Morrison & Foerster Celebrates 30 Years in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Oct, 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 28, Morrison & Foerster thanked clients and friends of the firm at a gala reception to celebrate its 30th anniversary in Hong Kong.

The office, the firm's first in Asia, opened its doors in 1983, largely to support one of MoFo's largest and longest standing clients at the time, Crocker National Bank. The firm has since added four other locations in Asia – Tokyo in 1987, Beijing in 1998, Shanghai in 2003, and most recently, Singapore, earlier this year.

According to Morrison & Foerster's chair Larren Nashelsky in remarks made at the gala, the prescience of firm leaders in entering Asia early has provided our clients doing business in the market with a tremendous advantage.

"I want to thank our clients for their support over the years. Because of the trust they've placed in us, we are widely recognized as one of the premier firms in the region," Mr. Nashelsky said. "We look forward to many more successful years working together in Hong Kong."

MoFo now has the sixth most lawyers of all U.S. firms in the region, according to a recent survey by The Asian Lawyer. The firm's deep commitment to Hong Kong and the region, coupled with the stature of its Tokyo office, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year and is the clear market leader among international firms in Japan, gives it a unique presence that is highly valued by clients. The firm now has more than 60 multilingual U.S.-, PRC- and HK-qualified legal professionals in its China offices as well as over 120 lawyers in its Tokyo office, among its more than 1,000 lawyers worldwide.

"We have developed a market-leading presence in the Asia Pacific region, and we have no intention of slowing down," said Eric Piesner, firmwide managing partner for Asia. "With the addition of Singapore earlier this year, and the continued growth of our transactional practices across the region, we are poised to support our clients in reaching their strategic goals well into the next 30 years."

In Hong Kong, MoFo has served Chinese and international clients, including financial investors and institutions, the Fortune 500, institutional and state-owned PRC companies, entrepreneurs and technology companies of all types, including telecommunications, clean technology, life sciences, entertainment and media and semiconductors. The firm is one of very few with significant on-the-ground patent and litigation teams to serve our clients in Asia.

In China, the firm's recent high-profile deals include representing Fosun International in its $3.7 billion acquisition of Focus Media Holding, the largest-ever going private transaction of a Chinese company; Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical in its $512 million initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, one of the largest Hong Kong IPOs in 2012; Ascendent Capital, a China-focused U.S. private equity firm, in investing $30 million in supermarket operator Wumart and in orchestrating a $748 million tie-up between Wumart and C.P. Lotus Corp.; and Walmart's Global e-Commerce division in its investment in China's Yihoadian. Other matter highlights include serving as sole international legal counsel to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the XXIX Olympiad, where MoFo provided a wide range of legal advice for the preparation for and hosting of the 2008 Summer Games. The firm also pioneered new types of securities transactions, including the first Hong Kong Stock Exchange Main Board listing by a NASDAQ company, and the first ever A-Share and H-Share dual rights issue.

"We are confident that we have laid a strong foundation for a long-term, vibrant practice in Hong Kong, China and throughout Asia," said Hong Kong managing partner Ven Tan, one of the region's leading capital markets lawyers. "Our long and illustrious track record, strong client base and top-tier team of lawyers position MoFo for continued success."

Morrison & Foerster is consistently recognized as a leading firm across Asia by industry guides. Chambers Asia-Pacific rates our China M&A practice among the nation's "Elite," and our pre-eminent technology transactions practice is recognized by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific in the top tier for Technology, Media and Telecommunications for both Hong Kong and China. Asian Legal Business named MoFo both its 2013 International Deal Firm of the Year and IP Law Firm of the Year. Bolstering those strengths is firm's Japan office, which Chambers Asia-Pacific 2013 recognized with more Band 1 practice rankings and more Band 1 or higher individual lawyer rankings than any other international firm. Those rankings, along with our exceptional work over the past year, contributed to Chambers naming the firm its 2013 Japan International Firm of the Year.

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, technology and life science companies. We are among the leading law firms in the Asia-Pacific region with five of our 16 offices in Asia, including the largest and most diverse practice of any international law firm in Japan. Chambers Asia Pacific named MoFo its 2013 Japan International Firm of the Year, and Asian Legal Business named MoFo both its 2013 International Deal Firm of the Year and IP Law Firm of the Year. In addition, Chambers Global named MoFo its 2013 USA Law 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.

Amy Merriweather, Public Relations Manager
(415) 268-6063, [email protected]

SOURCE Morrison & Foerster