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Morrison Foerster

Morrison Foerster

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Japan

1

Corporate and M&A: International firms and joint ventures

Morrison Foerster has a distinguished M&A practice in Tokyo, especially noted for its capabilities in the technology sector. The department is regularly instructed by an enviable client roster, including advising Softbank on its USD 40 billion venture investment in OpenAI. Ken Siegel heads up the team and is highly reputed for his experience representing leading high-tech companies on acquisitions and joint ventures. Gary Smith is a go-to at the firm for life sciences clients, leading on inbound and outbound buyouts. Randy Laxer is noted for private equity buyouts and investments, while Jeremy White focuses on acquisitions and disposals. Nozomi Oda is well-positioned to advise on strategic investments and alliances. Stephen DeCosse is well-known for his experience in cross-border M&A.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'MoFo Tokyo office has capabilities to assist clients in M&A, especially representing Japanese clients who acquire foreign companies.'
  • 'Steve DeCosse is the key partner who is very dedicated to clients and always very responsive. In addition to his skills and experience as a corporate and M&A lawyer, he acts as a one-stop point of contact, and coordinates with other teams (IP, litigation etc) and other offices in and outside of Japan.'
  • 'As a whole team, Morrison Foerster's wide network (both geography and expertise) made the service very streamlined and seamless. From a financial advisor's point of view, this aspect would be very helpful for clients since MoFo can provide the one-stop service for them.'
  • 'We worked with Mr. Gary Smith on the buy side of a cross-border M&A transaction. They always responded quickly whenever needed, and provided solutions which are not only based on legal perspectives, but very practical and realistic (in other words, not just legal interpretation of laws, but business-friendly perspectives). Mr. Smith, as a partner, acted very proactive and was deeply involved in the details of the deal, which made it easier for us and our clients to make difficult decisions.'
  • 'Highly innovative, solution based and commercially pragmatic advice.'
  • 'Jeremy White is one of the most outstanding lawyers we have ever worked with.'

Key clients

  • Bain Capital
  • CMIC Holdings
  • Delonix Group
  • FormFactor
  • Fortress Investment Group
  • Miura Co., Ltd.
  • Nikon Corporation
  • Nissan
  • North America Sekisui House
  • Ocean Link
  • Ono Pharmaceutical Co.
  • Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Stephen DeCosse
Stephen DeCosse
Leading partners: Gaiben

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Randy Laxer
Randy Laxer
Practice head

Ken Siegel

Other key lawyers

Gary Smith; Randy Laxer; Jeremy White; Nozomi Oda; Stephen DeCosse