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MoFo Global PE Trends 2022 and Outlook for 2023

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In our third edition of MoFo’s annual Global PE Trends and Outlook report, partners from around the globe review the key trends of 2022 and make predictions on the opportunities and challenges the PE industry 

We are Morrison Foerster — a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, and Fortune 100, technology, and life sciences companies. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger.Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

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MoFo Global PE Trends 2022 and Outlook for 2023

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Marcia Ellis is a Senior Counsel in our New York office and a Partner in our Hong Kong office. Marcia’s practice focuses on private equity transactions and complex mergers and acquisitions involving companies and other assets located in Asia. Having practiced in Asia for more than a quarter of a century, Marcia is one of the most experienced M&A lawyers active in the Asian market. In the past three years, she has advised clients on deals with a total aggregate value well in excess of US$249.8 billion.​Marcia regularly advises leading investors on M&A transactions, including SoftBank Vision Fund, Alibaba, GLP, Bain Capital, BlackRock, Farallon Capital, Ascendent Capital Partners, Silver Crest Acquisition Corp., PAG, Hillhouse, Hony Capital and Celadon Partners. In addition, she is experienced in representing U.S., UK and Asia based institutional investors in the acquisition, financing and disposition of real estate in China, Hong Kong and elsewhere in Asia, including numerous logistics and internet data center projects, and investment in and acquisition of real estate developers.From 2008 through 2011, she was the Chief Legal Officer for Asia of D. E. Shaw, where she assisted various group entities in making, restructuring, and exiting investments in various countries in Asia, including a number of significant and highly structured investments in China and India.Clients consider Marcia as a "super skilled technical lawyer" who offers "incredible problem-solving skills on all aspects of matters, both legal and commercial". A client said that "Finding a lawyer whose judgement you trust and who knows how far they can push the boundaries is not easy, and Marcia is the best lawyer I've worked with."Marcia is the Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Private Equity Practice, a member of our global board of directors, and a member of our global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Steering Committee. She has also been named to Law360’s 2022 and 2023 Private Equity Editorial Board and elected as the Co-Chair of AmCham Hong Kong’s Women of Influence Committee. Marcia has been recognized as one of the Women of Influence in Private Markets: Private Equity by Private Equity International in 2024.

Marcia Ellis（艾琳）律师的执业重点是涉及亚洲境内公司和其它资产的私募股权交易和复杂并购。Ellis律师在亚洲执业超过二十五年，是活跃在亚洲市场经验最丰富的并购律师之一。在过去三年间，她为客户完成的交易的合计价值超过2498亿美元。Ellis律师经常为大型投资者提供并购交易法律咨询，这些投资者包括软银愿景基金、阿里巴巴、普洛斯、Bain Capital、贝莱德、Farallon Capital、上达资本、Silver Crest特殊目的收购公司、PAG、高瓴资本、弘毅投资以及Celadon Partners。此外，在代表美国、英国、亚洲机构投资人方面她也富有经验；她代表客户处理收购、融资、处置中国、香港及亚洲其它地区的房地产，其中包括许多物流和互联网数据中心项目，也处理对房地产开发商的投资与收购。从2008至2011年，Ellis律师是德劭集团亚洲区的首席法务官。在德劭集团，她协助各集团实体处理在亚洲多个国家进行的投资、投资重组及投资退出事宜，包括在中国和印度进行的多个重要及高度结构化的投资。客户评价Ellis律师是一位"技巧高超的律师"，她拥有 "极其出色的解决问题的能力，包括法律问题和商业问题 "。一位客户称："找到一位拥有令人信任的判断力，并能尽力突破极限的律师并不容易，而她是我合作过的最好的律师"。Ellis律师是美富律师事务所的全球私募股权业务联席主席，本所全球董事会成员，兼本所环境、社会与治理（ESG）指导委员会委员之一。她还当选《法律360》（Law 360）2022年度和2023年度私募股权业务编辑委员会成员，以及香港美国商会最具影响力女性（WOI）指导委员会联席主席。Ellis律师还荣获Private Equity International评为2024年“私募股权领域：私募市场最具影响力女性”之一。

Marcia Ellis

Senior Counsel (New York) | Partner (Hong Kong)

Patrick Huard is the Global Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice. Specializing in private equity M&A, he sits in the San Francisco office.Patrick has significant experience representing private equity funds and their portfolio companies in a broad range of corporate matters, including public and private acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, venture and growth equity investments, and divestitures. Clients rely on him for both his sophisticated legal counseling as well as his sharp business acumen.Patrick advises private equity sponsors in all aspects of their investment activity across a wide variety of industry sectors, including software and technology, business services, consumer and retail, professional and industrial services, and ESG/impact investing. Patrick is also a member of our global ESG + Sustainability steering committee.Patrick is ranked for California Private Equity: Buyouts by Chambers USA 2025, as a Leading Partner for Private Equity Buyouts by Legal 500 US (2021-2025), and among Top 10 Mid Cap M&A Lawyers in North America by MergerLinks (2021-2023). Our private equity practice was also recognized as a Law360 Practice Group of the Year 2021.﻿Patrick graduated, magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was elected into the Order of the Coif and served as the Notes and Articles Editor of the Journal of Law and Policy in International Business.

Patrick Huard

Global Co-Chair of Private Equity Practice

Mitchell Presser advises on high-profile global public and private mergers and acquisitions, with a heavy concentration on private equity transactions. As the co-chair of the firm’s Band I global Food + Agriculture Industry practice, and member of the firm’s global ESG + Sustainability steering committee, as well as the Private Equity and M&A groups, Mitchell utilizes his vast experience in high-stakes M&A and private equity deals to drive successful outcomes for clients in diverse sectors, including food production, agribusiness, financial services, industrials, insurance, sports and entertainment, energy, retail, and more.As a founding partner of Paine Schwartz Partners, a premier U.S. private equity firm dedicated to sustainable food chain investing, Mitchell’s unique insights are shaped by over eight years as an investor. Mitchell proficiently understands both the legal and business environments, positioning him as a trusted advisor for clients navigating the intricate world of mergers, acquisitions, and private equity transactions.Mitchell has been recognized as a top lawyer by Chambers USA and Legal 500 US. Mitchell is a faculty member and lecturer of law at Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, where he teaches a class focused on international business sales and negotiations. He has served as board member for various privately-held and public companies.

Mitchell Presser

Partner

Global Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice, Omar Pringle is a seasoned dealmaker and trusted advisor known for guiding clients through their most complex, high-stakes transactions with precision and insight.Omar has extensive experience advising on the full range of complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions for and across from financial sponsors, corporates and family-owned businesses. He couples a creative, solution-oriented approach with deep sector expertise.In addition to his knowledge of the private equity industry, Omar has extensive experience in the food and agriculture, consumer goods, technology and life sciences sectors, and acting for and across from the businesses that are driving and disrupting those verticals.Commended by Legal 500 US 2022-2025 as a Next Generation Partner for Corporate / M&A and Commercial: Private Equity Buyouts, he has played a critical role in the growth of the firm’s private equity offering in New York.Omar is an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, where he teaches a course on cross-border mergers and acquisitions. He is also a member of the firm’s global Food & Agriculture and Life Sciences steering committees.﻿He speaks fluent French and Spanish and is conversant in Arabic.

