Squire Patton Boggs has announced the appointment of corporate partner Mörk Murdock. Mr. Murdock is a leading US lawyer who joins the firm after 14 years at Davis Polk, where he previously led the Japan M&A practice in Tokyo.
Mr. Murdock is fluent in Japanese and has considerable experience acting for Japanese multinationals in the manufacturing and industrial, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and financial and life insurance sectors. His practice focuses on cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strategic alliances and joint ventures, and he has advised on global securities offerings, corporate investigations and regulatory compliance matters.
“We are excited to welcome Mörk to the firm,” commented Tokyo office managing partner and Asia practice coordinator Ken Kurosu. “The appointment of Mörk, following the addition of Rika Beppu last year, adds considerable strength to our team. His arrival underlines the scale of our ambition for continued growth in the region and our desire to provide the highest quality service to our clients.”
Corporate practice group leader for Asia Pacific, Stephen Chelberg, added: “Mörk’s skills and experience fit well with the firm’s existing clients and practice, both within and outside of Japan, and we see substantial opportunities to expand our advice to clients in areas such as life sciences, financial services and Japanese industrial and manufacturing sectors.”
“I am enthusiastic to join Squire Patton Boggs. Its strong corporate and M&A practice in Tokyo and internationally, global footprint, and Japan and UK law capabilities in Tokyo make Squire Patton Boggs an excellent fit for my practice and my clients,” said Mr. Murdock.
Recognized as a Leading Individual for Corporate/M&A in the Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific guides, Mr. Murdock is noted as having built up extensive experience acting on cross-border acquisitions and representing stakeholders in business integrations and mergers. Recent transactions include advising Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation on its US$1.1 billion acquisition of NeuroDerm Limited and assisting Valeo with its partial tender offer for shares of Ichikoh Industries.
Mr. Murdock is admitted to practice in New York and is qualified in Japan as a foreign qualified lawyer (gaikokuho jimu bengoshi). Mr. Murdock has served on the Steering Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tokyo chapter and helped organize the Tokyo annual meeting of the ABA’s Section of International Law.
Mr. Murdock’s appointment follows that of Rika Beppu, who was previously head of Corporate and M&A at Hogan Lovells in Tokyo; Haig Oghigian, the former Tokyo head of commercial disputes at K&L Gates; and Scott Warren, the former general counsel for Sega and senior attorney at Microsoft Japan.
In 2014, the firm combined with Tokyo-based corporate and transactional practice, Mamiya Law Offices.
The Squire Patton Boggs global Corporate Practice Group has more than 370 corporate lawyers across its 47 offices.
It is one of the world’s leading practices for both domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, particularly mid-market transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, divestitures, leveraged buyouts, equity investments and public takeover offers. The global Corporate Group is also well known for advising clients in industry sectors such as chemicals, diversified industrials, energy and natural resources, financial services and fintech, technology, healthcare and life sciences, media and communications, retail, and sports and entertainment.