Morrison & Foerster is set to boost its private equity and M&A practices in Asia with the hire of veteran corporate lawyer Gregory Salathé as a partner in Tokyo. Salathé will join the firm in September from investment manager PAG, where he is currently a partner and group general counsel.

With over 30 years of experience working on cross-border deals, Salathé's practice spans private equity fund formations, acquisitions, buyouts, and real estate and infrastructure investments across Asia. He has also advised corporate clients on transactions in sectors like financial services, hospitality and life sciences.

Salathé joined PAG in 2022 from Jones Day. He was previously a partner at Sidley Austin and a managing partner of Morgan Lewis & Bockius’ Tokyo office. Salathe started his career in New York and has also worked in Hong Kong and Singapore.

"Private equity in Japan is booming, and we have seen deal volume and size increase dramatically... Greg will help us meet our clients' growing need for seasoned, strategic, cross-border transactional advice," said Ken Siegel, managing partner of Morrison Foerster's Tokyo office, in a statement.

Morrison & Foerster currently has around 100 lawyers in Tokyo, including 35 partners. They include corporate partner Stephen DeCosse, who returned to the firm last year from Jones Day.