Omar Pringle

Tyler Sewell is a corporate partner in the firm’s Denver and Washington, D.C. offices, focusing his practice on advising clients on a broad range of corporate matters, with an emphasis on M&A and private equity transactions.Tyler has significant experience representing businesses and private equity funds (and their portfolio companies) in a broad range of corporate matters, including acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, growth equity investments, and divestitures. Clients rely on him for both his sophisticated legal counseling as well as his sharp business acumen.Tylier advises clients in all aspects of their investment activity across a wide variety of industry sectors, including aerospace, defense and government contracting; business services; technology (semiconductors, software, and Internet); consumer products; e-commerce; healthcare; industrials; and transportation.Prior to attending law school, he served as a surface warfare officer on the USS Russell and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.Representative Matters<ul dir="ltr"><li>Alpha Omega Integration, which specializes in digital modernization, AI, and cybersecurity,</li><ul><li>in its acquisition of SeKON Enterprise, which provides Federal health IT systems professional services advisory;</li><li>in its acquisition of Macro Solutions, an IT and management consulting firm.</li></ul><li>Astroscale U.S. in its acquisition of assets of Effective Space Solutions R&D</li><li>Aurotech in its acquisition by OpenGate Capital</li><li>B&A, a leading information technology systems integrator, in its investment from DFW Capital Partners. </li><li>Babel Street in its acquisition of certain assets of Dunami</li><li>Betterer Foods in its sale of RightRice to The Planting Hope Company</li><li>The Building People in its acquisition of InfoNarus</li><li>California Cryobank in its acquisition of Donor Egg Bank</li><li>CBRE Group in its acquisition of Tax Credit Group</li><li>Cydecor, Inc., which delivers mission-enabling technology solutions to national security and defense agencies, in its acquisition of Artel, provider of network solutions to the U.S. Government.</li><li>Continental Mapping Consultants in its acquisition by Bluestone Investment Partners</li><li>Definitive Logic in its acquisition of Digital Mobilizations</li><li>Envision Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EVHC), its operating subsidiaries and affiliates in multiple transactions, including the acquisitions of Guardian Healthcare Group; Life Line Ambulance Service; Phoenix Physicians; Emergency Medical Associates of New Jersey; Scottsdale Emergency Associates; Questcare Medical Services Emergency Physicians Medical Group</li><li>eTelligent Group in its strategic investment from IMB Partners</li><li dir="ltr">Excellere Partners in its investment in Concord Technologies</li><li>Genesis Water in a Series A investment</li><li>Grant Thornton, one of America’s largest audit, tax, and advisory firms, in the sale of its Public Sector Advisory practice to Guidehouse, a portfolio company of Veritas Capital and leading global provider of consulting services to the public sector and commercial markets.</li><li>Intelligent Software Solutions in acquisition of Xpect Software</li><li>Iovation in its acquisition by TransUnion</li><li>iPharma in its acquisition by Kindeva</li><li>KRG Capital Partners in multiple transactions, including, its acquisition of F.A. Richard & Co., its sale of Avizent to Abry and its sale of Tronair to Levine Leichtman</li><li>LinQuest in its acquisitions of Hellebore Consulting Group and Capability Analysis & Measurement Organization, LLC (CAMO)</li><li>L3Harris in its acquisition of Viasat Inc.’s Tactical Data Links (TDL) product line</li><li>Markon Solutions, a government consulting firm backed by Sterling Investment Partners,</li><ul><li>in its acquisition of Advanced Systems Engineering Corp., a small business that provides services in management, systems engineering, finance, cybersecurity and software development;</li><li>in its acquisition of JY Systems, which provides engineering and integration service for DoD;</li><li>in its acquisition of Leverage Information Technologies LLC (LIT), a software engineering and data science consultancy. </li></ul><li>McKesson Corporation in its acquisitions of Vantage Oncology LLC and Biologics, Inc.</li><li>Minerva Engineering in its acquisition by ManTech International</li><li>Mountaingate Capital in its strategic investment in Ignite Visibility and Ignite Visibility's acquisition of Integrated Digital Strategies</li><li>Novaria Group in its acquisition of Fitz Manufacturing Industries</li><li>onsemi in its acquisition of GT Advanced Technologies</li><li>RH in its acquisition of Waterworks</li><li>Sedgwick Claim Services in its acquisition of Managed Care Advisors</li><li>ShowingTime in its sale to Zillow Group</li><li>Sigma Defense Systems, a portfolio company of Sagewind Capital and a leading provider to DoD,</li><ul><li>in its acquisition of Juno Technologies, which specializes in delivering IT engineering, systems integration, software development, and technical support to the DoD;</li><li>in its acquisition of the business and IP of Sub U Systems.</li></ul><li>SoftBank Corporation in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of a controlling interest in Brightstar Corp. and its sale of its controlling stake in Finnish gaming company Supercell Oy to Tencent Holdings</li><li>Splunk, Inc. in its acquisition of Caspida, Inc.</li><li>Sweetwood Smoke & Co., maker of FATTY Smoked Meat Sticks, in its sale to Conagra Brands (NYSE: CAG), one of North America's leading branded food companies.</li><li>Telesis in its acquisition of Belcan</li><li>Tomkins Ltd. in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of Du-Tex; its divestiture of Dexter Axle to Sterling Partners and its sale of Aquatic US Holdings to Sterling Partners</li><li>Unilever in its acquisition of Dollar Shave Club</li><li>VariQ in its sale to Capgemi</li><li>Washington Harbour Partners in its over $60 million strategic growth investment in Raft LLC, a leading modern technology and data-focused, advanced software engineering firm that pioneers solutions for critical mission sets across the DoD.</li><li>Washington Harbour Partners and its portfolio company SIXGEN, a full-spectrum provider of cyber products, operations, and solutions,</li><ul><li>in their acquisition of Secure Enterprise Engineering, Inc., a leading provider of bespoke cybersecurity products and services across various domains;</li><li>in their acquisition of Boldend, developer of leading-edge cyber and electronic warfare solutions.</li></ul><li>Westfire, Inc. in its sale to Tyco SimplexGrinnell</li><li>Yahoo! in multiple transactions, including its acquisition of Brightroll</li><li>zipLogix in its acquisition by Lone Wolf Real Estate Technologies</li></ul>

