Mr. Paist is Of Counsel in the Business Department of Morrison & Foerster’s Washington, DC office. He has practiced in the Hong Kong, Singapore, Northern Virginia, and Los Angeles offices of the firm. Mr. Paist received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1991, where he was Articles Review Editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law . Mr. Paist received his A.B. in Economics, with distinction, from Stanford University in 1987.

Mr. Paist is engaged in a practice that includes the representation of clients in a wide range of finance and corporate transactions, often with significant international components. He has represented sponsors and lenders in connection with the acquisition and development of telecommunication networks, power plants and other infrastructure development projects in North and South America, Asia and Africa, assisting clients with the formation of venture companies and the documentation of acquisition agreements, development agreements, credit facilities, security documents, letter of credit facilities, account structures, and other limited recourse facility agreements. Recently, he has advised a group of investors in connection with their acquisition of the Latin American and Turkish operations of Comsat International from Lockheed Martin and continues to assist the investment group in acquisitions of additional telecom networks to complement the Comsat International operations in Brazil, Mexico, Central America and Argentina. He has also represented venture capital funds, startup companies, financial institutions, institutional investors, governmental agencies, pension funds, joint ventures, and limited partnerships in connection with private equity investments, traditional property and infrastructure development lending and convertible debt issuances, and advises start-up and other clients on general business, structuring, and financial issues arising from their operations in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. Paist is actively involved with the International Committee of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and has served as chair of the Committee’s Asia-Pacific Subcommittee. He has spoken on panels for the NVTC, the Harvard Business School and the U.S. China Business Council regarding corporate investment and international opportunities. He has also, on a pro bono basis, assisted Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, the international arm of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, in the negotiation of agreements necessary to develop an Infectious Diseases Clinic on the grounds of Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, including the negotiation of a memoranda of understanding with Pfizer Inc. and the Pfizer Foundation for grants to construct the project and the Makerere University for a license to use University property for construction and operation of the clinic, as well as the negotiation of turnkey construction and equipment supply contracts necessary for the development of the project.

Mr. Paist is a member of the bars of California, Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Virginia and is registered as a Foreign Lawyer with the Law Society of Hong Kong.