Morrison Foerster’s leading M&A practice in Tokyo offers a comprehensive service to Japanese and international clients encompassing public and private acquisitions, carve-outs, spinouts, and joint ventures. Recent highlights for the group include advising the board of directors and Transactional Special Committee of Toshiba Corporation on the $15.2bn take-private tender offer proposal made by Japan Industrial Partners. Ken Siegel, managing partner of the firm’s Tokyo office and M&A practice head, regularly acts for high-tech companies in acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances. Gary Smith has over 30 years of experience handling cross-border M&A, especially in the life sciences, tech, and media sectors. Stephen DeCosse focuses on public and private M&A and investments for trading houses and private equity firms. Randy Laxer and Jeremy White are also key figures in the team.
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Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Jeremy White and Stephen DeCosse have a high level of global experience and a proven track record and are capable of handling legal cases around the world. In addition, despite being a global firm, they provide optimal solutions and legal analysis that meet the needs of Japanese companies. In addition, their Japanese branch is large, which gives you peace of mind.’
‘The greatest strength of this team is not only its accurate legal analysis but also the ability to provide the optimal solution that the client desires in a short time. I believe that all members of this team have a wealth of knowledge, know-how, and experience to achieve this. I believe that the more complex the case, the more this team can demonstrate its strengths. I think Gary Smith at Mofo in particular is a fantastic lawyer with a lot of experience.’
‘Their lawyers have a strong appreciation of commercial matters.’
‘MOFO is one of the best law firms that we have retained for corporate and M&A projects.'
Key clients
- SoftBank
- TDK Corporation
- Fujitsu Limited
- Renesas Electronics Corporation
- Tencent Holdings Limited
- NTT Communications
- Toshiba
- Onsemi
- L Catterton
- Palantir Technologies Inc.
Work highlights
Advised Toshiba Corporation on its $15bn take-private.
Advised ARM Holdings plc on its US$5.2bn initial public offering and listing on Nasdaq.
Advised Sekisui House on its $4.9bn acquisition of M.D.C. Holdings, a large US homebuilder listed on the NYSE.
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.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Randy Laxer
Jeremy White
Practice head
Ken Siegel
Other key lawyers
Gary Smith; Stephen DeCosse; Randy Laxer; Jeremy White