Tyler Sewell

Randy is the Managing Partner of Morrison Foerster’s Miami office and Co-Chair of the firm’s Latin America Desk. He advises multinational clients in connection with cross-border mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and other finance transactions throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the United States.Randy’s mergers and acquisitions work has focused on international cross-border mergers and acquisitions across a broad range of sectors, including financial services, technology and telecommunications, media, entertainment, agriculture, manufacturing and food and beverage.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><h5>Mergers and Acquisitions</h5><ul><li>SoftBank Latin America Fund in connection with a Series B funding round for Incode, a next-generation identity and authentication platform for global enterprises.</li><li>SoftBank Latin America Fund in connection with a Series C financing round in Addi, a fintech startup based in Bogota, Colombia that offers buy-now-pay-later technology.</li><li>SoftBank Latin America Fund in connection with a Series D financing round in Open Co, a Brazilian consumer credit company.</li><li>SoftBank Latin America Fund on leading a Series B financing round for Laika, a Colombia-based pet supplies e-commerce platform.</li><li>SoftBank, Riverwood Capital, Igah Ventures, and Volpe Capital in connection with their investments in CRM&BONUS’s R$280 million financing round.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series E financing round led by the SoftBank Latin America Fund totaling $190 million in MadeiraMadeira, a Brazilian online home goods platform.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series C financing round in JusBrasil, a platform that connects people to justice through lawyers and legal information.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series C financing round led by the SoftBank Latin America Fund in Contabilizei, a Brazilian online platform that offers affordable tax-filing and accounting SaaS for SMEs in Brazil.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series D financing round led by the SoftBank Latin America Fund in Olist, a Brazilian e-commerce platform.</li><li>SoftBank Latin America Fund in connection with a Series B $108 million financing round in Pismo, a technology company providing an all-in-one processing platform for banking, payments, and financial markets infrastructure.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with the Series C US$50 million financing round in GAIA, an e-commerce platform for the sale of furniture and design accessories in Mexico.</li><li>The management team of Wizeline, Inc., a global technology services provider that partners with clients to build high-quality digital products and platforms, in connection with the agreement under which Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a global investment group and one of Canada’s largest pension funds, will acquire majority ownership of Wizeline.</li><li>SoftBank in its investment of up to US$150 million into a subsidiary of Grupo Bursátil Mexicano (GBM), a leading investment platform in the Mexican stock market for over 35 years.</li><li>SoftBank in a joint venture with WeWork, the leading flexible space provider, that provides SoftBank Latin America Fund with the exclusive right to operate the WeWork brand in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico.</li><li>Petlove, the largest digital ecosystem for pet owners in Brazil, on its acquisition of Porto Pet, a company in the Porto Seguro business group and a leader in the animal health plan segment.</li><li>Petlove, the largest digital ecosystem for pet owners in Brazil, in connection with its recent financing round with its existing major investors, Tarpon, SoftBank, L Catterton, Porto Seguro and Monashees, and a new initial investment by Riverwood Capital.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with the US$150 million (R$822 million) preferred equity investment in Afya Limited (Nasdaq: AFYA), the largest medical education group in Brazil.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with the US$84.5 million financing round in Descomplica, the first Brazilian EdTech company to enter the higher education market. Co-led by investment fund Invus Opportunities, the funding round represents the biggest investment to date in an EdTech company in Latin America. </li><li>Petlove, the largest digital ecosystem for pet owners in Brazil, in the expansion of its e-commerce into a pet ecosystem through the acquisition of DogHero, a pet services Brazilian company.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series C US $225 million financing round in Kavak, a Mexican online platform for buying and selling used cars.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series B US $108 million financing round in Acesso Digital, a Brazilian IDTech pioneer in ID protection solutions.</li><li>SoftBank in its sale of a majority stake in Brightstar Corp., a subsidiary of SoftBank and the global leader of end-to-end device lifecycle solutions for carriers, retailers, and enterprise, managing mobile devices, to Brightstar Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management team.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series D US$225 million financing round in VTEX, a Brazilian global enterprise digital commerce platform.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series C financing round led by SoftBank’s Latin America Fund in Brazilian data science company Cortex.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series B US $125 million financing round led by SoftBank’s Latin America Fund in AlphaCredit, a technology-enabled financial platform in Latin America.</li><li>Inchcape, the leading global independent multi-brand automotive distributor and retailer, in its cash-free and debt-free £47 million acquisition of Autolider, a distributor of Daimler brands in both Uruguay and Ecuador.</li><li>Dolphin Entertainment, Inc., a leading independent entertainment marketing and premium content development company, in its acquisition of Shore Fire Media, Ltd., a public relations and media management firm based in Brooklyn, New York that specializes in music, entertainment and popular culture.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with a Series D US$250 million investment round in QuintoAndar, a São Paulo-based real estate leasing platform.</li><li>SoftBank in connection with its joint US$150 million Series C round investment with Tencent in Argentine fintech company Ualá.</li><li>SoftBank in its Series D $100M investment in Konfio, an online lending platform in Mexico.</li><li>SoftBank in its investment in Buser, Ltd., an intercity bus charter online booking service in Brazil.</li><li>Imperia Intercontinental, Inc. in its purchase of the consumer banking business and insurance business of Banco Citibank de El Salvador S.A., Citi Tarjetas de El Salvador, S.A. de C.V., Balboa Reinsurance Ltd. and Seguros e Inversiones S.A. </li><li>Liberty Latin America Ltd., a leading telecommunications company with operations in Chile, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and other parts of Latin America, and a subsidiary of Liberty Global plc (Nasdaq: LILA and LILAK), in its acquisition of an 80% stake in Cabletica, a leading Costa Rican cable operator, from Televisora de Costa Rica S.A. (Televisora), which will retain a remaining 20% interest, for approximately US$250 million.*</li></ul><h5>Finance</h5><ul><li>The Chilean, Peruvian, and Colombian operating companies of Andean Telecom Partners in a syndicated senior secured financing totaling approximately $170 million and a subsequent syndicated senior secured financing totaling $35 million.</li><li>Andean Tower Partners Colombia, operator and developer of wireless telecommunications infrastructure owned by Digital Bridge, in the US$55 million refinancing operation granted by Scotiabank Colpatria.</li><li>MesoAmerica Latam Opportunities Fund in its US$120 million revolving credit facility with Scotiabank. </li><li>Corporación América Airports S.A. in its US $485 million initial public offering (IPO) on the NYSE. Corporación América Airports manages and operates 52 airport facilities in Argentina, Italy, Brazil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Armenia and Peru.</li></ul>

