Morrison Foerster has expanded its Japanese inbound and outbound M&A capabilities with the addition of Stephen DeCosse as a partner in Tokyo from rival U.S. law firm Jones Day.
DeCosse was previously a partner at Morrison Foerster from 2001 to 2006 before moving to Jones Day, where he has most recently been an of counsel.
With a practice focusing on M&A deals and joint ventures, he advises both Japanese corporates on outbound matters and international private equity firms on inbound matters.
DeCosse’s recent experience includes deals in sectors like grain, robotics, food ingredients, 5G, offshore wind, oil and gas, transport and logistics, sensors, auto parts, and health care.
At Jones Day, his M&A clients included Sempra Energy, TDK Corporation, Calgon Carbon, Tokyo Electron, Jera, Omron Corporation, Macquarie European Infrastructure Funds, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi and American Airlines, according to his archived bio on Jones Day’s website.
DeCosse “will play a key role in further diversifying and extending our outbound M&A practice and growing our inbound work for the increasingly active group of global PE firms in Tokyo,” said Ken Siegel, managing partner of Morrison Foerster’s Tokyo office and head of the office’s M&A team.
The firm has expanded its M&A and private equity practices across Asia this year, with the addition of partner Tabitha Shaw in Singapore in February and Steven Tran in Hong Kong in January.
