HONG KONG (March 12, 2019) – Morrison & Foerster is pleased to announce that Brian Snyder has joined the firm in the Hong Kong office as an Of Counsel in its M&A/Private Equity practice. Mr. Snyder comes to Morrison & Foerster from Davis Polk’s Hong Kong office. He brings a practice focused on M&A and private equity transactions.
Mr. Snyder has led a number of sophisticated M&A transactions in Asia, and has particular experience in private equity buyouts and exits, acquisitions and sales by corporate clients, joint ventures, and significant cross-border investments in both public and private companies. His deal work in both Asia and the US for a range of high-profile clients has spanned many sectors, including tech, biotech, media, consumer, financial institutions, and energy.
Earlier this year, the firm also promoted Catherine Liu to Of Counsel in its M&A/Private Equity practice. Her practice focuses on private equity investments, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, real estate investments and emerging company work across a wide range of sectors. She is also experienced in advising sponsors on the use of limited partnerships, LLCs and other arrangements for pooling of cash when structuring their investments.
Ms. Liu is an invaluable member of the team and has played an important role behind a number of award winning deals such as SoftBank Vision Fund’s US$11 billion investment in WeWork.
Mr. Snyder’s addition and Ms. Liu’s promotion come on the heels of significant momentum for Morrison & Foerster’s M&A/Private Equity practice in Hong Kong. High-profile additions over recent years include M&A and Capital Markets partner Vivian Yiu, M&A and Technology Transactions partner Chuan Sun, and Funds partner Serena Tan. Over the last year, the firm has more than doubled the size of its M&A team in the Hong Kong office with the addition of numerous associates from other major law firms.
“I am pleased to welcome Brian to Morrison & Foerster,” said Timothy Blakely, Managing Partner of the Hong Kong office. “He further strengthens our outstanding M&A and private equity offerings in Hong Kong, which are effectively complemented by other practice groups such as fund formation, tax, finance, capital markets, and public M&A, with support from our seasoned commercial litigators and enforcement team when needed. I also am very proud to see attorneys like Catherine Liu continue to grow and develop with the firm. We remain committed to further building out our capabilities in Hong Kong to continue meet the needs of our clients on their landmark transactions.”
Further building on the firm’s momentum, its corporate lawyers in Hong Kong – and other parts of Asia – have recently received significant recognition for their work on deals from leading legal organizations such as Asian Legal Business Hong Kong Law Awards, the China Law & Practice Awards, International Financial Law Review’s Asia Pacific Awards, and American Lawyer Media’s Asia Legal Awards.
“I am delighted that we have extended our M&A and private equity practice with the addition of Brian and the promotion of Catherine, and that our team is also being recognized for its industry leading work,” said Eric Piesner, Morrison & Foerster Asia Managing Partner. “We look forward to continuing to represent our clients on their market-shaping deals.”
For more than 30 years, the firm’s Hong Kong office has served Chinese and international clients, including leading private equity sponsors, financial investors and institutions, as well as Fortune 500, institutional, and Chinese state-owned companies.