Randy, copresidente del Latin America Desk y socio del Departamento Corporativo de la firma, asesora a clientes multinacionales en relación con fusiones y adquisiciones transfronterizas, empresas conjuntas (joint ventures), y transacciones de valores y finanzas en toda América Central y del Sur, el Caribe, Europa y los Estados Unidos.Randy ha asesorado a numerosas corporaciones globales europeas en relación con el establecimiento y desarrollo de sus presencias en los Estados Unidos, así como en la gestión de sus operaciones en América Latina. También representa a emisores en ofertas de capital y de deuda y en cotizaciones de la bolsa.La experiencia de Randy en relación a fusiones y adquisiciones se ha centrado en fusiones y adquisiciones internacionales transfronterizas en una amplia gama de sectores, incluyendo servicios financieros, telecomunicaciones, medios de comunicación, entretenimiento, energía, agricultura, industria manufacturera, y alimentos/bebidas.<h4>Experiencia Representativa</h4><h5>Fusiones y adquisiciones</h5><ul><li>Representó a SoftBank en relación con una ronda de inversión Serie B dirigida por SoftBank Latin America Fund, por un total de US$ 125 millones en AlphaCredit, una de las plataformas de tecnología financieras de más rápido crecimiento en América Latina.</li><li>Representó a Inchcape, el principal distribuidor y minorista independiente de automóviles de múltiples marcas a nivel mundial, en su adquisición sin dinero en efectivo y deudas de £ 47 millones de Autolider, un distribuidor de las marcas de Daimler en Uruguay y Ecuador.</li><li>Representación de Dolphin Entertainment, Inc., una empresa independiente líder en mercadeo de entretenimiento y desarrollo de contenidos de primera calidad, en su adquisición de US$ 3 millones de Shore Fire Media, Ltd., una empresa de relaciones públicas y gestión de medios de comunicación con sede en Brooklyn, Nueva York, que se especializa en música, entretenimiento y cultura popular.</li><li>Representó a SoftBank en relación con una ronda de inversión Serie D por un total de US$ 250 millones en QuintoAndar, una plataforma de arrendamiento inmobiliario con sede en São Paulo.</li><li>Representó a SoftBank en su inversión conjunta con Tencent de US$ 150 millones en la ronda de financiación de la Serie C en la aplicación argentina de servicios bancarios digitales Ualá.</li><li>Representó a SoftBank en su inversión de US$ 100 millones en Konfio, una plataforma servicios financieros en México.</li><li>Representación de SoftBank en su inversión en Buser, Ltd., un servicio de reservas en línea de alquiler de autobuses interurbanos en Brasil.</li></ul><h5>Finanzas</h5><ul><li>Representó a Andean Tower Partners Colombia, operador y desarrollador de la infraestructura de telecomunicaciones inalámbricas propiedad de Digital Bridge, en la operación de refinanciamiento de US$ 55 millones otorgada por Scotiabank Colpatria. Se espera que Andean Tower Partners Colombia utilice los fondos para desarrollar y adquirir activos de infraestructura de telecomunicaciones.</li><li>Representación de Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. en su plan preestablecido de reorganización y emisión para una financiación de salida de US$ 325 millones de los pagarés de garantía preferente (senior secured notes), y ofertas de pagarés de seguimiento (follow-on note offerings).</li><li>Representó a emisores costarricenses y estadounidenses en el refinanciamiento de una instalación existente mediante la emisión y la colocación privada de US$ 250 millones en notas a filiales de un proveedor de seguros de los Estados Unidos.</li><li>Representó a Torres Unidas Chile SpA y Torres Unidas del Perú S.R.L., empresas de telecomunicaciones e infraestructura de Chile y Perú respectivamente, en el otorgamiento de préstamos a plazo con garantía cruzada de US$ 120 millones con Scotiabank Chile y Scotiabank Perú S.A.A., y en el refinanciamiento múltiple de dichos préstamos durante un período de seis años.</li><li>Representó a un inversionista líder de capital privado en los mercados en crecimiento de toda América Latina en su línea de crédito rotativo de US$ 120 millones con un banco multinacional prominente.</li><li>Representó a un operador de torres costarricense en su contrato de un préstamo a plazo con un banco comercial líder en Costa Rica.</li><li>Representó a una de las empresas de servicios financieros más grande del mundo en servicios de crédito sindicado, servicios de financiación de adquisiciones y otras operaciones de financiamiento en diversas industrias de toda América Latina, entre ellas las de Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panamá, República Dominicana y Nicaragua.</li><li>Representó a un minorista salvadoreño en relación con financiamientos en múltiples divisas por valor de US$ 300 millones garantizadas con activos en 11 jurisdicciones del Caribe. La adquisición se consumó en parte mediante ofertas públicas en Jamaica y Barbados.</li><li>Representó al administrador y operador de 52 instalaciones aeroportuarias de Argentina, Italia, Brasil, Uruguay, Ecuador, Armenia y Perú en su oferta pública inicial (IPO) de US$ 485 millones en la Bolsa de Valores de Nueva York (NYSE).</li><li>Representó a emisores privados extranjeros alemanes en diversas industrias en relación con las ofertas públicas iniciales y las cotizaciones en el Nasdaq.</li><li>Representó a un asegurador en múltiples ofertas de seguimiento (follow-on offerings) para un fondo de inversión cerrado centrado en la nanotecnología.</li></ul>

Randy, co-líder do Latin America Desk e sócio da área empresarial, assessora clientes multinacionais em fusões e aquisições internacionais, joint ventures e transações de valores mobiliários e financeiros no Caribe, Europa, Estados Unidos, América Central e do Sul.Randy assessorou várias empresas globais e européias no estabelecimento e desenvolvimento de suas atividades nos Estados Unidos, bem como na gestão de suas operações na América Latina. Representa também emissores em ofertas de ações e dívida.Sua experiência em fusões e aquisições é concentrada em fusões e aquisições internacionais em uma ampla gama de setores, incluindo serviços financeiros, telecomunicações, mídia, entretenimento, energia, agricultura, alimentos e bebidas.<h4>Casos Representativos (incluindo experiências em outros escritórios)</h4><h5>Fusões e aquisições</h5><ul><li>Representou SoftBank em uma rodada de investimentos Série B liderada pelo Latin America Fund do SoftBank no valor total de US$ 125 milhões na AlphaCredit, uma das plataformas de tecnologia financeira de maior crescimento na América Latina.</li><li>Representou a Inchcape, líder global independente na distribuição e varejo de carros multimarcas, na aquisição, por £ 47 milhões, da Autolider, distribuidora das marcas da Daimler no Uruguai e no Equador.</li><li>Representou a Dolphin Entertainment, Inc., uma empresa independente líder em marketing de entretenimento premium e desenvolvimento de conteúdo, na aquisição, por US$ 3 milhões de uma empresa de relações públicas e gerenciamento de mídia com sede no Brooklyn, Nova York, especializada em música, entretenimento e cultura popular.</li><li>Representou SoftBank em uma rodada de investimentos Série D, totalizando US$ 250 milhões na QuintoAndar, uma plataforma de leasing imobiliário com sede em São Paulo.</li><li>Representou SoftBank em seu investimento, em conjunto com a Tencent, no total de US$ 150 milhões, na rodada de financiamento Série C no aplicativo argentino de serviços bancários digitais Ualá.</li><li>Representou SoftBank em seu investimento de US$ 100 milhões na Konfio, uma plataforma de serviços financeiros no México.</li><li>Representou SoftBank em seu investimento na Buser, Ltd., um serviço de reservas on-line para aluguel de ônibus interurbanos no Brasil.</li></ul><h5>Financiamentos</h5><ul><li>Representou a Andean Tower Partners Colombia, operadora e desenvolvedora de infraestrutura de telecomunicações sem fio de propriedade da Digital Bridge, na operação de refinanciamento de US$ 55 milhões concedida pelo Scotiabank Colpatria. Espera-se que os fundos sejam utilizados pela Andean Tower Partners Colombia para desenvolver e adquirir ativos de infraestrutura de telecomunicações.</li><li>Representou Satélites Mexicanos, S.A. de C.V. em seu plano de reorganização e emissão pré-estabelecido para um financiamento de US$ 325 milhões em notas prioritárias garantidas e ofertas subsequentes de notas.</li><li>Representou emissores da Costa Rica e dos Estados Unidos no refinanciamento de uma instalação existente, por meio de uma emissão privada de US$ 250 milhões em notas a subsidiárias de um provedor de seguros dos Estados Unidos.</li><li>Representou a Torres Unidas Chile SpA e a Torres Unidas del Perú S.R.L., empresas de telecomunicações e infraestrutura do Chile e Peru, respectivamente, na concessão de empréstimos a prazo com garantia cruzada de US$ 120 milhões com o Scotiabank Chile e Scotiabank Perú S.A.A., e no refinanciamento múltiplo desses empréstimos por um período de seis anos.</li><li>Representou um investidor líder em private equity em mercados em crescimento na América Latina em sua linha de crédito rotativo de US$ 120 milhões com um importante banco multinacional.</li><li>Representou um operador de torres na Costa Rica em seu contrato de empréstimo com um banco comercial líder na Costa Rica.Z</li><li>Representou uma das maiores empresas de serviços financeiros do mundo em serviços de crédito sindicado, serviços de financiamento de aquisição e outras operações de financiamento em vários setores da América Latina, incluindo Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panamá, República Dominicana e Nicarágua.</li><li>Representou um varejista salvadorenho no financiamento de várias moedas no valor de US$ 300 milhões garantido com ativos em 11 jurisdições do Caribe. A aquisição foi parcialmente concluída por meio de ofertas públicas na Jamaica e Barbados.</li><li>Representou o administrador e operador de 52 instalações aeroportuárias na Argentina, Itália, Brasil, Uruguai, Equador, Armênia e Peru em sua oferta pública inicial (IPO) de US$ 485 milhões na Bolsa de Valores de Nova York (NYSE).</li><li>Representou emissores privados estrangeiros alemães em vários setores em relação a ofertas públicas iniciais na Nasdaq.</li><li>Representou uma seguradora em várias ofertas subsequentes para um fundo de investimento fechado focado em nanotecnologia.</li></ul>

Randy Bullard

Managing Partner, Miami

Gary Brown is a corporate partner and serves as co-chair of the firm's global Mergers & Acquisitions Group. He has extensive experience advising on premium and complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions, investments, exits and joint venture transactions, with a particular focus on the technology sector.Gary and his team have been recognized in multiple industry awards for innovative M&A transactions including Transatlantic Legal Team of the Year, and twice winner of the Lexis Nexis Deal of the Year (2022 and 2024).Gary is recommended in Legal 500 for “M&A: Upper Mid-market and Premium Deals, £500M+”the 'very impressive' Gary Brown is noted for his experience in high-value, cross-border tech and financial services transactions. Clients note that “‘Gary Brown has all the qualities we look for in a partner. Amazing ability to stay on track on all topics and to be always available. Legal skills are beyond outstanding and relationship with client is the best we can imagine. Has set the perfect standard we’d love to find in all the external counsels we look for. Gary’s spirit and excellence can be seen in all its team members.” - Legal 500 2023.

