Morrison & Foerster Wins Eight Asian Legal Business Japan Law Awards
TOKYO (PRWEB) June 20, 2018 -- Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, recently received eight awards at the Asian Legal Business (ALB) 2018 Japan Law Awards. Now in its 14th year, the ALB Awards recognize the achievements of Japan’s leading private practice law firms and in-house counsel. Ken Siegel, Managing Partner of Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office, and Louise Stoupe, Tokyo partner and co-chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation and Trial Practice Group, both received individual accolades. Of particular note, Morrison & Foerster was also named International Deal Firm of the Year.
Morrison & Foerster’s awards included:
• Foreign Lawyer of the Year: Ken Siegel
• Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year: Louise Stoupe
• BMW Award Woman Lawyer of the Year: Louise Stoupe
• International Deal Firm of the Year
• Japan Deal of the Year for Toshiba’s Sale of Toshiba Memory Corporation
• M&A Deal of the Year (Premium) for Toshiba’s Sale of Toshiba Memory Corporation
• Technology, Media and Telecommunications Deal of the Year for Toshiba’s Sale of Toshiba Memory Corporation
• Real Estate Deal of the Year for the acquisition of the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel
“It is an honor to be recognized by Asia Legal Business,” said Mr. Siegel. “I’m proud of my colleagues for their outstanding work this past year. These awards are a testament to the strength of our Tokyo office and further emphasize Morrison & Foerster’s position as the largest international law firm in Japan.”
Mr. Siegel’s recognition as Foreign Lawyer of the Year came as a result of advising Japanese clients on a number of blockbuster deals, including a series of large investments by SoftBank in tech and media companies in multiple jurisdictions. These included SoftBank's $7.7 billion primary and secondary investment investment in Uber, and SoftBank Group and SoftBank Vision Fund's $4.4 billion investment in WeWork Companies, a platform for creators and provider of an extensive network of shared workspaces. He also advised Hitachi, Ltd. in its $1.245 billion acquisition of the Sullair brand air compressor manufacture and sale business from Accudyne Industries.
Additionally, along with his multi-practice team in Tokyo, Mr. Siegel advised Toshiba Corporation on the $18 billion sale of its wholly owned subsidiary Toshiba Memory Corporation to a consortium led by Bain Capital and including SK Hynix, HOYA Corp., Apple, Seagate, Kingston, and Dell. The transaction has been reported as the largest Japanese M&A deal since 2011 and the largest private equity deal ever in Asia. The matter was named by ALB as Japan Deal of the Year, M&A Deal of the Year, and Technology, Media and Telecommunications Deal of the Year.
The firm’s second individual honoree, Ms. Stoupe, has represented Asia-based clients in complex international disputes over the course of her career at Morrison & Foerster, including Toshiba Corporation’s seven separate disputes with its joint venture partner and the JCAA arbitration that resulted in the first and only Japan Supreme Court ruling in arbitration.
“I am thankful to have received the Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year and Woman Lawyer of the Year awards,” said Ms. Stoupe. “I work with a terrific team of lawyers at Morrison & Foerster who are at the top of their fields, and awards like these aren’t possible without everyone’s efforts and hard work.”
Eric Piesner, Morrison & Foerster’s Firmwide Managing Partner for Asia, added: “I want to congratulate Ken, Louise, and the entire Tokyo team for their well-deserved recognition. To be honored in so many categories this year affirms the depth and breadth of our practices in Tokyo, and reflects the reputation that the firm has in the region overall.”
The ALB Awards were held on June 13 at the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo.
MOFO IN JAPAN
Morrison & Foerster has the largest and most diverse practice of any international law firm in Japan, with approximately 120 attorneys in Tokyo (including 45 bengoshi admitted to practice in Japan). We were one of the first foreign law firms licensed in Japan, opening our offices in 1987. Today, we are the largest international law firm in Japan. Morrison & Foerster was selected as ‘Japan International Law Firm of the Year’ by the Chambers Asia Pacific Awards in 2018 - the seventh time in eight years since the awards were created, including the last six years in a row. We were also recognized by Chambers Asia Pacific 2018 in more Band 1 practice rankings than any other international firm in Japan. MergerMarket, Bloomberg, and Thomson Reuters each ranked Morrison & Foerster at the top of the Japan charts in their annual 2017 global M&A league tables. Key rankings include:
• #1 by deal value among all law firms in Japan – Mergermarket
• #1 by deal volume among all law firms in Japan – Bloomberg
• #1 by (announced) deal value among all law firms in Japan – Thomson Reuters
ABOUT MOFO
We are Morrison & Foerster — a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its lists of most innovative law firms in Northern America and Asia every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in those regions. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFo’s Privacy and Data Security, Bankruptcy, and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education for poor children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, winning asylum for the persecuted, and safeguarding the environment.
Radley Moss, Morrison & Foerster, +1 (212) 336-4335, [email protected]
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