber optic undersea cable), transportation (high–speed and light rail) and midstream/downstream oil and gas (pipelines and petrochemical facilities). He works on projects around the globe, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Venezuela, the Bahamas, Angola, Nigeria, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Papua New Guinea.

Languages

English and Japanese

Education

University of Illinois, B.A. 1984

Harvard Law School, J.D. 1989

Bar Admissions: California, New York and Japan (Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi)

Lawyer Rankings

Japan > Projects and energy: International firms and joint ventures

(Hall of Fame)

Michael GraffagnaMorrison Foerster

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.