Gary Brown

Global Co-Chair of M&A Practice

Simon Arlington is a partner based in the Corporate Group focusing on M&A and private equity.Simon represents clients across all aspects of M&A and private equity, including raising capital, acquisitions, disposals, investments, and joint ventures, together with corporate governance, portfolio company transactions, and incentive schemes.He focuses on complex cross-border matters, and his experience spans several industry sectors, including food & agriculture, retail, pharmaceuticals and biotech, financial services, natural resources, real estate, and technology.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Simon worked at several international law firms. He has spent time on secondment at a PE fund with global interests in the natural resources and energy sector and trained at a magic circle law firm.

Simon Arlington

Jennifer Buckby is a Mergers & Acquisitions and Emerging Company & Venture Capital partner based in the London office of Morrison Foerster.Jennifer advises on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, emerging company and venture capital transactions, and general corporate advisory matters, with particular expertise advising clients in the technology, life sciences, and food/ag sectors.Jennifer regularly represents, among other clients, Uber, Visa, SoftBank, and SoundCloud.In her M&A practice, Jennifer has represented clients in strategic domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint venture transactions, including SoftBank in its acquisition of AutoStore and Uber on its acquisition of Autocab.In her venture capital practice, Jennifer has served as company and investor counsel in early- and late-stage financings and minority strategic investments, including representation of Visa Ventures in strategic Fintech investments around the world and SoundCloud in its Series G funding round.In 2018–19, Jennifer was seconded to Visa, working within its M&A and investments team.Prior to joining Morrison Foerster, Jennifer trained and practiced in the London and Singapore offices of an international law firm.After obtaining an LL.B. Law from the University of Bristol in 2010, Jennifer completed the Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School in 2011. She is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.<h4 dir="ltr">﻿Representative Experience</h4><ul><li dir="ltr">Uber in multiple cross-border acquisitions, including its acquisition of UK technology company Autocab.</li><li dir="ltr">SoftBank in multiple transactions, including its $2.8 billion acquisition of 40% of robotics company AutoStore and its $200 million investment in mobile satellite business OneWeb.</li><li dir="ltr">SoftBank Vision Fund 2 as lead investor in a $190 million financing round in UK Fintech platform Primary Bid.</li><li dir="ltr">Visa in multiple M&A and venture capital transactions, including its acquisition of a minority equity stake in Fintech unicorn Interswitch and investments in Bankable, Fidel, Ecolytiq, and TerraPay.</li><li dir="ltr">SoundCloud in multiple transactions, including its $75 million investment from Sirius XM and its acquisition of Musiio.</li><li dir="ltr">Alpine Investors in multiple acquisitions, including in connection with the Evergreen Services and Predictis platforms.</li><li dir="ltr">LIVEKINDLY Collective, one of the world’s largest plant-based food companies, in its acquisition of No Meat, Iceland Foods’ vegan meat alternative company.</li><li dir="ltr">Autodesk as lead investor in a £36 million Series B funding round for UK software maker CloudNC.</li><li dir="ltr">OrbiMed as lead investor in a $104 million Series E funding round for UK healthcare technology and diagnostics company Binx Health.</li><li dir="ltr">Ally Bridge Group as co-lead investor in a $600 million Series D funding round for surgical robotics company, CMR Surgical.</li><li dir="ltr">Ares in its investment in Swedish vehicle technology company Opus.</li><li dir="ltr">Cambridge Quantum Computing in its merger with Honeywell Quantum Solutions.</li></ul>

Jennifer Buckby

Joerg is a partner at Morrison Foerster’s German office in Berlin. His practice focuses on M&A, private equity transactions, and general corporate and finance matters.Joerg represents strategic and financial investors in a broad range of corporate matters with a focus on domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, complex joint ventures and corporate restructurings. He has also handled a significant number of distressed company acquisitions and regularly represents clients in financial transactions and debt restructurings.Joerg is recognized by leading publications, including Legal 500 EMEA and Chambers Global, with sources describing him as a “solution oriented expert”.Joerg has extensive experience counseling clients in a variety of industries, including technology (e. g. software, internet), media, automotive, transportation and real estate.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>Fujitsu Semiconductor on the spin off with European semiconductor business unit (SoC) and the set-up of a joint venture with Panasonic. </li><li>TeleColumbus AG, a German cable operator,  on the acquisition of Primacom and Pepcom. </li><li>Planet Labs on the acquisition of the German satellite system Rapid Eye from Blackbridge Group.</li><li>Kieger AG and BWK Unternehmensbeteiligungs GmbH on the acquisition of the technical optics business from Eschenbach AG.</li><li>Majority shareholder of Schmolz + Bickenbach AG on the financial restructuring of the company, including a €435 million capital increase.</li><li>H2 Equity Partners on the acquisition of all assets of the insolvent Haarmann Group, a specialist in metal pressing and metal hardening.</li><li>Midlabs Inc. on the acquisition of Fritz Ruck Ophthalmologische Systeme GmbH.</li><li>DAM Capital Management S.à.r.l. (a company of the Anschutz Group) in the financial restructuring and subsequent sale of RAIL.ONE GmbH, a leading railway-tie manufacturer.</li><li>BWK GmbH Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft on the sale of a majority stake in WIELAND Dental+Technik GmbH & Co KG, a producer of, inter alia, laboratory implants, alloys and solders, and veneering ceramics.</li><li>News Corporation on the acquisition of a majority stake in and the refinancing of Sky Deutschland AG.</li><li>PubliGroupe S.A. on the acquisition of ZANOX.de AG in a joint venture with Axel Springer AG and with regard to the add-on acquisitions of Digital Windows Ltd. and Buy.at Ltd.</li><li>Hi-Media S.A. on the acquisition of the German AdLink Media Group.</li><li>News Corporation on the reorganization and subsequent sale of the German Fox Mobile Group (JAMBA!).</li><li>Kéolis S.A. on the bidding process for Arriva Deutschland GmbH, a passenger railway carrier.</li><li>GASAG Berliner Gaswerke Aktiengesellschaft on a large number of debt financings, including several Schuldschein-loan agreements and the financing of the re-purchase of its gas storage facilities.</li><li>Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe AöR on the sale of GHG Wohnen GmbH, a residential housing company.</li><li>US-REIT on numerous sale and lease back transactions, inter alia on the sale and lease back of 36 do-it-yourself stores in Germany.</li></ul>

