Morrison & Foerster (MoFo) has hired a former judge and legal attaché in the US to its litigation department in Tokyo. Takahiro Nonaka joins as a partner from DLA Piper.
Nonaka was a judge in Japan’s district courts for almost 10 years. During that time, he was seconded to the Embassy of Japan in Washington, where he served as an adviser on export controls, competition law, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement affecting Japanese companies.
Ken Siegel, managing partner of Morrison & Foerster’s Tokyo office, said Nonaka’s expertise would strengthen the firm’s IP and commercial litigation practice.
“Takahiro’s practice complements our Tokyo and global litigation practices extremely well,” said Siegel. “The regulatory side of his practice, in particular, which focuses on trade and export control compliance, is a growing area of need for many of our Asia clients.”
Nonaka has experience in commercial litigation, internal investigations, and global compliance and regulatory matters. He represents multinational companies in liaising with government officials and other regulatory agencies, conducting internal investigations and training, and drafting internal codes and policies. He also advises on employment, trade or export control compliance, and white-collar criminal defence matters.
Nonaka began his career in private practice in 2010, when he joined Sidley Austin in Tokyo as a Bengoshi (Japanese qualified lawyer).
