Hiring from White & Case, MoFo bolsters Tokyo office with Private Equity specialist
Morrison Foerster, a global law firm, has strengthened its commitment to Japan's private equity market by hiring Naoya Shiota as a partner in Tokyo. This strategic move is designed to expand the firm's presence in the market and enhance its global private equity capabilities.
Shiota's arrival in June 2025 is part of a deliberate growth strategy for Morrison Foerster's Global Private Equity Group. Over the past year, the firm has made a series of partner hires across key financial centers, including London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and San Francisco.
The strategic intent behind this hire is multifold. Firstly, it aims to deepen Morrison Foerster's expertise in Japan's private equity sector. Shiota's extensive experience will enable the firm to offer stronger advisory services to private equity clients in Japan, as demonstrated by his role in co-leading complex deals such as EQT's $1.1 billion sale of Pioneer Corporation, a major Japanese automotive tech company.
Secondly, the firm seeks to build a global platform by synergising its capabilities across leading financial hubs. This will facilitate seamless cross-border private equity transactions and provide comprehensive client service tailored to Japan's sophisticated market needs.
Thirdly, the hire is intended to enhance client engagement and deal execution. By adding a partner with strong local market knowledge and deal experience, Morrison Foerster can better assist global and regional private equity clients in navigating Japan's legal and business landscape, thereby strengthening its competitive positioning.
Jeremy White, global co-chair of Morrison Foerster's M&A practice, believes that Shiota's experience and broad practice will complement the firm's existing bengoshi and international corporate M&A practice.
In the Asian region, Morrison Foerster has made several recent private equity hires. In January 2025, the firm welcomed Xiaoxi Lin in Hong Kong and Scott Jalowayski in Singapore. Greg Salathé joined the Tokyo office in September 2024.
Ken Siegel, managing partner of Morrison Foerster's Tokyo office and head of the office's M&A team, stated that Shiota's arrival will help meet the growing demand for deep experience in international and domestic private equity investments. With Shiota's hire, Morrison Foerster now has 38 partners in Tokyo.
The private equity market in Japan is currently experiencing unprecedented growth, with international investors seeking aggressive expansion. Morrison Foerster's strategic move to hire Shiota underscores the firm's commitment to being at the forefront of this growth, providing exceptional legal services to its clients in the region.
Law firms, such as Morrison Foerster, are actively investing in strategic hires to expand their private equity capabilities, as demonstrated by the addition of Naoya Shiota as a partner in Tokyo. This move is designed to deepen the firm's expertise in Japan's private equity sector and strengthen its ability to offer strong advisory services in finance and technology-centric industries.
The hiring of Shiota is also part of a larger growth strategy for Morrison Foerster, which aims to build a global platform by synergizing its capabilities across leading financial hubs. This will enable the firm to manage seamless cross-border private equity transactions and offer comprehensive client service tailored to Japan's sophisticated market needs.
In the process, the firm seeks to enhance client engagement and deal execution by adding a partner with strong local market knowledge and deal experience. By doing so, Morrison Foerster can better assist global and regional private equity clients in navigating Japan's legal and business landscape, thereby strengthening its competitive positioning.