Jörg Meißner ist Partner des deutschen Büros von Morrison Foerster in Berlin. Sein Tätigkeitsschwerpunkt liegt auf den Bereichen M&A, Transaktionen im Bereich Private Equity sowie auf allgemeinen gesellschaftsrechtlichen und Finanzfragen.Jörg Meißner vertritt strategische Investoren sowie Finanzinvestoren zu einem breiten Spektrum gesellschaftsrechtlicher Fragen mit einem Schwerpunkt auf nationalen und grenzüberschreitenden M&A-Transaktionen, komplexen Joint Venture-Strukturen und gesellschaftsrechtlichen Restrukturierungen. Darüber hinaus hat er eine beträchtliche Zahl von Unternehmenskäufen im Vorfeld der Insolvenz begleitet und vertritt Mandanten ferner regelmäßig bei Finanztransaktionen und Umschuldungen.Jörg Meißner wird von führenden Publikationen wie Legal 500 EMEA und Chambers Global empfohlen und gilt als „lösungsorientierter Experte“.Er verfügt über umfangreiche Erfahrung bei der Beratung von Mandanten in verschiedenen Branchen, wie z. B. Technologie (z. B. Software und Internet), Medien, Automobil, Transport und Immobilien.Referenzen<ul><li>Beratung von Fujitsu Semiconductor bei der Überführung des europäischen Halbleiterentwicklungsgeschäfts (SoC) in ein Joint Venture mit Panasonic (Socionext)</li><li>Beratung des Kabelnetzbetreibers TeleColumbus AG beim Erwerb von Primacom und pepcom</li><li>Beratung von Planet Labs Inc. beim Erwerb des deutschen Satellitensystems Rapid Eye von der BlackBridge‑Gruppe</li><li>Beratung der Kieger AG und der BWK Unternehmensbeteiligungs GmbH beim Erwerb des Geschäftsbereichs Technische Optik von der Eschenbach AG</li><li>Beratung des Mehrheitsaktionärs der Schmolz + Bickenbach AG bei der finanziellen Restrukturierung des Unternehmens einschließlich einer Kapitalerhöhung von EUR 435 Millionen</li><li>Beratung von H2 Equity Partners bei der Übernahme aller Vermögenswerte der insolventen Haarmann-Gruppe, einem Spezialisten für Metallpressung und Metallhärtung</li><li>Beratung der Midlabs Inc. beim Erwerb der Fritz Ruck Ophthalmologische Systeme GmbH</li><li>Beratung der DAM Capital Management S.à.r.l. (einem Unternehmen der Anschutz-Gruppe) bei der finanziellen Restrukturierung und dem anschließenden Verkauf der RAIL.ONE GmbH, einem führenden Hersteller von Bahnschwellen</li><li>Beratung der BWK GmbH Unternehmensbeteiligungsgesellschaft bei der Veräußerung der Mehrheitsbeteiligung an WIELAND Dental+Technik GmbH & Co. KG, einem Hersteller von Laborimplantaten, Legierungen und Loten sowie von Verblendkeramik u. a.</li><li>Beratung der News Corporation beim Erwerb einer Mehrheitsbeteiligung an der Sky Deutschland AG sowie deren Refinanzierung</li><li>Beratung der PubliGroupe S.A. beim Erwerb der ZANOX.de AG in einem Joint Venture mit der Axel Springer AG sowie rechtliche Begleitung in Bezug auf die Add-On-Akquisition von Digital Windows Ltd. und Buy.at Ltd.</li><li>Beratung der Hi-Media S.A. beim Erwerb der deutschen AdLink Media Group</li><li>Beratung der News Corporation bei der Umstrukturierung und dem anschließenden Verkauf der deutschen Fox Mobile Group (JAMBA!)</li><li>Beratung der Kéolis S.A. beim Bieterverfahren für die Arriva Deutschland GmbH, einem Anbieter für Schienenpersonenverkehr </li><li>Beratung der GASAG Berliner Gaswerke Aktiengesellschaft bei zahlreichen Fremdkapitalfinanzierungen, einschließlich diverser Schuldscheindarlehensverträge und der Finanzierung des Rückkaufs ihrer Gasspeicheranlagen</li><li>Beratung der Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe AöR bei der Veräußerung der Wohnungsbaugesellschaft GHG Wohnen GmbH </li><li>Beratung eines US REIT bei verschiedenen Sale-and-lease-back Transaktionen, unter anderem dem Sale-and-lease-back von 36 Baumärkten in Deutschland</li></ul>

Jörg Meißner

Thomas Chou is the Managing Partner of Morrison Foerster’s Los Angeles office, where he advises on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and private equity and venture capital financings, with a focus on the U.S. and Asia. With more than 25 years of experience, Thomas brings deep cross-border expertise, having practiced in MoFo’s Palo Alto, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and now Los Angeles offices. During his time in Asia, he served as head and co-head of the firm’s Asia Private Equity practice for 15 years.Thomas’ clients include industry-leading emerging growth companies and a broad range of investors who fund them (traditional private equity and venture capital funds, prominent Asian family offices, the corporate/strategic investment arms of large corporates, insurance companies, and sovereign wealth funds). His broad industry coverage includes media, entertainment and gaming; CPG/food and beverage; hard tech; Fintech; biopharma, MedTech, health and wellness.Clients and outside ranking organizations routinely cite Thomas’ accomplishments:<ul><li>Thomas is “a strong advocate for his client, offering strategic and actionable advice, evaluating and clearly prioritizing the key issues in complex situations and proactively anticipating concerns from counterparties in negotiations."</li><li>“Thomas Chou is excellent in understanding the industry and leads the team in working on the same. He is very responsive and works 24 hours responding to the clients.”</li><li>“Thomas has significant experience handling complex cross–border transactions across the Asia–Pacific region. His counsel is frequently sought by global technology corporations to advise on their investments in the region. He also commands considerable respect from private equity clients.”</li><li>His clients pinpoint his “decades of venture capital experience both in the United States and in Asia,” with one noting: “He is patient, attentive to details and someone who has clearly conquered many battlefields.”</li><li>Thomas is particularly praised for his communications skills, with clients saying, “Any issues we had he would always provide a solution. He is not only interpreting regulations, but he is also commercially savvy.”</li></ul>Thomas is on the Board of the Morrison Foerster Foundation and a member of the board of directors of the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

周至恒（Thomas Chou）律师在公司业务领域非常活跃，重点处理跨境并购（中国境内外）、合资、私募股权和风险资本融资业务。他的客户包括新兴成长型公司，传统以及非传统投资者（私募股权和风险投资基金，家族办公室，公司/公司的战略投资部门，金融机构以及主权财富基金）。他的执业领域主要是技术、媒体和电信、医疗和生命科学以及消费和零售业。客户和外部评级机构都经常称赞周律师的成就：<ul><li>“周律师在处理亚太地区复杂跨境交易方面经验丰富，全球科技公司常因在该地区的投资而寻求其意见，他也广受私募股权客户推崇。”</li><li>“（周律师）资历深厚，精于各种风险投资及私募股权事宜，包括前期与后期的投资及并购，他在科技领域的经验尤其丰富。”</li><li>客户赞赏他“在美国及亚洲均有数十年风险投资经验”，并称其“非常耐心，注重细节，实战经验丰富”。</li><li>周律师的沟通技巧尤其为人所称道，他的客户指出：“不管我们出现任何问题，周律师都能提出解决方案。他不仅能准确把握法律条文，同时极具商业头脑。”</li></ul>周律师是美富亚洲私募股权业务的联席主管，也是新兴公司 + 风险投资业务组和并购业务组的活跃成员。他在上述业务领域均持续受到独立的法律行业排行榜和律师评级机构的高度认可。周律师还是星光儿童基金会的董事会成员。

