Mörk Murdock

Partner

Languages spoken
English | Japanese

About Mörk

Mörk Murdock has extensive experience acting on cross-border acquisitions and transactions, advising Japanese multinational companies on corporate, M&A and Capital Markets transactions, as well as US securities law compliance and regulatory matters. His clients include leading Japanese trading houses, pharmaceutical, technology and industrial clients.

For M&A, Mörk advises on cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, strategic alliances and joint ventures, including on investments in US public companies. Mörk also advises pharmaceutical companies on cross-border patent license, joint development and commercialization agreements.

For capital markets, Mörk has advised US-listed Japanese companies on ongoing US securities law compliance, selling shareholders in a global initial public offering (IPO) and Japanese, Southeast Asian and Australian companies on exempt private offerings of securities. Mörk also assists multi-national companies with analysis of Japan Foreign Direct Investment filing requirements with respect to cross-border transactions.

Prior to joining our Tokyo office, he led the Japan M&A practice for a global law firm in Tokyo. Mörk is a member of the Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association.

Since 2019, Mörk has served as an adjunct professor in Hitotsubashi University’s graduate school program in business law, teaching a class on International M&A.

Experience

  • Advising a Japanese trading house on strategic investments and other transactions with US companies in the life science, insurance technology, information technology and industrial recycling sectors.

  • Advising a Japanese investment fund on its Japan joint ventures with leading international Software as a Service (SaaS) companies.

  • Advising a leading Japanese industrial company on its carve-out divestitures of two of its auto parts businesses.

  • Advising a Japanese company on the sale of its US subsidiary in US bankruptcy proceedings.

  • Advising Japanese pharmaceutical companies on their cross-border license and strategic alliance transactions.

  • Advising a UK company that operates a platform for the resale of electronics parts on the establishment and restructuring of its Japanese joint venture company.

  • Advising a NASDAQ-listed Japanese fin-tech company on its US securities law compliance and subsequent de-listing.

  • Advising a leading Japanese information technology on the establishment of its Vietnam joint venture.

  • Advising a leading Japanese energy company on supply and off-take agreements with a US-based global oil company.

  • Advising Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group on compliance matters related to its New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registered securities.

  • Advising several Japanese companies that are registered with the SEC on their filings and responses to SEC comments in respect of their annual reports filed on Form 20-F and periodic reports on Form 6-K, including: Canon, ORIX, Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Hitachi and Tokio Marine Holdings.

  • Advising ORIX on its registered debt offering filed on Form F-3.

  • Review of and advice to clients with respect to disclosure in registration statements filed on Form F-4 for Japanese business combination transactions.

  • Advising on Mitsubishi Tanabe’s acquisition of the Israeli company NeuroDerm

  • Advising on Valeo’s partial tender offer for Ichikoh Industries.

  • Advising on Dai-ichi Life’s strategic alliance with asset manager Janus Henderson Global Investors.

  • Advising on Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank’s acquisition of Citi Cards Japan.

  • Advising on Shionogi’s strategic collaborations with Sage Pharmaceuticals and Egalet and acquisition of Sciele Pharma.

  • Advising on Nidec’s acquisition of Honda elesys from Honda.

  • Advising on Daikin’s acquisition of Goodman Global from affiliates of Hellman & Friedman.

  • Advising on NEC’s acquisition of the information management business of Convergys.

  • Advising on Toyo Seikan’s acquisition of Stolle Machinery from GSO Capital Partners.

  • Advising on Morgan Stanley Securities’ joint venture in Japan with MUFG.

Credentials

Education
  • University of Washington School of Law, J.D., 2004
  • Stanford University, M.S., Environmental Engineering, 1996
  • Stanford University, B.S., Civil Engineering, 1995
Admissions
  • Japan (gaikokuho jimu bengoshi), 2012
  • New York, 2005

Recognitions

  • Notable practitioner in IFLR1000 for Japan M&A and debt and equity capital markets 2018 to present

  • Leading partner: foreign lawyer in Legal 500 for Japan Corporate and M&A 2018 to present