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Morrison Foerster Recognized in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

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Morrison Foerster has earned 29 practice area rankings and 30 individual recognitions across the Asia-Pacific region in the...

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Morrison Foerster has earned 29 practice area rankings and 30 individual recognitions across the Asia-Pacific region in the Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025 edition.The firm received nine top practice rankings, including the following:<ul><li>Asia-Pacific Region, Corporate/M&A: Private Equity</li><li>Asia-Pacific Region, Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT)</li><li>Japan, Corporate/M&A: International</li><li>Japan, Dispute Resolution: International</li><li>Japan, Intellectual Property: International</li><li>Japan, Real Estate</li><li>Japan, Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT)</li><li>Singapore, Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption: International</li><li>Corporate/M&A: International: Highly Regarded</li></ul>We received a total of 30 individual recognitions with notable top-tier rankings, including the following:<ul><li>Kenneth Siegel, Japan: Corporate/M&A: International, Band 1</li><li>Gary Smith, Japan: Corporate/M&A: International, Band 1</li><li>Max Olson, Japan: Intellectual Property: International, Band 1</li><li>Masahiro Shiga, Japan: Real Estate: Bengoshi, Band 1</li><li>Theodore Seltzer, Japan: Real Estate: Registered Foreign Lawyers, Band 1</li><li>Daniel Levison, Singapore: Corporate Investigations/Anti-Corruption: International, Band 1</li></ul>As one of the preeminent law firms in Asia, Morrison Foerster provides integrated local and international law advice. The Tokyo office is one of the largest international firms in Japan, with approximately 50 international attorneys (U.S. and England & Wales qualified) and 50 Japanese bengoshi who team with the firm’s global network to advise on Japan’s most significant inbound and outbound transactions, investigations, and disputes. With offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, we have a strong presence in China, handling major matters in the region for over 40 years. From our hub in Singapore, our partners have many years of experience advising clients throughout South and Southeast Asia.

Morrison Foerster Recognized in Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025

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Ken Siegel is the managing partner of Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo oﬃce and the head of the oﬃce’s 50-attorney M&A team. Ken’s practice focuses on the representation of high-technology companies in acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.Ken has been consistently ranked as one of the leading U.S. attorneys in Japan. Among other things, he is the only attorney rated as a “Star Individual” for M&A in Japan (the level above Band 1) by Chambers Global, having been ranked at this level for more than a dozen years (2011–2024 editions). According to Chambers Asia-Paciﬁc, Ken is “commercial and pragmatic, an incredible M&A attorney” who “deserves tremendous credit for his M&A practice” and has “outstanding acumen, experience and leadership.”Ken received the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award in 2022, recognizing him as one of the most innovative practitioner in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2025, he and his team were recognized again by the Financial Times as Innovative Lawyers in Science and Technology for their groundbreaking AI work on Stargate, a joint venture developing advanced AI infrastructure in the United States. He has also been recognized multiple times as in the American Lawyer – including as “Dealmaker of the Week” for his work on Hitachi’s $5 billion sale of its hard disk-drive business to Western Digital as well as for representing SoftBank in its $21.6 billion acquisition of Sprint, a transaction that was named the Global M&A Deal of the Year by The American Lawyer.Ken received his B.A. magna cum laude from Amherst College. He studied Japanese language at Stanford University’s Inter-University Center for Japanese Language in Tokyo and at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), receiving a graduate degree in International Aﬀairs. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School.<h4>Select Rankings</h4>Ken’s recent notable awards include:<ul><li>Most Innovative Legal Practitioner in Asia-Pacific (Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award 2022)</li></ul><ul dir="ltr"><li>Star Individual for Japan: Corporate/M&A (Chambers Global 2024)</li><li dir="ltr">Star Individual for Japan: Corporate/M&A (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024)</li><li>Hall of Fame for Japan: Corporate and M&A (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2025)</li><li>Market Leader for Japan: M&A (IFLR1000 2024)</li><li>Corporate, M&A Law, Private Equity, Private Funds and Venture Capital Law [The Best Lawyers in Japan (Recognized since 2009)]</li><li>Foreign Lawyer of the Year (Asian Legal Business (ALB) Japan Law Awards 2018)</li><li>Tokyo Managing Partner of the Year (Asian Legal Business (ALB) Japan Law Awards 2017)</li></ul>