Thomas Chou

Managing Partner, Los Angeles

Randy Laxer is the Global Co-Chair of the Private Equity Practice. His experience includes over 20 years in Japan representing clients on numerous Japan private equity buyouts and investments, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, international joint ventures, and minority investments in various industries, including high technology, life sciences, and media.Randy has been selected as one of “Asia’s Top 15 M&A Lawyers” by Asian Legal Business and also is recommended for his M&A and corporate law expertise by Chambers Global (2025), Chambers Asia-Pacific (2025), IFLR1000 (2024), and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2025). Client comments about Randy include the following:“Randy Laxer is the lawyer I personally trust most in cross-border M&A.” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific)“When conducting cross-border M&A transactions with a high degree of difficulty, consider using [Randy].” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific)“Randy has always shown commitment [to this client]” and “is on-top not just of the theme but also of details of any deliverables, oral presentation, negotiation or side-chat seamlessly” (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific).Randy received his J.D cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and attended Konan University in Kobe, Japan and Stanford University’s Inter-University Center for Japanese Studies. He is fluent in Japanese and is also a registered Gaikokuho-Jimu-Bengoshi and a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association.

Randy Laxer

Nozomi Oda is the Head of the Asia Private Equity Practice. Her work focuses on cross-border public and private M&A, joint ventures, strategic investments, capital markets, and life sciences.She regularly advises clients on a wide range of Japanese regulations including securities, financial and fund, merger review, and healthcare and life sciences. In addition to her work in private practice, Nozomi spent two years with Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) as a deputy director of the corporate disclosure department, where she participated in the drafting of the FSA’s disclosure regulations regarding private placement offerings and director compensation.Nozomi is recommended in the 2023 edition of The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for Japan: Corporate and M&A and has also been recognized in The Best Lawyers in Japan for Capital Markets, Corporate and M&A, Private Equity, Private Funds and Venture Capital Law.Nozomi is a bengoshi admitted to practice in Japan and New York and a member of the Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association.Nozomi’s experience includes representing:<ul><li>Daiichi Sankyo in its $6.9 billion global drug development and commercialization agreement with AstraZeneca.</li><li>C.R. Bard in its acquisition of Medicon, a Japan-based distributor of medical equipment.</li><li>Nissan Motor in its $2.3 billion acquisition of a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors.</li><li>Starbucks Coffee in its buyout of the remaining 60.5% share of Starbucks Coffee Japan.</li></ul>

Nozomi Oda

Susan (“Suz”) co-chairs the ESG + Sustainability and Social Enterprise + Impact Investing practices. Her practice focuses on late-stage financings, secondaries, and other corporate transactions for investors, such as SoftBank and Temasek, and on investments for some of the top investors dedicated to impact, from “impact first” foundations to family offices to private equity funds. She co-led the drafting group for the first of the new corporate forms (the Social Purpose Corporation in California), has created hybrid/tandem corporate structures and crafted debt and equity instruments that blend impact with traditional financial terms, and has used corporate law to develop creative capital market solutions to pressing environmental problems. She also advises the boards of public and private companies on corporate governance and fiduciary duties as applied to sustainability and climate change.She was named a California Lawyer Attorney of the Year (CLAY) in 2012 and 2016 by Daily Journal and the Most Innovative Lawyer in North America in 2015 by the Financial Times.Leading Business AdvisorA powerhouse negotiator, clients note that “you cannot get a better corporate counsel” and that Suz “understands the big picture, could not be more responsive, and understands the business” (The Legal 500 US). She has extensive experience providing corporate and finance advice to companies and investors in connection with growth equity financings and secondaries, with particular experience in late-stage investments that have come to rival traditional strategic acquisitions in size and significance. Her experience includes leading some of the highest-profile late-stage investments over the past few years, including notable transactions for SoftBank Group (in the two largest private tender offers in history) in its $7.7 billion investment in Uber, $4.4 billion investment in WeWork, further $10 billion investment in WeWork, $1 billion investment in SoFi, and $250 million investment in Kabbage. She has also advised Temasek on its $800 million investment in Verily Life Sciences, Intel on its equity investment in Cloudera, and each of Fortress, TPG Rise, Vision Ridge Partners, Generation Investment Management, and Pontifax AgTech in numerous mid- to late-stage investments in clean technology, sustainability, education, food, and agriculture technology.Social Enterprise and Impact InvestingSuz is the go-to legal resource for social enterprises (for-profit and non-profit companies focused on social or environmental purpose), impact investors (investors interested in social or environmental returns), and mainstream companies developing environmental, social, and corporate governance policies. With deep expertise in the impact investing model, institutional investors exploring the space turn to her for creative solutions and her ability to structure both investments and companies to emphasize impact and returns.She represents a wide range of investors who are focused on impact, from foundations like the Gates Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, and The Rockefeller Foundation, to family offices like Armonia, Cornerstone Capital, Emerson Collective, New Island Capital, and Omidyar Network, to private equity funds like Goldman Sachs, TPG Rise, Vision Ridge Partners, and Generation Investment Management, in their equity investments in companies and projects that are focused on generating impact and returns for investors. She has deep experience and expertise ensuring energy, sustainability, and other investments have positive impact through the use of new corporate forms, hybrid or “tandem” structures with non-profits and for-profits, and alternative debt and equity instruments.Notable work in this space includes the establishment of a tandem structure, The Carbon Endowment, to retire coal assets at scale while securing a revenue stream for community reinvestment and job training in coal communities. Suz also advised on the structuring of Common Sense Growth as an extension of the non-profit Common Sense Media (to invest in companies that address issues related to children, education, and technology), the establishment of a fund for TPG Rise to provide debt financing to Echoing Green fellows, the spin-out of PRX from Public Radio International (to generate new revenue flows up to the non-profit), the establishment of a for-profit joint venture with non-profit Medicines360 (to allow the non-profit to distribute its healthcare products to women in the developing world), and the structuring of a for-profit evergreen fund that allows The Nature Conservancy to aggregate return-seeking and donor capital in order to invest in preserving our natural resources. She has also advised numerous clients on converting to a public benefit corporation or social purpose corporation model (which requires balancing traditional fiduciary duties against a social or environmental purpose), including This American Life, Revolution Foods, Rise Labs, and Beneficial State Bancorp.Suz also regularly advises boards of directors of private and public companies, special committees, and CEOs on corporate governance, particularly the intersection of fiduciary duties with sustainability, and focuses on environmental, social, and governance issues.Unmatched Cleantech and Renewable Energy ExperienceIn addition to founding and chairing the firm’s Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Group, Suz serves as Chair of Morrison & Foerster’s Energy Group and has extensive experience representing start-up to late stage private companies in the clean technology or sustainability space. She provides corporate and finance advice in connection with equity and debt financings, mergers, acquisitions, asset purchases and sales, reorganizations, and joint ventures. She has experience working with renewable energy start-up companies and renewable energy developers in the solar, wind, and biofuels industries. Suz has assisted renewable energy start up companies with raising venture capital and has advised renewable energy developers on project acquisitions.Suz’s representative renewable energy, cleantech, sustainable, and social enterprise clients include Anaergia, Change.org, EDF Renewables, E.ON, Etsy, First Look, OneSun, Planet Labs, Rising Sun Energy, RSF Social Finance, SustainBio, Trelys, Inc., Wikipedia, and Xpansiv.Board Activity and Thought LeadershipMs. Mac Cormac was a founding board member of the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), is a member of the board of directors of Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), the Ceres President’s Council, and the Earth Genome Project, and is an advising board member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy’s Strategic Investor Initiative.She has joined the faculty (teaching on the intersection of sustainability and fiduciary duties) at both the Stanford Director’s College and the Northwestern Corporate Counsel Institute and is an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley School of Law, teaching a course on Social Enterprise.

