Morgan Lewis has bolstered its Asia real estate practice with the hiring of new partners Gerald Fujii and Naoki Ueyama in Tokyo from Withers, each bringing more than 20 years of industry experience.
The duo, who were also recently co-leaders of Withers’ real estate team, brings a broad range of extensive experience in this area.
Jami Wintz McKeon, chair of Morgan Lewis in Philadelphia, told Asia Business Law Journal that representing private funds and institutional investors in fund formation, regulatory advice, investments and transactions was a core strategy of the firm’s practices in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
McKeon said Fujii and Ueyama would strengthen that strategy in real estate investment funds and related transactions, while adding private fund clients and additional opportunities for the firm’s fund formation, regulatory, corporate and employment practices in Japan.
Fujii, who previously served as a partner at Withers for more than six years, had practised at White & Case for close to 20 years when he joined Withers in 2018. Admitted in California and as a Japan-registered foreign lawyer, Fujii specialises in advising on real estate transactions and green financing matters in Japan, with sovereign wealth funds and real estate investment funds being among his clients.
Ueyama also previously served as a partner at Withers for more than six years, and had practised as a partner at Masuda & Partners Law Office and Pau Hastings as well as a counsel at Skadden earlier in his legal career. Admitted in Japan and New York, Ueyama is experienced in advising on real estate, structured and acquisition finance, representing Japanese and international investors as well as investment funds and financial institutions in those transactions.
With Fujii and Ueyama’s addition, Morgan Lewis now counts 15 lawyers in Tokyo including office managing partner Carol Tsuchida, an asset management lawyer who, like Fujii, practised at White & Case earlier in her career.