Kenneth A. Siegel

Partner

Gary has 30 years of experience advising clients on cross-border M&A and financing transactions. He has particular experience in the life sciences, tech, and media industries, where he has led on numerous inbound and outbound buyouts, joint ventures, and minority investments. Gary has advised on acquisitions in India, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other parts of Southeast Asia, as well as in Europe and the United States. He counsels a variety of clients, including Daiwa Securities Group, FUJIFILM, the Hitachi Group, Mizuho Securities, SMBC Nikko Securities, and Taisho Pharmaceutical.Gary was born in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. During his law studies at Columbia University, he was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and a recipient of the Recognition of Achievement in International Law, with Honors. Gary also attended the University of Tokyo Graduate School as a Japan Ministry of Education Scholar. He received his B.A. and B.B.A. summa cum laude from University of Washington, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.Gary is ranked as a Band 1 leading lawyer by Chambers Global and Chambers Asia-Pacific for his M&A and corporate law expertise. He has also been selected as a Stand-out Lawyer by Thomson Reuters in 2023, every year for the A-List Japan’s Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal since 2021 and by Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal) as a Thought Leader for M&A in Japan since 2023. He has been consistently selected as a leading lawyer in M&A and corporate law in Japan by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (Hall of Fame), IFLR1000, and Best Lawyers.

Gary Mitchel Smith

Max Olson is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group and Litigation Department. Max’s practice includes all aspects of dispute resolution, with special emphasis on patent litigation, international arbitration, trade secret litigation, sports litigation, and adversarial patent license negotiations. Max served as the chair of the Tokyo office Litigation Department from 2006 to 2013 and managing partner of the Los Angeles office from 2004 through 2006.Max led the firm’s litigation team on behalf of Fujitsu Semiconductor Ltd. (“FSL”) in obtaining an order from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California compelling arbitration of Cypress Semiconductor’s state court claims against FSL for alleged breach of contract, interference with contract, indemnity, and unfair competition in Tokyo, Japan, under the rules of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (FSL v. Cypress Semiconductor Corp., 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 97711 (N.D. Cal. June 5, 2023)).Max led the firm’s patent litigation teams on behalf of JOLED Inc. in the global enforcement of its OLED display patents against Samsung’s Galaxy phones through parallel litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (Case No. 6:20-cv-559) and the Japan Customs Office. Max also led the firm’s patent litigation teams defending infringement actions brought by Samsung Display and/or its affiliate, Intellectual Keystone Technology, against JOLED and its customers, including ASUSTeK Computer Inc. and ASUS Computer Int’l, in ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-1257 (In re Certain Organic Light Emitting Diode Displays, Components Thereof, and Products Containing Same) and in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (Case Nos. 6:21-cv-00017 and 6:21‑cv‑00053).Max led the firm’s litigation and arbitration teams on behalf of FSL in a global dispute with Cypress Semiconductor over the intellectual property rights in and ownership of thousands of photomasks used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Max defeated Cypress’s motion for injunctive relief in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in a significant victory for FSL (Cypress Semiconductor Corp. v. FSL, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32907 (N.D. Cal. Feb. 25, 2020)) and filed counterclaims against Cypress in an arbitration before the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association.Max led the firm’s litigation team on behalf of Mitsui Chemicals in trade secret litigation involving irrigation systems in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida and won a motion to dismiss the unfair trade practices, unfair competition, fraud, and conspiracy claims brought against Mitsui Chemicals (Developmental Techs. LLC v. Mitsui Chems., Inc., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64630 (M.D. Fla. Apr. 15, 2019)).Max represented U.S. Olympic gymnast Paul Hamm before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (“CAS”) in Switzerland, the world’s highest court for resolving sports disputes, in the highly publicized dispute over the gold medal in the men’s individual all-around event in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. A panel of three CAS arbitrators rejected the appeal filed by the bronze medalist, Korean gymnast Yang Tae‑Young, and held unanimously that Mr. Hamm should keep his gold medal. Max also led the firm’s arbitration team on behalf of a mixed martial arts fighter and obtained an award from the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association releasing the fighter from an unfavorable contract with his promoter.Max has also represented Fujitsu, FSL, Socionext, Konica Minolta, TDK, Yamaha, Micron Memory Japan, Advantest, Sega, Buffalo, and other major corporations in various adversarial patent license negotiations against some of the world’s largest patent holders.Max is a longtime member of The Tokyo IP American Inn of Court and served as its President from 2021 through 2023. He is also a registered gaikokuho-jimu-bengoshi and a member of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association, the Litigation Section and Intellectual Property Law Section of the American Bar Association, and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.Max is widely recognized as one of Japan’s leading lawyers by many of the world’s foremost independent legal directories, including Chambers Global, Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500, IAM Patent 1000, The Best Lawyers in Japan, Managing Intellectual Property, Benchmark Litigation: Asia-Pacific, Lexology Index (formerly Who’s Who Legal), and IAM Global Leaders. Clients describe Max as “a visionary legal practitioner and scholar who represents the best in his field in the Tokyo and Japan markets for dispute resolution and IP-related matters.”Max received his M.A. and B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard University and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan.