Susan Mac Cormac

Alfredo Silva is a partner in the Transactions Department, co-chair of the firm's Social Enterprise and Impact Investing Group, and a member of the ESG Strategy Committee. Alfredo represents companies and investors in a broad range of corporate and securities law matters, with a focus on businesses in the life sciences, agtech and fintech sectors. Alfredo’s practice includes capital markets transactions, venture capital, growth equity and corporate venture financings, tender offers and other secondary offerings, digital token matters, and mergers and acquisitions. Alfredo also helps clients leverage environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors to evaluate risk and opportunities and to invest responsibly in businesses seeking sustainable growth and impact.In his private company practice, Alfredo has served as company or investor counsel in early- and late-stage financings, minority strategic investments and impact investments in dozens of private companies, including representation of SoftBank and SoftBank Vision Fund in financings with a combined value of over $2 billion, Temasek in its $800 million minority investment in Verily Life Sciences, an Alphabet company, and Visa Ventures in strategic fintech investments around the world.In his public company practice, Alfredo counsels issuers on strategic transactions, such as the stock-for-stock merger of Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. with Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp, as well as corporate governance and compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws and stock exchange listing standards, including advising on cutting-edge issues with respect to ESG disclosures and materiality assessments.In addition, Alfredo works extensively with nonprofit organizations, providing advice on fiduciary issues, entity formation, structuring and other corporate matters, and assists small businesses pro bono. He incorporated and continues to advise Illuminate, the nonprofit producer of The Bay Lights, a 25,000 LED sculpture on the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, in structuring, corporate governance, and project management matters. Alfredo currently chairs the audit committees of the boards of directors of Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a charity founded by four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry and The New York Times bestselling author Ayesha Curry to unleash the potential of every child, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, an international leader in innovative theater whose shows have won eight Tony Awards, nine Obie Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, among many other honors.Alfredo is recognized by The Recorder as a 2013 Lawyer on the Fast Track, in 2014 was the inaugural recipient of the firm’s Kathi Pugh Award for Pro Bono Service, is a 2017 Lawyers Committee for Legal Diversity Fellow, and was the recipient of the American Bar Association’s 2023 National Public Service Award. Alfredo received his B.S. degree, cum laude with distinction, in Engineering Sciences (Chemical) from Yale College in 2004 and received his J.D. degree from Yale Law School in 2008. Alfredo speaks conversational Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, and spent a year at China’s Tsinghua University researching issues in intellectual property protection on a Fulbright Fellowship.

Alfredo B. D. Silva

Lorenzo is global co-chair of the firm wide Business Restructuring + Insolvency Group. Lorenzo represents debtors, creditors, and creditors’ committees in complex bankruptcy cases, workouts, and litigation. His cases have spanned the United States as well as countless industries, such as airline and cargo transportation, mortgage origination and servicing, retail, banking and finance, energy, oil and gas, and telecommunications.Lorenzo has represented the official committee of unsecured creditors in numerous recent chapter 11 cases, including Peer Street, Incora/Wesco, Clovis Oncology, Valaris, Windstream Holdings, Inc., Cloud Peak Energy, Westmoreland Coal Company, Inc., The NORDAM Group, Inc., Avaya Inc., Armstrong Energy, Inc., 21st Century Oncology Holdings, Inc., Peabody Energy, Inc., Energy Future Holdings, Corp., and UCI International, Inc.Lorenzo’s deep experience and capabilities advising on precedent-setting bankruptcy and restructuring matters have not gone unnoticed. He is listed as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA and has also been recommended by The Legal 500 US. He was also designated by Turnarounds & Workouts magazine as an Outstanding Restructuring Lawyer for his accomplishments in 2016, 2017, and 2024.

Lorenzo Marinuzzi

Yemi Tépé is Global Co-Chair of the Finance Group of Morrison Foerster. With more than 24 years advising clients on the full spectrum of event-driven financings and private equity buyouts, she has extensive experience in domestic and cross-border acquisition and leveraged finance, public to private takeovers, real estate finance, debt structuring and restructuring, margin loans, syndicated lending and subscription line financing.Her clients include leading international banks and financial institutions, private equity sponsors, multinational corporations, alternative financiers such as credit funds, hedge funds and asset managers and emerging growth, mid-cap, and large public and privately held companies.Yemi also sits on MoFo’s Board of Directors, Global Diversity Strategy Committee, ESG Steering Committee and Pro Bono Committee.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>GLP China Logistics Fund I and its affiliates in the $5 billion recapitalization and exit of the portfolio developed within the fund, which was GLP’s flagship USD-denominated develop-to-core fund formed in 2013 to invest in prime, institutional-grade modern logistics assets in China.</li></ul><ul><li>The senior lenders on the acquisition financing to CVC Capital Partners for the acquisition of TRY Group, the largest one-to-one tutoring services provider in Japan.</li></ul><ul><li>GLP Pte. Ltd. in relation to subscription line facilities for GLP Japan Development Partners IV (JDP IV), which will have USD9.1 billion in assets under management when fully deployed, one of the largest-ever Japan-focused private real estate funds.</li><li>GLP Pte. Ltd. on a USD658 million sustainability linked syndicated loan facility.</li><li>The mezzanine lenders on the acquisition financing to CVC Capital Partners for the USD1.5 billion acquisition of Shiseido's personal care business.</li><li>The mezzanine lenders on Bain Capital’s approximately USD380 million acquisition of Kirindo, a Japanese pharmacy chain store operator. </li><li>SoftBank Group Corporation in connection with senior and mezzanine acquisition facilities for OYO’s acquisition of Netherlands-based @Leisure. </li><li>PA Chokmah Investment Limited (wholly owned by Ping An Overseas Holdings), as lender in relation to a HKD500 million convertible loan to Wisdom Education International Holdings Company Limited, a Hong Kong listco, principally engaged in operating premium primary and secondary schools in China.</li><li>BlackRock in relation to offshore and onshore acquisition financing in its acquisition of two blocks of grade-A office buildings in Changning, Shanghai from PGIM Real Estate, a property investment affiliate of Prudential Financial.</li><li>MUFG Bank, Ltd. as mandated lead arranger and underwriter of acquisition facilities for two strategic acquisitions aggregating close to USD1billion by Siam City Cement Public Company Limited, a listco on the Stock Exchange of Thailand and Thailand’s second largest cement producer, from LafargeHolcim Ltd.</li><li>Various lenders and private equity funds in relation to capital call/subscription facilities, fund financings and borrowing base facilities.</li></ul>

Yemi Tépé

Darío Avram is co-chair of Morrison Foerster’s Finance Group and a member of the Private Equity Buyouts & Investment Group. His transactional practice is focused on financings and private equity matters, with additional experience in restructurings.Darío regularly represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a variety of complex U.S. and cross-border financing transactions, including leveraged buyouts, refinancings, and restructurings. He has led transactions covering a range of industries, including technology, financial services, healthcare and life sciences, industrials, professional services, and consumer products, among others.Darío has been recognized by Chambers USA as a notable practitioner for Banking & Finance in California. He was also recognized by Global M&A Network as one of Americas Top 50 Rising Dealmakers and by Legal 500 as a key partner for Private Equity Buyouts.