Max Olson

Masahiro is the Managing Partner of Morrison Foerster Law Offices. He advises clients on a range of matters in various sectors, including:<ul><li>Real estate finance</li><li>Fund formation and private equity</li><li>Project finance for renewable energy projects</li><li>Banking and financial institutions</li><li>Workouts and restructurings</li><li>Distressed acquisitions and financing</li><li>Real estate investment trusts</li></ul>Over the past 20 years, Masahiro has advised on the purchase of more than ¥1.5 trillion ($16 billion) in Japanese real estate and represented lenders in more than ¥1 trillion ($1.1 billion) in issued bonds and securitized loans. He handles transactions across all major property types, including commercial, professional, industrial, and hospitality.Masahiro also represents major commercial lenders, investors, and investment banks in cross-border transactions. He has worked with leading banks, as well as with foreign borrowers and investors. He has advised private real estate firms, and counseled some of the biggest sovereign wealth funds in Asia, in their real estate transactions.Masahiro is a bengoshi registered in Japan and graduated from the Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan (48th Trainee).

Masahiro Shiga

Theo Seltzer is a partner in the firm’s Real Estate Group. Theo’s practice focuses on the representation of U.S., Japanese, and other global institutional investors in the acquisition, financing and disposition of real estate, including cross-border equity and debt financing, fund formations, development projects, data centers, hotels, and distressed loan portfolio acquisitions.Theo has been consistently ranked as one of the leading U.S. Real Estate lawyers in Japan, including by Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, and The Best Lawyers in Japan. Most recently, he has been named Lawyer of the Year for Real Estate Law in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Japan. Theo is ranked Band 1 for Real Estate in Japan in Chamber Asia-Pacific's 2024 edition.Chambers Asia Pacific's 2011-2020 editions named Theo a "Star Individual" for Real Estate in Japan. He is also listed in the elite Hall of Fame category for Real Estate in Japan in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific's 2024 edition.Theo’s projects include:<ul><li>Representing Blackstone in its acquisition of certain Daiwa House’s logistics centers in Japan. The transaction was awarded Real Estate Deal of the Year by Asian Legal Business (ALB) Japan Law Awards 2021. </li><li>Representing Asia Pacific Land, who led an international consortium of investors, in the acquisition of the Tokyo Shiba Park Building. As of the closing, this was considered the largest single asset transaction in Japan since the Global Financial Crisis. The transaction was awarded Asia Deal of the Year by the Global PERE (Private Equity Real Estate) Awards 2013. </li><li>Representing global funds in connection with their acquisitions of performing, sub-performing and non-performing loan pools and bonds, including acquisitions from the Lehman bankruptcy estate. </li><li>Representing a global real estate/private equity fund in their investment in connection with the ¥150 billion sale and leaseback of 184 Japan dealership outlets of Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation, one of the largest sale-leaseback transactions in Japan to date. </li><li>Representing a global financial institution in the workout of their debt position in the ANA Hotel portfolio. </li></ul>

Theodore Seltzer

Daniel Levison serves as the Head of Litigation in Morrison Foerster’s Singapore office and leads the firm’s global Ethics and Compliance practice in Asia.With over 25 years of experience working across the region, Daniel advises clients on a wide range of litigation matters, internal investigations, and compliance reviews throughout Asia-Pacific. His practice spans multiple jurisdictions, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, India, Nepal, Japan, Korea, China, Australia, and New Zealand. He provides strategic counsel to clients facing complex regulatory and compliance challenges.Daniel is recognized for his expertise in handling highly sensitive matters such as fraud and corruption, cartel and competition issues, anti-money laundering, export control, privacy and data security, and regulatory and product safety investigations. He regularly assists clients with pre-acquisition and third-party compliance due diligence, as well as the development, review, and implementation of compliance policies, procedures, and training programs.In addition to his compliance and investigations work, Daniel also has significant experience with complex commercial litigation and arbitration, with a particular focus on multi-jurisdictional disputes. He has advised clients on in a variety of areas, including contract disputes, business torts, antitrust, product liability, intellectual property, and related issues.Daniel’s clients represent a diverse range of industries, including software and technology, consulting and professional services, consumer goods, e-commerce, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, entertainment, transportation, construction and real estate, hospitality, insurance, and banking and financial services.Before relocating to Singapore, Daniel spent more than twelve years in Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo office, where he developed substantial expertise in Japan-related matters, for which he has been recognized by Chambers Global every year since 2020.Daniel has also been recognized by Chambers Asia-Pacific as a top practitioner (Band 1) for Corporate Investigations/Anti-corruption since 2018 and as a leading individual for White-Collar Crime by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific since 2021. He is also listed as a litigation star by Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific and a leading lawyer for litigation in Singapore by Best Lawyers 2026.Clients describe Daniel as very thoughtful, thorough, and extremely focused on delivering high-quality advice across a broad range of issues. He is a sought-after speaker and a recognized thought leader on topics related to anti-corruption, investigations, and compliance.Daniel serves on a variety of global firm committees, including the Board of Directors.<h4>Representative Experience</h4><ul><li>A multinational company in connection with an internal investigation into allegations of bribery in Indonesia.</li><li>A real estate investment trust in relation to a compliance risk assessment concerning a joint venture in India. </li><li>A U.S.-based company in an investigation into corruption and procurement–related irregularities in India. </li><li>A global technology company in relation to an investigation into allegations of conflicts of interest and accounting irregularities by local management in Southeast Asia.</li><li>Several Asia-based employees of financial institutions in internal and government corruption and money laundering investigations. </li><li>U.S.-based medical device manufacturer in investigation into allegations of bribery and fraud in Japan.</li><li>A multinational pharmaceutical company in investigations into allegations of irregularities in the conduct of clinical trials in Japan.</li><li>A U.S.-based company with respect to several Japan Fair Trade Commission investigations.</li><li>Providing a global financial institution with anti-corruption counselling with respect to its global private equity and venture capital investments.</li><li>Conducted pre-investment and pre-acquisition anti-corruption and compliance due diligence for U.S., Europe, and Asia-based multinational companies in numerous transactions across the Asia‑Pacific region and beyond. </li></ul>